Doctors by Nature: How Ants, Apes, and Other Animals Heal Themselves

by Jaap de Roode

The astonishing story of how animals use medicine and what it can teach us about healing ourselves

Ages before the dawn of modern medicine, wild animals were harnessing the power of nature’s pharmacy to heal themselves. Doctors by Nature reveals what researchers are now learning about the medical wonders of the animal world. In this visionary book, Jaap de Roode argues that we have underestimated the healing potential of nature for too long and shows how the study of self-medicating animals could impact the practice of human medicine.

Drawing on illuminating interviews with leading scientists from around the globe as well as his own pioneering research on monarch butterflies, de Roode demonstrates how animals of all kinds—from ants to apes, from bees to bears, and from cats to caterpillars—use various forms of medicine to treat their own ailments and those of their relatives. We meet apes that swallow leaves to dislodge worms, sparrows that use cigarette butts to repel parasites, and bees that incorporate sticky resin into their hives to combat pathogens. De Roode asks whether these astonishing behaviors are learned or innate and explains why, now more than ever, we need to apply the lessons from medicating animals—it can pave the way for healthier livestock, more sustainable habitats for wild pollinators, and a host of other benefits.

Doctors by Nature takes readers into a realm often thought to be the exclusive domain of humans, exploring how scientists are turning to the medical knowledge of the animal kingdom to improve agriculture, create better lives for our pets, and develop new pharmaceutical drugs.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Nature, Animals, Health, Biology, Medical

264 pages, Hardcover

First published March 4, 2025

Reviews

[CatReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jaap de Roode is a professor of biology at Emory University whose research lab studies animal migration. In his 2025 book, Doctors by Nature, de Roode focuses on animal behaviors that, unwittingly or intentionally, have beneficial impacts on their health in their natural habitats -- like honeybee propolis ("bee glue") being antimicrobial for honeybee colonies, dogs eating grass to provide protection from parasites, caterpillars eating milkweed for similarly antiparasitic reasons, and cats going crazy for and rolling around in catnip as it may protect against mosquito bites. de Roode underpins these findings with the fact that many human medicines (homeopathic remedies as well as many mainstream antibiotics and anticancer drugs) have also been derived from natural sources, some of which were initially identified by humans observing animals' use of specific plants from which the active compounds were isolated and investigated. Some of the research detailed is de Roode's own, while other parts comes from other labs studying animal behavior in what sound to me like well-designed experiments; it fits in with the common thread of the evolutionary arms race of defenses and counter-defenses members of an ecosystem engage in for continued species survival (there are a lot of similar themes explored in Richard Dawkins' latest book The Genetic Book of the Dead: A Darwinian Reverie). I am not sure that calling this behavior doctoring is the best choice of wording (de Roode uses this phrase many times throughout the book, talking about how animals are natural doctors), as that implies a level of basic knowledge and intentionality underpinning acts that seem to be largely instinctual for animals; still, I found this an enjoyable, informative read.

Further reading: animal behavior, ecology, and the modern world
Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet by Ben Goldfarb | my review
Flight Paths: How a Passionate and Quirky Group of Pioneering Scientists Solved the Mystery of Bird Migration
The Secret Wisdom of Nature: Trees, Animals, and the Extraordinary Balance of All Living Things ― Stories from Science and Observation by Peter Wohlleben

My statistics:
Book 111 for 2025
Book 2037 cumulatively

[Weronika · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ciekawa, dająca ogrom wiedzy w pigułce, jednak polskie podtytuły rozdziałów są dość mylące - niby mamy rozdział o psach, a więcej tam o innych zwierzętach niż o samych psach. Czasami wracaliśmy do informacji, które już się pojawiały w książce, ale ogólnie całościowo - naprawdę ciekawa lektura ☺️

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This just wasn’t my book. I learned that dogs eat grass because they are trying to cleanse their digestive system of parasites, and not because they have a tummy ache and want to vomit. So they don’t chew the leaves and the little buggies get pooped out on the leaves I guess. Otherwise, this book was a description of the researcher’s experiences, and I just didn’t have patience for the long stories. I gave it three stars because someone else might find all of those long stories really interesting. Nothing wrong with the book, just not my book.

