One alternative diet group promotes a simplistic system of binary
logic in which a substance is either a food or a toxin, i.e.,
medicine does not even exist in their ideology, and all (herbal)
medicines are denounced--without regard for proof or dose-response
effects--as "toxic." The same alternative diet circles also pride
themselves on an alleged "naturalism."

However, the last few years has seen an expansion of research in the
fascinating field of zoopharmacognosy --
wild animals using herbal medicines for self-medication purposes.

There are now multiple published peer-reviewed papers documenting
the use of herbal medicines by wild primates and many other wild
animals. A BIOSIS (Biological Abstracts) search on the keyword
zoopharmacognosy returns 11 hits, and there is at least one popular
book on the topic as well.

The article below is interesting because it extends the study of
medicinal use of plant compounds, from higher animals like (wild)
primates, all the way down to the lowly ant.  This wide diversity of
*natural* use of herbal medicine by wild animals and now even ants,
challenges the "naturalism" of the simplistic binary logic system
that claims that medicine does not exist.


Citation:

Note: the paper below describes tests done using ants. If that
fits your definition of "animal experiments," you can choose
to skip the rest of this post.

"Evidence for collective medication in ants"

Philippe Christe, Anne Oppliger, Francesco Bancalà,
Gregoire Castella, Michel Chapuisat
Ecology Letters
Volume 6 Issue 1 Page 19  - January 2003

Abstract

Social organisms are exposed to many pathogens, and have evolved
various defence mechanisms to limit the cost of parasitism. Here we
report the first evidence that ants use plant compounds as a
collective mean of defence against microorganisms. The wood ants
Formica paralugubris often incorporate large quantities of
solidified conifer resin into their nests. By creating resin-free
and resin-rich experimental nests, we demonstrate that this resin
inhibits the growth of microorganisms in a context mimicking
natural conditions. Such a collective medication probably confers
major ecological advantages, and may be an unrecognized yet
common feature of large, complex and successful societies.

PS If you have not read full-text of the above paper, please start
a separate thread if you post a reply.

Tom Billings