Peaceful Asian elephants eating leaves in the lush greenery of Sri Lanka's jungle.
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Elephants using medicinal plants for self-treatment

Level
b2
Topic
science

Read this at a different level:b1

Most people assume that seeking medical treatment is uniquely human — but researchers studying African elephants in the wild have begun to challenge that assumption. Documented evidence now suggests that elephants deliberately seek out specific plants when they are unwell, raising serious questions about the boundaries of animal intelligence.

Scientists who observed elephant herds in the wild asked whether the animals were simply eating these plants by chance. After careful study, they concluded that the behaviour was intentional. Elephants had been seen selecting dozens of different medicinal plants, each associated with particular conditions. Researchers wondered whether the elephants were identifying the plants by smell, appearance, or memory — and the evidence pointed strongly toward a combination of all three. The findings, which have been documented across multiple field studies, indicate that this is a consistent and widespread behaviour rather than an isolated incident.

Perhaps the most striking aspect of the research concerns how elephants treat others. Observers asked whether sick elephants were being helped by their family members, and the answer appeared to be yes. Healthy elephants have been recorded guiding unwell relatives toward specific plants and waiting while they fed. This suggests a level of social care that goes well beyond simple instinct. One might argue that this behaviour reflects a form of shared knowledge passed down through elephant communities over generations.

The implications of these findings are considerable. If elephants can identify medicinal plants and apply that knowledge to help family members, the gap between human and animal cognition may be narrower than previously thought. Researchers have pointed out that further study could help identify plant compounds with real medical value. For now, however, the behaviour itself remains remarkable — a reminder that the natural world continues to reveal things that science has only recently begun to understand.

Highlighted sentences show the grammar focus structure.

Key Vocabulary

  • deliberately

    /dɪˈlɪbərətli/

    Done in a careful and intentional way, not by accident or chance.

    She deliberately chose a seat near the window so she could watch the street below.

  • assumption

    /əˈsʌmpʃən/

    Something that you believe to be true without having proof or evidence for it.

    His assumption that the meeting had been cancelled turned out to be completely wrong.

  • consistent

    /kənˈsɪstənt/

    Always behaving in the same way or producing the same results, without changing.

    The team's consistent performance throughout the season earned them the championship.

  • implication

    /ˌɪmplɪˈkeɪʃən/

    A possible consequence or effect that is suggested by something, even if not directly stated.

    The new data privacy law has serious implications for how companies store customer information.

  • considerable

    /kənˈsɪdərəbəl/

    Large in size, amount, or degree, and worth taking seriously.

    Renovating the old building required a considerable amount of money and planning.

  • instinct

    /ˈɪnstɪŋkt/

    A natural tendency or ability to behave in a certain way, without being taught or thinking about it.

    Her instinct told her to leave the building immediately when she smelled smoke.

  • compound

    /ˈkɒmpaʊnd/

    A substance made up of two or more different elements or parts combined together.

    Scientists discovered a natural compound in the bark of the tree that could reduce inflammation.

Grammar Spotlight

Reported Questions (with if/whether and embedded word order)

asked / wondered + if/whether + subject + verb (statement order)

When do we use it?

  • Use reported questions to relay what someone asked without quoting their exact words — especially useful in academic, professional, and narrative contexts.
  • Choose 'if' or 'whether' to introduce yes/no questions; 'whether' sounds more formal and is preferred in writing.
  • Apply this structure when embedding a question inside a statement, so the word order shifts from question form to normal statement form.

How is it formed?

reporting verb (asked, wondered, wanted to know)+if / whether+subject + verb in statement order

No question mark — reported questions are not direct questions

★Flip the question: subject comes before verb!

See it in action

  1. The researchers wondered whether elephants deliberately seek out medicinal plants.

  2. Scientists asked if the animals could identify specific plants when they were unwell.

  3. The journalist wanted to know whether the evidence was strong enough to challenge existing assumptions.

  4. Nobody knew if this behaviour had been documented in other species as well.

Remember this

✗She asked whether did the elephants eat specific plants.
✓She asked whether the elephants ate specific plants.

Reported questions use statement word order — no auxiliary inversion (do/did) is needed.

✗He wanted to know if was the evidence reliable?
✓He wanted to know if the evidence was reliable.

Do not invert subject and verb, and do not add a question mark — this is now a statement, not a direct question.

✗They asked that whether elephants self-medicate.
✓They asked whether elephants self-medicate.

'That' is not used with if/whether in reported questions; use if or whether directly after the reporting verb.

Discussion Questions

  1. 1.

    To what extent do you think animals in your country or region are respected and protected? What factors shape the way people there treat animals?

  2. 2.

    How might it change the way scientists and governments make decisions if we accepted that some animals have a form of intelligence closer to our own than we previously thought?

  3. 3.

    In your culture or community, are there traditional beliefs or practices involving plants as medicine? How do people decide which plants to use, and how is that knowledge passed down?

  4. 4.

    What assumptions about the natural world did you grow up with, and have any of them changed as you learned more? What caused you to question them?

Comprehension Questions

  1. 1.

    Why did researchers conclude that elephants were choosing medicinal plants intentionally rather than by chance?

  2. 2.

    What does the behaviour of healthy elephants guiding sick relatives suggest about elephant social life?

  3. 3.

    How does the article suggest that knowledge of medicinal plants is passed on among elephant communities?

  4. 4.

    To what extent does the evidence presented support the idea that the gap between human and animal cognition is narrower than previously assumed?

  5. 5.

    What might have happened to our understanding of animal intelligence if these field studies had never been conducted?

View answers for the comprehension questions
  1. 1.After careful observation, scientists found that elephants consistently selected dozens of different plants, each linked to particular conditions, which suggested the behaviour was purposeful. The evidence also pointed toward the elephants using smell, appearance, and memory together to identify the plants.
  2. 2.It suggests that elephants demonstrate a level of social care that goes beyond simple instinct, implying they may possess shared knowledge and a capacity for empathy or cooperation within family groups.
  3. 3.The article implies that this knowledge is transmitted across generations within elephant communities, framing it as a form of learned, shared behaviour rather than something each individual discovers independently.
  4. 4.The evidence is compelling but not conclusive — the article presents consistent, documented behaviour across multiple field studies, which challenges earlier assumptions, but also acknowledges that further study is needed. The findings raise serious questions rather than offering a definitive answer.
  5. 5.If the research had not taken place, the assumption that seeking medical treatment is uniquely human would likely have remained unchallenged, and the potential medical value of the plant compounds elephants use might also have gone unrecognised.

Test your knowledge

Question 1Fill-in-the-blank

She ____ chose the more difficult route up the mountain, knowing it would give her a better view at the top.

Question 2Fill-in-the-blank

The teacher was pleased because the student's results had been ____ strong throughout the entire school year, never dropping below a high grade.

Question 3Fill-in-the-blank

Before signing the contract, she asked her advisor to explain every ____ of the new terms, including any effects that were not immediately obvious.

Question 4Fill-in-the-blank

The laboratory identified an unusual ____ in the water sample that was made up of several different chemical elements bonded together.

Question 5Fill-in-the-blank

Even without any training, the young child seemed to know by ____ that the hot surface was dangerous and pulled their hand away immediately.

View answers for test your knowledge
  1. 1.deliberately
  2. 2.consistent
  3. 3.implication
  4. 4.compound
  5. 5.instinct

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