Do Pigs Self-Medicate with Plants?

Some plants contain compounds that may act against parasites, and researchers have tested them as feed additives for pigs. But evidence that pigs instinctively seek these plants when ill is insufficient. Laboratory and farm trials in which plants were deliberately given to animals show potential therapeutic effects, not natural self-medication. So it is too early to call pigs “self-medicating” on this basis. The illustration is AI-generated.