Fresh cow urine may contain harmful bacteria, and is unsuitable for direct human consumption. This is revealed in a research carried out by Bareilly-based ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI).
As per a Times of India report, the research also added that the urine of buffalo was more effective on certain bacteria though. Bhoj Raj Singh and three PhD students of the country’s premier animal research body conducted the study on healthy cows and bulls’ urine samples. They discovered that the samples contained a minimum of 14 harmful bacteria types, with the most commonly found being Escherichia coli, which can cause stomach infections.
“Statistical analysis of 73 urine samples of cows, buffaloes, and humans suggest that antibacterial activity in buffalo urine was far more superior than cows. The urine of buffalo was significantly more effective on bacteria like S Epidermidis and E Rhapontici,” said Bhoj Raj Singh, who led the study.
Singh, who heads the epidemiology department at the institute, carried out the research along with three of his PhD students between June 2022 and November 2022 on three types of cows, namely Sahiwal, Tharparkar and Vindavani (cross breed), from local dairy farms. Even samples from humans and buffaloes were considered for the study. He noted that a “sizeable proportion of urine samples from apparently healthy individuals carry potentially pathogenic bacteria”.
While highlighting that there is a widespread belief that ‘distilled’ cow urine, as opposed to fresh cow urine, does not have infectious bacteria, he said the research on the same is still on. However, he noted that it cannot be generalised that cow urine has anti-bacterial properties.
Meanwhile, a former director of IVRI, R.S. Chauhan, questioned the research. “I have been researching cow urine for 25 years and we have found that distilled cow urine improves the immunity of humans and helps against cancer and Covid. This particular research was not done on distilled urine samples which we recommend people to actually consume,” he said.
