Cow urine unfit for human consumption, contains harmful bacteria: IVRI study

Cow urine, which has been touted as a miracle medicine particularly by leaders of the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), has now been found as unsuitable for direct human consumption as it contains potentially harmful bacteria.

Research carried out by Bareilly-based ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), the country's premier animal research body, has found that the urine of buffaloes was more effective on certain bacteria.

The study, led by Bhoj Raj Singh with three PhD students as co-authors, found that urine samples from healthy cows and bulls contained at least 14 types of harmful bacteria. Escherichia coli, which can cause stomach and urinary infections, was the most commonly detected.

The findings of the peer-reviewed study have been published on ResearchGate.

Singh, who heads the department of epidemiology at the institute, said, "Statistical analysis of 73 urine samples of cow, buffaloes and humans suggest that antibacterial activity in buffalo urine was far more superior than cows [sic]. Urine of buffalo [sic] was significantly more effective on bacteria like S. epidermidis and E. rhapontici."

He explained, "We collected urine samples of three types of cows—Sahiwal, Tharparkar and Vindavani (cross breed) from local dairy farms—along with samples of buffaloes and humans. Our study, carried out between June and November 2022, concluded that a sizeable proportion of urine samples from apparently healthy individuals carry potentially pathogenic bacteria."

The urine of some individual cows, irrespective of sex and breeder species, might be inhibitory to a select group of bacteria; but the common belief that cow urine is antibacterial cannot be generalised.

He added, "In no case can urine be recommended for human consumption. Some people put forth the contention that distilled urine does not have infectious bacteria. We are carrying out further research on it."

Notably, cow urine is widely sold in the Indian market by many suppliers, typically without the stamp of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

Over the past few years, several BJP union and state ministers, leaders and right-wing activists have promoted the "various benefits" of cow urine or gau mutra to the extent of claiming that it could be a possible cure for the coronavirus at the peak of the global pandemic in 2021. Several Hindutva organisations were seen to hold events highlighting gau mutra consumption.

With inputs from IANS