Giving cow urine (Gau Mutra) as a medicine can prove fatal for the human body. We are not saying this, but this has been claimed in a research by the country’s leading animal research body, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI). Research report states that ‘cow urine’ is not suitable for direct human consumption, as it may contain potentially harmful bacteria. The results of the study have been published on the online research website ResearchGate.
Research has been conducted under the leadership of Bhoj Raj Singh of IVRI along with three PhD students. Study found that urine samples from healthy cows and bulls contained at least 14 types of harmful bacteria, along with presence of Escherichia coli. Escherichia coli can cause stomach infection and was most commonly found in it. The study also found that buffalo urine is more effective against some bacteria.
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Bhoj Raj Singh, who led the study, told TOI, “Statistical analysis of 73 urine samples from cows, buffaloes and humans showed that the antibacterial activity in buffalo urine was much better than that of cows. And buffalo urine was much more effective against bacteria like E. raphontisii.”
Bhoj Raj Singh heads the department of epidemiology at the institute. He, along with three of his PhD students, conducted research on three types of cows, Sahiwal, Tharparkar and Vindavani (cross breed) from local dairy farms between June 2022 and November 2022.
Not only this, samples of humans and buffaloes were also considered for the research. They noted that “a large proportion of urine samples from apparently healthy individuals carry potentially pathogenic bacteria”.
Belief in ‘distilled’ cow urine (Gau Mutra)
Highlighting that there is a widespread belief that ‘distilled’ cow urine does not contain infectious bacteria as compared to fresh cow urine, he said research on this is still ongoing. However, he said that in general it cannot be said that this urine has anti-bacterial properties.
Meanwhile, a former director of IVRI, R. S. Chauhan raised questions on research. Chauhan said, “I have been doing research on cow urine for 25 years and we have found that distilled cow urine improves the immunity of humans and helps against cancer and Covid-19. This particular research was not done on distilled urine samples. “, which we really recommend people consume.”
sale of cow urine in India
Many suppliers sell cow urine indiscriminately in the Indian market without the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) trademark. Not only are sales and consumption unregulated, but cows and their products are also legitimized as having religious sanctity in Hindu culture.
