Herbal Medicine: Open Access

Animal Self Medication.

Zoopharmacognosy is the practice in which wild animals self- medicate using an evolutionary adaptation in which their innate instinct enables them to communicate and relate with medicinal plants within their environment, to bring about health and wellbeing. The term Zoopharmacognosy originates from Greek words, zoo ("animal"), pharma ("drug"), and gnosis ("knowing"). Unfortunately, domestication has restricted the opportunity for animals to use their instinctive knowledge to select nature's medicines. Applied Zoopharmacognosy takes this practice into captive and domestic environments.

Beth Chamberlin