Significance of Gomutra

BANGALORE: For the first time, researchers in Bangalore are looking into the therapeutic application of cow urine to animals and human beings for the treatment of various diseases.

To date, cow urine was traditionally used only for clinical applications in the country.

The research, which started 25 days ago, is being carried out by the Pharmacology and Toxicology Department of Veterinary College at Hebbal.

To give a fillip to this work, the State Government recently earmarked Rs 25 lakh for research on the usefulness of cow urine to the Karnataka Veterinary Animal and Fisheries Sciences University (KVAFSU) in Bangalore and Bidar.

The research carried out will look into the pharmacology action and safety on long-term concepts. It is being carried out by a Ph D scholar Dr Jagdeesh under Associate Professor at the Department of Pharmacology, Dr K Jayakumar.

Dr Jayakumar said,”there was no scientific investigation on cow urine so far, though from the ancient times it was commonly used to prevent and cure diseases. Healers use it on patients and products are also available in the market.’’

‘‘We intend to work on a series of tests to identify the pharmacological activity that would indicate its therapeutic utility for humans and animals,” he said.

The research is at present being carried out on Wistar Albino rats in the laboratory. ‘‘For the past 20-25 days, we are keeping a keen eye on the rats and it appears to be safe. The experiment may take another year or so,’’ he added.

According to Research Associate in KVAFSU Dr Satish Pai, cow urine is used along with other medicines in ayurveda as an adjuvent. It is used to minimise the toxicity in roots and seeds and also as a purifying agent.

Cow urine therapy is used in various types of diseases like skin diseases, cancer, heart diseases, male sexual disorders, musculoskeletal disorders and AIDS among others in India.

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) obtained a US patent for the use of cow urine along with antibiotics to enhance their efficacy against harmful bacteria.

Indian scientists believe cow urine is a ‘‘bio-enhancer’’ which can drastically reduce dosages and the side-effects of patients taking antibiotics and cancer drugs.

It can detect pregnancy A unique way to diagnose pregnancy in cows by treating wheat seeds with its urine is being found by Dr T Veena, Head of Bio-Chemistry department at the Veterinary College, Bangalore.

This practice was followed in ancient Egypt to detect a woman’s pregnancy. Extending this principle to cows showed that the germination and seedling growth of wheat seeds is highly inhibited by the urine of pregnant cows.

According to Dr Veena, this test will benefit the rural masses, as the currently available laboratory tests of diagnosing pregnancy in cattle are laborious and expensive.

Similar kind of possibilities are carried out to diagnose pregnancy in women, she said.