Ever wondered why animals won't go near a shrub which is poisonous. Have you observed a dog licking her wounds to heal them. Well we now have a word for the animals finding their own ways to cure themselves and that's`Zoopharmacognosy'

Though `Zoopharmacognosy' was coined recently, our ancestors were aware of such abilities with animals. They even learnt the medicinal values of some herbs by observing their pets. Some of the notable processes of self healing in animals are...

ANTING: over 250 species of birds have found to rub ants around their feathers. If they are not contended with few ants, they often roll around the anthills. The ants would secrete `formic acid` during the course. Formic acid is found to be a great insecticide, bactericide and fungicide. Such acid would certainly kill any bacteria or lice within the feathers of a bird!

DR.Chimp: Chimpanzees were known for their logical abilities while compared to rest. They were found to be chewing the leaves from Aspilia plant, to clear the parasites in their intestines. Aspilia leaves contain thiarubrine-A, a chemical active against intestinal parasites. Further chimps were also found to distinguish which part of the plant to be medicinal and which is not!

NESTING: Every kid in India is aware of the medicinal values of neem. The house sparrows too seem to have a cue of the fact. They were found to prefer to build their nests with neem branches to protect their babies from infections. They were even found to move their nests to a quinine rich tree during the outbreak of malaria.

LICKING: Most of the animals lick their wounds. Saliva is found to be antibacterial which diffuses the bacteria along the wound. It's also found to infuse the blood clotting mechanism, which would speed up the healing process.

PURRING: Cats were found to be purring after they've broken their bones. Some scientists have listened the pur and heard something else! A cat's purr has an average frequency of around 20 to 150 Hertz. Sound frequencies of range have shown to heal the broken limbs, and act as a pain relief.

Examples for Zoopharmacognosy were numerous, some proved to be scientific and some were controversial. But combining natural remedies with science is the bottom line without any debate.

-nirjara