As indigenous knowledge slowly disappears, exploration of zoopharmacognosy can help

to promote and support some of the existing indigenous medicinal plant knowledge and the potential to “fill in the gaps” of knowledge we have lost.

Indigenous people have valuable knowledge of medicinal plants and have for many years been treating a variety of health conditions effectively. Some of our own drug treatments originate from this knowledge. Many share the view that some of our ancestral knowledge of medicinal plants and natural remedies came from observing how animals heal themselves and the medicinal choices they make from their environment.

Interestingly, animal self-selection of botanical remedies has been shown to share some common ground with indigenous knowledge and use of plant remediess and traditional remediess.

The “screening” process of facilitative zoopharmacognosy may help validate the therapeutic potential of botanical sources that animals with existing and veterinary diagnosed conditions, select and utilize for self-medication.