Wild Health: How Animals Keep Themselves Well and What We Can Learn From Them

by Cindy Engel

This is the first book on a fascinating new field in biology -- zoopharmacognosy, or animal self-medication -- and its lessons for humans. When Rachel Carson published SILENT SPRING, few people knew the meaning of the word "ecology." Even fewer people today probably know the meaning of "zoopharmacognosy." But that is about to change. In WILD HEALTH, Cindy Engel explores the extraordinary range of ways animals keep themselves healthy, carefully separating scientifically verifiable fact from folklore, hard data from daydreams. As with holistic medicine for humans, there turns out to be more fact in folklore than was previously thought.
How do animals keep themselves healthy? They eat plants that have medicinal properties. They select the right foods for a nutritionally balanced diet, often doing a better job of it than humans do. Animals even seek out psychoactive substances -- they get drunk on fermented fruit, hallucinate on mushrooms, become euphoric with opium poppies. They also manipulate their own reproduction with plant chemistry, using some plants as aphrodisiacs and others to enhance fertility. WILD HEALTH includes scores of remarkable examples of the ways animals medicate themselves.
- Desert tortoises will travel miles to mine and eat the calcium needed to keep their shells strong.
- Monkeys, bears, coatis, and other animals rub citrus oils and pungent resins into their coats as insecticides and antiseptics against insect bites.
- Chimpanzees swallow hairy leaves folded in a certain way to purge their digestive tracts of parasites.
- Birds line their nests with plants that protect their chicks from blood-draining mites and lice.
In other words, animals try to keep themselves healthy in many of the same ways humans do; in fact, much of early human medicine, including many practices being revived today as "alternative medicine," arose through observations of animals. And, as WILD HEALTH, animals still have a lot to teach us. We could use a little more wild health ourselves.

Genres: Nonfiction, Health, Nature, Science, Food, Animals, Wilderness

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 16, 2002

About the author

Dr Cindy Engel is a rare combination of research biologist, author, and bodywork therapist – on a mission to understand the interplay of mind and body. As well as writing in peer-reviewed academic journals, she is the author of the definitive book on animal self-medication, ‘Wild Health: how animals keep themselves well and what we might learn from them’. This book topped the prestigious Berkeley popular science list and is still popular and influential after 20 years in print. Her insights and expertise have led to interviews and articles being published in The New Scientist, The Financial Times Weekend, The Mail on Sunday, and The Ecologist. She was also the science consultant and a contributor for BBC Radio 4’s series ‘Murder, Magic & Medicine’. Cindy has been an Associate Lecturer at The Open University for over 30 years, and she lives and works in rural Suffolk, England.

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was fascinated by this book. It's very well-researched and the author presents information in many forms: medical/behavioral research summaries, nutritional science, and most importantly, observational anecdotes of individual cases of animal self-care in the wild.

I feel healthier just having read it! :) I also feel inspired after immersing myself in stories of animals who find everything they need for optimal health in the wilderness surrounding them. Engel does mention the occasional human society using wild health practices, too.

I also found a wonderful quote in this book: "Health consists of having the same diseases as your neighbors." -Quentin Crisp.

[Katrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book took me forever to read because it's so much information, I had to take it slowly... But I loved reading this. I loved the things it made me think of.

[Collette Lauzau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truely eye opening.

[Malone · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was fascinating- Cindy was well before her time (still millions of years after animals tho). It’s extraordinarily difficult to find unbiased health books that you can trust to rely on nothing but the science (or science not funded by private corporations with a profit first agenda) but Cindy is a scientist by trade. Not a doctor. And that’s what makes this book so compelling. In a world where you never know what you’re suppose to eat, she can tell you why you don’t know and at least lead you in the right direction.

I knocked off a star (1) because I wish this book provided more instructions on what we can specifically take away. I believe she did the best she could with the research available, and there’s not much out there. But still lack of available knowledge hinders the books application. (2) this was published in 2002 and there are a few more minor claims that I believe are now outdated. Also not the authors fault and all of the applications of this book stand the test of time.

It also would have been helpful to have possible applications laid out at the end of each chapter. That would have helped this book a lot for it to be organized in a way to better help ourselves.

But those are my only complaints. This book was refreshing in a sea of people trying to convince you of their dogma and I feel like I finally understand why people are so confused about heath. Big surprise: everyone is partially correct.

I’ll be rereading my underlinings for years to come and recommending this book to everyone. If you’re on the fence please read it.

[Yas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very informative and well researched. I really enjoyed learning about animals' behaviors. The author reminds us that nothing should be taken for granted and still today humans have still a lot to learn about the animals' kingdom to be able to preserve their health.

[Vivi · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good, so nerdy, so much information, and so much research done!
I loved how accessible it was even with all the biological, and chemical language.

[Alexandra Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wild Health details how animals use plants and various compounds found in their natural environment as medicine. From physical to psychological ailments, Engel provides many examples, which I enjoyed reading about. I was hoping to get more information about how, as she discusses, some captive/domestic animals instinctively know how to treat themselves. How? The book left me with more questions than answers, but it was a fascinating read.

[Marvel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book conveys ethology in most interesting way possible. Have very much widen my understanding upon nature and ourself, especially on the nature of self-healing. Although it has weak start and had successfully slowing me down, it ends up with a strong conclusion and very climatic and I loved it. well, not an easy 5 star but I'll let it pass for now.

[Elaine]

Great book on how to improve your own health while taking cues from our animal brothers and sisters. Litterally, we are animals too!