[Ava Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

very informative and accurate. I study some of this work at my university, and this book reported it well. there were aspects that were a bit hard to read because they had so much information at once. otherwise, it's easily digestible and a fun subject to learn about! would 100% recommend (and have)

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a nature lover, I picked this up for the topic was totally appealing. I rose to the thought that it might include less about ants and more about other big animals like Elephants or Lions. I guess that research works best if one does the ants and aphids, and bees that are small enough to work with hundreds and thousands and have a good sample than trying to research a few huge animals. So, as you can guess, it showed how those tiny animals could get parasites and disease and would choose the plants that would best cure themselves within the groups of plants available to them. And so it went, graduating to larger and larger big animal censuses, especially sheep and goats with a few dogs thrown in.

Time after time, each species, including our own (people) as indigenous healers' knowledge was passed along, when left alone and not given processed foods, animals preferred bitter but healing plants when given the opportunity if they were suffering an illness or had parasites.

[NZ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up. As someone who is not in any sort of related field to this topic, I quickly realized this book was mostly going to be a source of 'fun facts' to me. However I am a lifelong pet-haver who is personally interested in animal intelligence, and I can say Doctors by Nature kept me vested! I did think there was room for improvement on the recurring topic of Indigenous medicine & relationship to the natural world/how it's subsumed and even disregarded for the sake of western 'discovery'—perhaps in general I found the passages on potential solutions to effects of the climate crisis a bit weak. But nonetheless I enjoyed this book a lot and found the author's narrative voice a good balance of academic and casual such that a layman like me could fairly fully engage with this text.

[Kathy Piselli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book by Emoroid De Roode, sciency with notes from peer-reviewed sources, but written without technobabble. I liked the controlled experiments that can be carried out in the wild. I never thought catnip would turn out to be a mosquito repellant, in fact, never thought of cats as being mosquito victims. The whole section on the foodscapes was pretty important if it can lead to less use of livestock medicines that then become resistant to pests. I was a bit surprised domesticated food animals still had instincts about medicinal plants. I liked the research showing that animals do not ingest medicines when not sick - I guess only humans do that. And I liked the image of St Marks NWR during monarch migration: "thousands flying through the refuge, feasting on the nectar of the abundant salt bushes and other flowering plants." It's a magical place even without monarchs.

[Rae Swon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cool book that explores why plants produce medicine and how animals can possibly know to use them. It promotes giving animals under our control more freedom of choice so they can self medicate and get the nutrition they need. One star reduction for promoting the honey bee industry in the US rather than noting that they are non native species that are the number one cause of native bee extinction. And for promoting eating pigs and chickens over cows for climate reasons, rather than promoting the elimination of meat and dairy consumption.

[Ellie Rice · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Doctors by Nature: How Ants, Apes, and Other Animals Heal Themselves" is a fascinating book that eloquently conveys the many ways that animals self (and socially) medicate. By blending engaging storytelling, personal narrative, and scientific inquiry, Dr. Jaap de Roode provides a refreshing perspective on evolution. His book doesn’t overcomplicate or use fancy jargon, but instead uses approachable language so that scientists, non-scientists, and budding scientists may understand the inner-workings of these amazing animal behaviors. Definitely recommend!

[Kristyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Doctors by Nature: How Ants, Apes, and Other Animals Heal Themselves is a fascinating book. On every page, we learn the stories of animals and insects who use the natural world to treat and prevent diseases, and how much we can --and must-- learn from them.

[Peiji · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book for anyone who loves nature and animals. It's the perfect length, with just enough information for you to actually retain everything. This book would also be great for any health care practitioner. I have a background in holistic nutrition and a lot of the topics covered can be related back to what I know and studied.

Everything was fascinating and I truly enjoyed taking my time to read this book.

[Carissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly well researched and well written. This is one of my favorite non-fiction books so far this year not just for the information but for how easily it captured my attention. It gives credence not just to animals ability to look out for themselves, and the importance of traditional medicine, but delves into some fascinating nature and nurture questions, innate behaviors, and how maybe it wasn't animals who forgot how to medicate themselves, but the other 3 billion of us on the planet.

