Iwondered:Wheredidthisknowledgeofmedicinecomefrom?InancientIndia,bookswerewrittenaboutcaringforelephants.But,manyoftheplantswelearnedaboutwerenotinthose books.

Manyoftheseplantsareusedforpeopleinthesamewaythattheyareusedfortheelephants.Theplantsusedtotreatelephanteyeinfectionsarethesameusedforeyeinfectionsinpeople.Infact,55 percentofelephantmedicineshadthesameusefor people!

Inadditiontopeople,theelephantswereanothersourceofknowledge.Severaloftheirmedicineplantsdidn’thaveanyusesforpeople.Andmanyhealingplantsweresoughtoutbytheelephantsinthe forest.

Eighty-fourpercentoftheseplantswerechosenbyelephantstoeatastheyroamedtheforests.Didtheyknowthattheseplantswere medicine?

Toprovethatelephantseattheseplantsonpurposewouldbedifficult.ButtheKarenmahoutsweren’tinterestedinhavingtheirknowledgeproven.Afterall,generationshaveobservedelephantsinthejungle.Manybelievedthattheelephantsdideatspecificplantstotreatspecific problems.

Karenmahoutsreportedthat19 plantspeciestheyusedtotreatelephantswerealsochosenbytheelephants themselves!

Manyofthemedicinesusedtotreatelephantscamefirstfromhumans.Someplantsusedbytheelephantsfirst,onlylaterwereusedbypeople.Forsome,itwashardtotellthe origins.

Peopleoftenforgetthatotherspecieshavetheirownknowledge.Sometimesitcanbeevengreaterthanourown.Welearnedhowtobuilddamsfrombeavers.Wecopytheshapesofairplanesfrom birds.

Inthesameway,theKarenhaveborrowedfromelephantknowledge.Especiallytheirknowledgeof plants.

Thenexttimeyouseeyourdogorcatchewupstrangeplantsintheyard,watchclosely.Theymaybesnackingon medicine!