Ayurveda says:
"gavyam pavitram ca rasayanam ca pathyam ca hrdyam balam buddhi syata
aayuh pradam rakt vikar hari tridosh hridrog vishapaham syata"
Meaning: Cow urine panchgavya is great elixir, proper diet, pleasing to heart, giver of mental and physical strength, enhances longevity. It balances bile, mucous and airs. Remover of heart diseases and effect of poison.
First things first: Which Cow, Indian or Jersy.
Please see the Picture below, where ever any reference is made to a cow, its Indian Cow. Since, during Ayurvedic times in India there were no Jersy Cows or any other Cow breed in India. Do not go ahead and use urine of non Indian Cows in your treatments.
Introduction
The Ayurveda says Go Ark not only takes care of Physical Health but also provides Mental Well being. It goes on to says it can release ill effects of Poison. Not Sure exactly what kind of Poison, but since Go Ark is great for stomach, i would believe the Poison mentioned here is anything to do with Hyper Acidity, or Infection caused by stale food.
Often pulled into numerous controversies, Cow urine or Go Ark is considered as elixir by the believers and is ridiculed by the others. However, recently Cow Urine is being used into modern medicines for treatment of AIDS and curing Migraine or regular headaches.
In this post we will discuss about chemical composition of Go Ark and then we will go on to discuss the benefits. After all everything is Science.
Chemical Composition
Cow urine is 95 percent water with 2.5 percent urea, miners, 24 types of salts, hormones and 2.5 percent enzymes. Other ingredients include iron, calcium, phosphorus, carbonic acid, potash, nitrogen, ammonia, manganese, sulphur, phosphates, potassium, urea, uric acid, amino acids enzymes, cytokine and lactose.
Benefits
... As antimicrobial
Cow urine or gomutra is replete with broad spectrum antimicrobial qualities. The presence of urea, creatinine, aurum hydroxide (it has gold,yes), carbolic acid, phenols, calcium, and manganese lends cow urine its germicidal qualities. [3] It has formidable antimicrobial powers that can target common trouble-making pathogens like E. coli, Salmonella typhi, Proteus vulgaris, S. aureus, Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus epidermidis to name a few.
... Prevent Antibiotic Resistance
One of the biggest problems plaguing the medical world is the bane of antibiotic resistance. Pesky bacteria have become remarkably adept at resisting antibiotic drugs, due to the rampant use of these medicines by people. By purifying and activating cow urine using light, researchers have found cow urine to be effective against certain drug resistant bacterial strains.
... As effective fungicide
Cow urine was shown to be more effective than Neem and Lemon juice, traditional Ayurvedic treatment for dandruff in a study. It was found to be highly stable and efficient at stopping the growth of Malassezia fungi which is responsible for causing dandruff. It could keep the pathogen at bay for a period of 4-5 days! Apart from this, cow urine has also remarkably inhibited other fungii such as Aspergillus, Rhizophus, and A. niger.
... As antiseptic
If the thought of applying stinging antiseptic lotions to wounds frightens you, you could try cow urine which is proven to be equally adept at aiding wound healing. External application of gomutra on the wound showed significant wound healing.
... Protect against parasites inside the body
Intestinal parasites can cause a host of health problems like dysentery, abdominal pain and loss of nutrients in the body. A study shows that these disease-causing parasites can be effectively dealt with with a generous dose of cow urine.
... Has Anticancer properties
Cow urine has great antioxidant properties which help in neutralising oxidative stress and scavenging free radicals. These properties point towards potential anti-cancer powers of cow urine. This is not to say that it can cure cancer but act as a deterrent for the risk of cancer.
... Stimulates the immune system
Ayurveda endorses the use of herbs and minerals to fortify the body against infections and pathogens. Even in ancient books, cow urine is said to increase disease resistance by 104 percent. Turns out it is a great immune booster to help the body fight infections.
That was on Urine, we will go on and study the benefits of Cow (Indian) Milk in another post... Teaser, Indian cows have a special variant of A2 Milk which your doctors do not want you to know.
. Cow urine concentrate: a potent agent with antimicrobial and anthelmintic activity. Journal of Pharmacy Research Vol, 3(5), 1025-1027.
2. Bhadauria, H. (2002). Cow urine-a magical therapy. Int J Cow Sci, 1, 32-36.
3. Achliya, G. S., Meghre, V. S., Wadodkar, S. G., & Dorle, A. K. (2004). Antimicrobial activity of different fractions of cow urine. Indian J Nat Prod, 20, 14-6.
4. Minocheherhomji, F. P., & Vyas, B. M. (2014). Study of the antimicrobial activity of cow urine and medicinal plant extracts on pathogenic human microbial strains. Int J Adv Pharm Biol Chem, 3, 836-40.
5. Biddle, S., Teale, P., Robinson, A., Bowman, J., & Houghton, E. (2007). Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry analysis to determine natural and post-administration levels of oestrogens in bovine serum and urine. Analytica chimica acta, 586(1), 115-121.
6. Kumar, S. (2013). Analysis on the natural remedies to cure dandruff/skin disease-causing fungus-Malassezia furfur. Adv Bio Tech, 12(07), 01-05.
7. Sanganal, J. S., Jayakumar, K., Jayaramu, G. M., Tikare, V. P., Paniraj, K. L., & Swetha, R. (2011). Effect of cow urine on wound healing property in Wistar albino rats. Veterinary world, 4(7), 317-321.
8. Chauhan, R. S., & Singhal, L. (2006). Harmful effects of pesticides and their control through cowpathy. International Journal of Cow Science, 2(1), 61-70.
9. Singh, A. K., Singh, P. K., Singhal, L. K., & Agrawal, O. K. (2009). Pathogenic Effect of Free Radicals and Their Prevention Through Cowpathy. The Indian Cow: The Scientific and Economic Journal, 6(21), 4-8.
10. Chauhan, R. S., Singh, B. P., & Singhal, L. K. (2001). Immunomodulation with Kamdhenu Ark in mice. Journal of Immunology and Immunopathology, 3(2), 74-77.