[Humnah Khurram · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was really good and i felt like i learned a lot but i also felt like reiterating points through excessive examples was a little bit redundant, regardless of how informing it is. but again, it taught me a lot, and it also left me with a newfound want to learn more about specific animals and their capabilities. (specifically bees and butterflies) (maybe soil too). also the writing was charming cause it really did feel like a teacher just explaining what he loves to do.

[Smosanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nieuwe onderbouwde perspectieven, kritisch op de moderne medische tunnelvisie, fantastische verhalen en voorbeelden uit veld onderzoek.

Dit boek leert je niet alleen over dieren die natuurlijke medicatie gebruiken, maar legt ook uit waarom, hoe ze er achter zijn gekomen en welke inzichten en verbanden dit voor andere onderzoeken heeft opgeleverd.

Er is nog zo veel dat wij niet weten van de natuur terwijl het ook nog eens constant blijft evolueren. Dit boek soort boeken maken het toegankelijk hierover op de hoogte te blijven. Geweldig boek!

[Rebekah B · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a Biological Sciences (with an emphasis on conservation and ecology) Student at ASU, and I found this book absolutely fascinating. I completely agree with, and emphasize Jaap De Roode’s statement that the research of animal medication can, and will be, imperative to conservation efforts in the future. This book was highly informative and I throughly enjoyed it.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't normally read non-fiction books like this one but this was such a good read for me Most of the time they are just too scientific for me & I just don't understand or retain the info. This book was very well written. Its told in little stories & experiences of spending time among the animals being researched. This book is definitely winning a spot on my shelves as a discussion piece.

[Chris Lotz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a truly fascinating book. The main topic is about animals using chemicals they find in nature to fight infections, parasites, etc. However, I also learned a lot of varied things from this book as the author throws in many anecdotes about all sorts of related topics. I liked the section about conservation at the end of the book. Definitely a worthwhile read.

[Ruiqi Hsu · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book pleasantly surprised me. With the genre of the book and the descriptions, I thought it was going to be another boring science book. However, that was not the case. This book both interested me and taught me many things about nature. For one, I definitely did not know that chimpanzees could heal themselves with spiky leaves, getting rid of the worms in their gut. It surprised me how these animals were able to use these tools with such sophistication.

[Aaron Patterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting read. Lots of information I didn’t know about animals with what seems like groundbreaking research. Jaap De Roode has an easy writing style and simplifies it down so that anyone can understand these discoveries. A great book for animal lovers and those interested in the essential goals of conservation.

[Dahlia (ofpagesandprint) · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

Doctors by Nature is a fascinating and fun story about animals using medicine that hooked me from the start.

I had a blast with this one. Doctors by Nature delivered a well-researched and interesting story combining medicine, evolution, agriculture, animals, and more. I loved the fun tidbits of information, as well as the longer sections detailing research. A few parts in the beginning felt long, but the middle and end were fast and captivating. This hopeful, thoughtful story has reminded me of the power and beauty of the natural world, as well as the threats it faces. I highly recommend this wonderful book!

Thank you to the publisher for the free ARC!

[D Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very engaging read, I learned a lot of new and interesting things and facts. The writing was very accessible, and really caught my attention for a topic I had never really thought of before.

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book to everyone who is interested in learning how to save our planet, and learn about the other species that live here. If you're a dog owner, at the very least, read chapter 11.

[Steffy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting! Nice and short. No complaints.

[Kyana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you, goodreads, for the giveaway! You are able to learn something on every page. It's not a very long book, either.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting.

[Kenia Sedler · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fascinating look at how animals have evolved to medicate themselves!

Thank you Heather, for such a thought-provoking book! :-)

[Sabran Storm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting. Big focus on bugs and wish there were more sections about actual animals.

[Monna Nabers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have had an interest in science especially biology since I was a young kid. Majored in Zoology in college but so much has been discovered that I now feel like I'm starting over everytime I read an article related to biology (I probably am - I'm pretty old!). Finding out how the lives of plants and animals can do things to protect themselves from diseases is fascinating. It opens up so many ways to learn and use the information to help us develop new approaches to fighting the illnesses of our times. The author explains everything so well - easy to understand. Plus, he even adds a bit of humor into the dialog!