How Chimpanzees Use Plants and Insects to Heal Themselves

It may seem unusual to think of chimpanzees as doctors, but they more closely resemble human healers than you may expect. Wild chimpanzees were once thought to be incapable of healing themselves. It was believed that injured individuals recovered only if their bodies naturally repaired the damage. Those who survived went on to produce healthier offspring within the group, while those who did not survive were considered the weakest members.

However, a new study reveals that chimpanzees are not only capable of healing themselves, but they also do so with a knowledge of plants and insects that rivals that of ancient humans. This practice of medicine is performed not only by individuals to heal themselves but also on other community members who cannot help themselves.

What Self-Care Means to Chimpanzees

Self-care is a term commonly used to describe the act of taking a moment to prioritize one’s well-being and improve physical, mental, or emotional health. However, self-care is not a human-specific act, as chimpanzees have been found to practice self-care as well.

According to a May 2025 study published in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, self-care among chimpanzees was defined as acts that improve the overall health of the chimpanzees. Behaviors once believed to be random, as noted in studies and video documentation over 30 years, were actually found to be regular self-care practices among chimpanzees.

Even more interestingly, scientists in the study found that chimpanzees were well-versed in which plant and insect species would provide them with the quickest healing for injuries. It was not just one plant that was used, either. A multitude of plants were used to heal various ailments. Essentially, chimpanzees were utilizing plant remedies akin to those of ancient humans as their form of self-care.

How Chimpanzees Practice Self-Care

It may seem strange to believe that chimpanzees are capable of practicing self-care. But as has been documented over the last several decades, they do. While it may be at a more rudimentary level than that of humans, self-care not only helps keep chimpanzees healthy but also allows them to heal themselves.

The study notes that, for years, chimpanzees have been observed foraging for and chewing both leaves and the soft, spongy tissue of plants (known as pith) to clear internal parasites. Additionally, chimpanzees apply chewed leaves and dab leaves on injuries to help wounds heal faster. However, the most common self-care technique used was licking an injury. According to scientists, this is believed to occur because chimpanzees’ saliva possesses healing properties that humans do not have. Cleaning the wound helps prevent infection from spreading, thereby increasing the likelihood that the injured chimpanzee will recover.

Chimpanzees also use leaves to clean themselves. According to Elodie Freymann, first author of the study and postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oxford, chimpanzees used leaves for cleaning both after defecation and after mating.

“We also documented hygiene behaviors,” Freymann explains in a statement, “including the cleaning of genitals with leaves after mating and wiping the anus with leaves after defecation — practices that may help prevent infections.”

What was even more fascinating for scientists to discover was that chimpanzees not only practice self-care but also provide medicinal care to those unrelated to them.

Chimpanzees Will Practice Medicinal Care On Unrelated Group Members

In the wild, many believe it is survival of the fittest. While it is indeed true that the healthiest and fittest are the most likely to survive, it also takes a village to help strengthen a community. By chimpanzees practicing medicinal care not only on themselves but also on others, they exhibit empathy within their community and a desire to improve the well-being of those who have sustained injuries.

Through both direct observation and a review of previous studies, scientists identified another category of care that had not yet been named. The previous prosocial care, as identified in a 2022 study published in Evolution, Medicine & Public Health, consisted of “kin-care” and “stranger-care.” In the new study, scientists named a third category, “non-kin-care,” which refers to relationships between “genetically distant but familiar group members.”

This non-kin-care group consisted of two subcategories: “affiliate care” (providing medical care to non-kin group members who are established social partners, such as friends) and “non-affiliate care” (providing care to non-kin group members with weaker or less consistent social bonds, such as acquaintances). The chimpanzees demonstrated that they would provide medicinal care to both those close to them and those who were not. According to the study, this was demonstrated in several ways, including:

• Leaf-dabbing

• Application of insects

• Removing a nylon snare

• Carrying an unrelated baby while the mother chimpanzee recovered from injury

• Adoption and caring for non-related orphaned chimpanzees

By providing care for “non-kin” chimpanzees, not only was a strong sense of community formed, but the presence of empathic feelings among the chimpanzees could not be denied.

Types Of Medicinal Care Chimpanzees Use

As the chimpanzees were observed in the study, they were found to have a toolbox of both self-care and medicinal remedies that they practiced. In addition, in at least one instance, the younger generation was seen learning not only what these remedies were but also how to put medicinal care into practice. The different types of medicinal care that the chimpanzees practiced in the study include:

Chimpanzees know which plant matter and insects have healing properties and use them when injured. Chimpanzees not only treat themselves but also care for others in their group, regardless of relation, suggesting the difference between primates and humans may not be as great as once thought.

Study May Prove Common Ancestor Of Humans And Primates Practiced Medicinal Care

For a long time, it was believed that only humans were evolved enough to show empathy. Across the animal kingdom, it seemed unimaginable that any other species could share and understand the feelings of others or show compassion. However, decades of research have proven that many different species are not only capable of empathetic feelings and behaviors, but they also exhibit them frequently. This has been seen in species, including:

• Elephants

• Dogs

• Dolphins

• Primates

Regarding the latter, the study demonstrates that both chimpanzees and bonobos exhibit affection and care for one another. According to Freymann, animals want to support one another.

“One of the things humans have clung onto is that we’re this very special species, because we are capable of altruism and we’re capable of empathy,” Freymann explains to NBC News. “Animals are helping each other out. They’re capable of identifying others in need and then addressing those specific needs.”

In addition to animals exhibiting empathy, Freymann believes that when it comes to primates, it is very possible that there was a “common ancestor” of primates and humans that passed down the knowledge of medicinal care.

“It’s likely that our shared common ancestor also would have been capable of these care behaviors as well,” Freymann tells NBC News.

Decades of mounting evidence, along with the new study, reveal undeniable similarities between humans and primates. Helping a family member, friend, or even a stranger is not exclusive to humans. As a result, the emotional difference between humans and primates may not be as significant as once believed. This understanding could encourage humans to show greater empathy toward primates, recognizing that the two species are not so different after all.

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