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JOHN YANG: Scientists are
uncovering the healing power
of plants with help from an

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unlikely source, chimpanzees.
For years, researchers at
the University of Oxford

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have taken samples of
plants favored by wild
chimps to learn about their

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medicinal properties. Sangeeta
Kandola of Independent
Television News has the story.

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SANGEETA KANDOLA, Independent
Television News (voice-over):
It's all about the survival of

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the fittest in the jungle, and
to stay fit, you have to stay
well. According to new research,

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wild chimps are the
champions are doing
just that. Eating wood.

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Over the past four years,
scientists have been observing
to chimpanzee communities

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in the forests of Uganda,
they found that chimps
that were sick or injured

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was seeking out and eating
plants that have pain relieving
an antibacterial properties.

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ELODIE FREYMANN, Primate
Researcher, University of
Oxford: Chimps have their
diet and they stick to

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it relatively and
several of these plants
are very, very rarely
consumed. So the fact that

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these sick or injured
chimpanzees were seeking
out these rare plants
at the specific time and

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other group members
sitting nearby didn't seek
them out. One can read
intentionality into that.

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SANGEETA KANDOLA (voice-over):
In total, researchers
collected 17 samples from 13

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different plant species used
by the chimps and sent them
to be tested in Germany.

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FABIEN SCHULTZ,
Zoopharmacologist: In 45 of
these we detected at least some

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antibiotic effects and
the strongest activity in
the bacteria activity was

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actually from a tree
called alstonia golden eye.

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SANGEETA KANDOLA
(voice-over): Discovery
more plants with healing

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properties could potentially
have huge implications
for the human species,

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as chimps could help guide
us in finding medicines we
don't even know exist yet.

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ELODIE FREYMANN: This is
going to be incredibly
important in the next few

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years as antibiotic resistance
is on the rise and there's
new global pandemics.

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SANGEETA KANDOLA (voice-over):
Scientists say the findings
are significant and proves

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there is an urgent need to
preserve these forest pharmacies
for future generations.

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JOHN YANG: That was
Sangeeta Kandola of
Independent Television News.