JOHN YANG: Scientists are uncovering the healing power of plants with help from an unlikely source, chimpanzees.

For years, researchers at the University of Oxford have taken samples of plants favored by wild chimps to learn about their medicinal properties.

Sangeeta Kandola of Independent Television News has the story.

SANGEETA KANDOLA, Independent Television News (voice-over): It's all about the survival of the fittest in the jungle, and to stay fit, you have to stay well.

According to new research, wild chimps are the champions are doing just that.

Eating wood.

Over the past four years, scientists have been observing to chimpanzee communities in the forests of Uganda, they found that chimps that were sick or injured was seeking out and eating plants that have pain relieving an antibacterial properties.

ELODIE FREYMANN, Primate Researcher, University of Oxford: Chimps have their diet and they stick to it relatively and several of these plants are very, very rarely consumed.

So the fact that these sick or injured chimpanzees were seeking out these rare plants at the specific time and other group members sitting nearby didn't seek them out.

One can read intentionality into that.

SANGEETA KANDOLA (voice-over): In total, researchers collected 17 samples from 13 different plant species used by the chimps and sent them to be tested in Germany.

FABIEN SCHULTZ, Zoopharmacologist: In 45 of these we detected at least some antibiotic effects and the strongest activity in the bacteria activity was actually from a tree called alstonia golden eye.

SANGEETA KANDOLA (voice-over): Discovery more plants with healing properties could potentially have huge implications for the human species, as chimps could help guide us in finding medicines we don't even know exist yet.

ELODIE FREYMANN: This is going to be incredibly important in the next few years as antibiotic resistance is on the rise and there's new global pandemics.

SANGEETA KANDOLA (voice-over): Scientists say the findings are significant and proves there is an urgent need to preserve these forest pharmacies for future generations.

JOHN YANG: That was Sangeeta Kandola of Independent Television News.