The History of
Herbalism:
It is perhaps first
worth noting that there are numerous examples in the literature regarding other
animals known to use a variety of plants and minerals 'medicinally' in nature,
and it is a reasonable inference that humans always shared a similar basic relationship
with the minerals and plants around them.
Observations of the comparative health of animals in captivity and in
the wild suggest that wild animals are able to do things to keep themselves
healthy that captive animals cannot (13). In 1632, a European doctor visiting
Peru, observed a Puma with a fever chewing the bark of the Chinchona tree. Two
hundred years later, Louis Pasteur discovered that the bark contained Quinine,
a natural compound with antipyretic (fever-reducing) properties. There are several
reports in the literature of mammals that are commonly known to eating
indigestible plants and grasses in order to relieve them from internal
parasites.
Article: The Economist. 2002.
'Chimpanzees suffering
from intestinal worms in Tanzania dose themselves with the pith of a plant
called Veronia. This plant produces poisonous chemicals called terpenes. Its
pith contains a strong enough concentration to kill gut parasites, but not so
strong as to kill chimps (nor people, for that matter; locals use the pith for
the same purpose)'. (13)
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