A Wild Orangutan’s Healing Touch: Nature’s Pharmacy in Action
In the dense rainforests of Indonesia, where modern conveniences are a distant dream, the forest itself becomes a pharmacy. The indigenous people have long relied on its plants for medicine, and now, a remarkable discovery unveils that at least one of its inhabitants, a nonhuman primate, is also tapping into nature’s healing bounty.
Meet Rakus, a mature male orangutan, a resident of the Suaq Balimbing research area since 2009. In June 2022, researchers studying the orangutans noticed something extraordinary: Rakus had sustained an injury, an open wound on his flange. What caught their attention was his behavior—he seemed to be deliberately applying plant sap and crushed leaves to his wound, akin to making a poultice. This remarkable observation, detailed in a study published in Scientific Reports on May 2, marks a significant milestone in our understanding of animal behavior.
Self-medication among animals is not unheard of, but it’s usually limited to basic instincts like avoiding harmful substances. Rakus’s actions, however, belong to a rare category—using plants for proactive or retroactive health benefits. What sets Rakus apart is his choice of treatment—a plant with known therapeutic properties, akar kuning (Fibraurea tinctoria), which has been traditionally used by humans for its pain-relieving, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antifungal properties.
Rakus’s wound showed remarkable signs of healing, with no signs of infection and rapid closure within days. While it’s uncertain what led Rakus to choose akar kuning, researchers speculate it might have been a chance selection rather than deliberate knowledge of its medicinal qualities. This raises intriguing questions about animal intelligence and their ability to recognize and utilize beneficial resources, much like humans.
The observation of Rakus’s healing ritual serves as a poignant reminder of nature’s resilience and the intricate relationship between animals and their environment. In the heart of the rainforest, where modern medicine is a luxury, Rakus’s story highlights the profound wisdom of the natural world—a pharmacy where every leaf holds a remedy, waiting to be discovered.
