Pharmacognosy

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Zoo Pharmacognosy—A Rediscovery?

CHAPTER OBJECTIVES

Introduction

Some Interesting Facts Revealed by Observation and Research on Animals

Animal Self-Medication—Some Specific Reports

Animal Self-Medication—Implications for Humans

INTRODUCTION

The term “zoopharmacognosy” was proposed by Eloy Rodriguez and Richard Wrangam in 1987, to describe the process by which wild animals select and use specific plants with medicinal properties for the treatment and prevention of disease. This was following several anecdotal evidences from many naturalists’ observation that animals in the wild resort to plant self-medication to seek relief from disease conditions. Since then several reports on the various behavioral strategies of animals in maintaining ...