Archive · 28 Sep 2026
Study Finds Wild Elephants Self-Medicate and Feed Calves Herbal Mixtures
Scientists studied wild elephants near Mount Elgon in Kenya.
They learned that elephants use plants and certain soils when they feel sick.
Local elders, Indigenous experts, and wildlife scouts helped identify these materials.
In total, they described 35 plants and four kinds of clay or soil.
Mother elephants sometimes chew leaves, bark, and roots into a soft paste.
They mix the paste with their milk and feed it to their babies.
The mixture may help calves with stomach problems and reflux.
Mothers may also give it to healthy calves as a way to help prevent illness.
Researchers want to learn whether elephants teach these behaviors to one another.
Researchers found elephants in western Kenya intentionally seek plants and soils when unwell.
Local observers identified 35 plant species and four nutrient-rich clays or soils used by elephants.
Mother elephants chew leaves, bark, and roots into pastes mixed with their milk.
The mixtures are fed to calves to soothe stomach problems and reflux.
Researchers say some elephant-used plants overlap with those used in local traditional medicine.
- Who
- Wild African elephants, local Indigenous experts, elders, wildlife scouts, and international researchers.
- What
- A study found that elephants use plants and nutrient-rich soils for self-medication, while mothers prepare plant-and-milk mixtures for calves.
- Where
- The Mount Elgon region of western Kenya.
- Why
- Elephants use the materials to address illness, soothe digestive problems, and potentially prevent illness in calves.
- Study location
- Mount Elgon region, western Kenya
- Plants identified
- 35 species
- Other materials identified
- Four types of nutrient-rich clays and soils
- Behavior studied
- Elephant self-medication, also called zoopharmacognosy
- Calf mixture
- Chewed plant material mixed with the mother’s milk
- Reported benefits
- Soothing stomach problems and reflux, with possible preventative benefits
- Research partners
- International researchers and the Mount Elgon Foundation