Wild orangutan seen healing his wound with a plant

Orangutan behavior, emotions, and anthropomorphism

• Several comments reflect on the orangutan’s apparent “kiss” to the tree, debating whether it’s gratitude, foraging (eating ants), or an orangutan-specific emotion.
• Some argue that “humanizing” orangutans isn’t a big stretch: their emotions and social lives may be close to ours, and distinctions between humans and great apes are largely of degree.
• Others caution that some behaviors may just be mimicry without complex intent, but this is contrasted with evidence of rich inner lives and emotional expression in great apes.

Medicinal plant and healing

• The plant is identified as Akar Kuning (Fibraurea tinctoria), locally used as an anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial treatment for conditions like malaria and diabetes.
• A cited paper lists multiple active compounds (e.g., berberine, other alkaloids, saponins, flavonoids, tannins) and suggests antifungal, antibacterial, anti-malarial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-tumor activities, though clear human efficacy is said to be “unclear” and more studies needed.
• Some speculate that topical pain relief could have led the orangutan to repeat the behavior.

How animals learn self-medication

• Explanations include: cultural learning from mothers or peers, trial and error, and possible innate predispositions.
• Zoopharmacognosy (animal self-medication) is discussed, with examples: dogs eating grass, bears and elephants using plants, monkeys in Brazil using medicinal plants, and chickens’ dust baths for parasites.
• There is debate over whether specific behaviors are truly “intentional medicine” versus “feels good / tastes good” behaviors that evolution has shaped.

Plants, “alternative medicine,” and pharma incentives

• Thread distinguishes between plant origin and “alternative medicine”: many mainstream drugs are plant-derived, the key difference being rigorous testing and regulatory approval.
• Some argue profit motives and patentability bias research toward synthetic or isolatable compounds, leaving whole-plant uses under-studied; others reply that public bodies (e.g., NIH) do study plants.
• Disagreement appears over how often multi-compound natural mixtures are taken seriously within pharmacology.

Novelty and evidence standards

• Prior work on animal self-medication is noted; what’s highlighted as new here is a documented case of topical treatment with a plant already known to be medicinal.
• A satirical comment riffs on clinical-trial standards, mocking the idea that such behavior should wait for meta-analyses and regulatory approval before being “allowed.”