This website came to my notice, yesterday: astorwilliam.tripod.com.

It contains reports of fascinating observations on finches, who appear to be able to self-medicate. Why not?

Zoopharmacognosy is the term coined to cover instinctive self-selection of medically-active substances by animals. I have long believed it to be an accepted phenomenon but came across surprisingly stubborn refusal to accept it in a court of law, about 18 months ago. It appears that the writer of this website has also encountered rooted disbelief.

Why anyone would disbelieve it is beyond me. It seems so much more likley to be the case than the alternative, that medicinal properties of herbs are found out by random coincidence.

One only has to look at the interesting observations of chimpanzees in Africa, whose 'medicinal practices' are followed by tribal peoples:

http://www.mhhe.com/biosci/pae/botany/botany_map/articles/article_04.html

http://www.uic.edu/classes/osci/osci590/8_1%20Chimpanzee%20Medicine%20Chest.htm

I once had a dog patient who used to pick at Pellitory-of-the-Wall, on regular visits to my clinic, but only on hot days. This is a 'cooling herb'!

[Why not take a look at www.alternativevet.org , while you're here?]