Zoopharmacognosy

Strange sounding word? It’s a new (atleast the terms new) field which studies how animals self medicate.

When I watched Madagascar , I was intrigued by one conversation between Melman, the giraffe from the NY zoo and a giraffe in the African wild. If you recall, Melman is a hypochondriacal giraffe who is always getting scans and tests done, and is perpetually on medication, so Melman couldn’t imagine a world without doctors.

Melman: What?? You don't have doctors here? Additional Giraffe: No, we don't. Melman: Well, what if you catch a cold? Additional Giraffe: We go over to the dying holes and we die.

                       

Maybe giraffes don’t self medicate, or maybe that’s how much we know of what they do :)

And today when I read about Zoopharmacognosy, it’s interesting…..like a relearning of preventive medicine that we, as humans, need to level with. 

We’ve all seen (atleast those who have lived with pets), how they clearly self medicate. When they have an upset stomach, they will go and seek out a particular kind of grass, and that's clear indication of something not being right, as dogs or cats otherwise don't even eat grass. Apparently, this grass induces vomiting, and also for that day they just totally stay off food. They seem to naturally understand the issue and its therapy.

Animals seem to know the natural solutions to their problems and even apply them in their daily lives. Several studies have documented survival strategies like these in birds, bees, lizards, elephants and chimps. Yes, a wide range of animals self medicate.  They not only know the illness, they also seem to know the therapeutic constituents in plants.

Apparently, though the evidence is circumstantial, examples are aplenty. It’s like animals have their own pharmacy right in their neighborhood. Red and Green Macaws eat clay to aid digestion. Baboons eat leaves of a certain plant to combat flatworms. Elephants eat certain leaves to induce labour. The monarch butterfly lays its eggs on milkweed, which has anti-parasite properties.

Scientists working in this field are convinced that the future of pharmacy lies here. It’s time we looked at nature more. It seems unfortunate how far away we've moved from the alternate nature based treatments like Ayurveda and Unani. 

In this context Ravi Mantha (heard him when he came to speak at Google) comes to mind. He speaks of the first step in the practice of preventive medicine being the understanding of our bacteria. He argues the case for a unified symbiotic theory of germs and humans, where we see the symbiotic germs not just as partners but as extensions of our own body, fit to be accorded the status of a vital organ. He talks of how most bugs (bacteria) are not just harmless but powerful allies that constantly work to keep our body and mind healthy, and how we seem to be forever on bacteria killing expeditions, be it through sanitizers or disinfectants. 

Harnessing our inner bacteria he calls it. Interesting stuff there. You can read more on www.ravionhealth.com