Sick chimpanzees seek out one bitter plant they normally never touch
Primatologist Michael Huffman documented chimpanzees with parasite infections seeking out and chewing the pith of a bitter plant, Vernonia amygdalina, that they normally avoid eating, then recovering within a day. Local healers already used the same plant to treat intestinal parasites in humans, and the behaviour helped found the study of animal self-medication, known as zoopharmacognosy.