Skip to content
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Menu
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Menu
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
agricultural and biological sciences
Observations on the illness and consumption of a possibly medicinal plant Vernonia amygdalina (Del.), by a wild chimpanzee in the Mahale Mountains National Park, Tanzania
Primates, Volume 30, No. 1, Year 1989
Notification
URL copied to clipboard!
Description
Detailed observations on the consumption of Vernonia amygdalina (Del.), a naturally occurring plant of known ethnomedicinal value, by an adult female chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) of M-group in the Mahale Mountains, Tanzania were made. Chewing the pith of several shoots, she sucked out and swallowed the astringent, bitter tasting juice; spitting out the fibrous remains. The female was followed during this period for 11 hr, over two consecutive days, and was recognized to be in irregular health at the time of consumption, exhibiting signs of lethargy, lack of appetite, and irregularity of bodily excretions. The low frequency and lack of seasonality in the usage of this plant suggest that it is sought after for reasons other than as a food source. These factors suggest that for chimpanzees, the consumption of this plant is primarily medicinal. The symptoms displayed by the female are the same as those experienced by people throughout tropical Africa who utilize this plant as a medicinal treatment for them. Interactions between the female and others suggest that they too were aware of her condition and coordinated their activities with the female and her infant. © 1989 Japan Monkey Centre.
Authors & Co-Authors
Huffman, Michael A.
Japan, Kyoto
Kyoto University
Seifu, Mohamedi
Tanzania
Mahale Mountains Wildlife Research Centre
Statistics
Citations: 183
Authors: 2
Affiliations: 2
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1007/BF02381210
ISSN:
00328332
e-ISSN:
16107365
Research Areas
Food Security
Maternal And Child Health
Study Locations
Tanzania
Participants Gender
Female