Self-medicating gorillas may hold new drugs clues

In the lush forests of Central and West Africa, the western lowland gorilla is a remarkable creature, but its numbers are dwindling, with fewer than 150,000 remaining in the wild. Recent studies suggest that these gorillas may hold the key to discovering new medicines. Researchers in Gabon have been investigating the tropical plants that wild gorillas consume, which are also utilized by local healers for their medicinal properties. They identified four specific plants that exhibit beneficial effects on health. Laboratory tests revealed that these plants are rich in antioxidants and antimicrobials, with one plant showing potential in combating superbugs, which are bacteria that are resistant to many antibiotics. Western lowland gorillas have a diverse diet, feeding on various items such as stems, bamboo shoots, and fruits. They are known to self-medicate by selecting plants that possess healing properties. For instance, a wounded orangutan has been observed using a plant paste to treat its injury. In this recent study, botanists documented the plants consumed by western lowland gorillas in Gabon's Moukalaba-Doudou National Park. They focused on four trees that were likely to provide health benefits, based on discussions with local healers. These trees include the fromager tree, giant yellow mulberry, African teak, and fig trees. The bark of these trees is traditionally used to treat a range of ailments, from digestive issues to infertility, and contains various medicinal compounds, including phenols and flavonoids. Gabon is known for its incredible biodiversity, housing a vast array of unexplored plants that may have medicinal properties. All four plants demonstrated antibacterial activity against at least one strain of the multidrug-resistant bacteria E. coli. Notably, the fromager tree exhibited remarkable effectiveness against all tested strains. Dr. Joanna Setchell, an anthropologist from the University of Durham in the UK, who collaborated with Gabonese scientists on this study, stated, 'This suggests that gorillas evolved to eat plants that benefit them, and highlights the huge gaps in our knowledge of the Central African rainforests.