No, I’m not suggesting that we all start watching our animals for every sign of sickness and then follow them around to find out how to treat our own illnesses. I certainly don’t have the patience for something like that. You probably have more important things to do as well.
But I think the whole concept is interesting. It never occurred to me until I read an article last summer “What Self-Medicating Animals Can Teach Us about Medicine.” It piqued my curiosity enough to click on it. I thought it interesting that the orangutan that prompted the article was observed applying an herbal plaster to a wound sustained when he fought with another male. Is it possible that animals innately understand how to heal their hurts? And then, of course, the author drove home her point by mentioning something we’ve all observed. Who hasn’t seen a dog eat grass and then vomit?
Throughout the ages, historians have documented their observations of animals self-medicating.
- Aristotle observed that wolves eat a certain kind of earth when they are extremely hungry. He also noted that they never eat grass except when they are sick, just like dogs.
- He also noted that bears emerging from hibernation seek out wild garlic, which is nutrient-dense with vitamin C, magnesium, and iron.
- Pliny the Elder observed that animals bitten by snakes resort to eating crabs (whose shells contain chitosan) to heal themselves.
- He commented that people learned to use wild oregano, a relative of our culinary (and medicinally used) oregano, to heal arrow wounds by watching stags eat it. (Not sure how that translates.)
- Aelianus wrote that an elephant hit by spears or arrows eats the flower or oil of an olive tree. (Some dispute whether Aelianus meant oil or aloe; regardless, both are medicinal.)
- Egyptians reported to have learned medicinal treatments from animals.
- Falcons were observed to pick wild lettuce and then put the leaf above the eye to let the latex flow into their eyes.
- Aelianus further observed that when injured, partridges, storks, and turtledoves crush oregano and apply it to their wounds.
- Medieval texts record that bears used mullein to treat their sores. Swallows healed their nestlings eyes with turmeric. Wild goats chewed and applied sphagnum moss to their wounds.
- And in our time, how do finches and sparrows know to collect cigarette butts to line their nests? How do they know that the cigarette butts repel parasites?
How does each species know exactly which herb to select and whether to eat it or apply it topically? How do they know where to find it? How do they know just the right dosages and frequencies? How did that orangutan know to chew the leaves of the liana plant (a plant that they do not eat), apply the juice first, and then the chewed leaf as a plaster? How did he know to do it twice a day?
Why did God give animals such knowledge? Because he cares about them? Because they don’t all have educated veterinarians to care for them? If He cares about the animals, does He care about us? Even those of us who can’t afford or don’t want to employ physicians?
Of course, He does. He loves each one of us. He may not like many of the things that we do, but He loves us. And he has given us herbs to treat our health conditions also. (Perhaps so that we can live long enough to get our acts together, repent, and become nice people before we die.) Most of us will have to learn from others. Some people, I believe, have a gift to understand which herbs to use and how to prepare them. (And no, I am definitely not one of those people. I research and write, period.)
I’m not suggesting to believe every guy out there who “hears” the plants talking and comes up with an herbal remedy for something. I’d have a really hard time with that myself. But I think it’s possible something like that could happen in the future. I’m hoping that recognizing that God gives such knowledge to animals will help me have faith that He also gives this knowledge to some people if and when I need it.
References:
https://www.inverse.com/science/animals-self-medicate-plants
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-20607413
https://www.thieme-connect.de/products/ejournals/html/10.1055/a-1586-1665
https://www.allresearchjournal.com/archives/2019/vol5issue5/PartB/5-5-17-612.pdf
