Cow urine not fit for human consumption, says ICAR-IVRI research team
The research conducted at Bareilly-based Indian Council for Agricultural Research- IVRI was led by Bhoj Raj Singh along with three PhD students. The statement from the ICAR-IVRI comes at a time when cow urine has gained renewed attention in India.
The Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) has stated that fresh cow urine is not fit for human consumption as it may contain potentially harmful bacteria. IVRI is a top animal research organisation in India.
Also Read | Centre considers rehaul livestock insurance scheme due to high premium
The research conducted at Bareilly-based Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) – IVRI was led by Bhoj Raj Singh along with three PhD students, according to a Times of India report.
There have been several claims related to cow urine in the past. Earlier in January this year, a session court judge in the Tapi district of Gujarat said that there is a need to protect cows in the country as “cow urine can cure many incurable diseases and cow dung stops radiation,” the report added. However, the research conducted at IVRI stated that the presence of Escherichia coli, which may cause stomach illnesses, was most frequently found in urine samples from healthy cows and bulls. There were at least 14 other harmful bacteria as well.
Claiming that the buffalo urine was more effective than that of cow urine, Bhoj Raj Singh told TOI, “Statistical analysis of 73 urine samples of cow, 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.”
Singh also advised people not to use cow urine for consumption and said that “the common belief that cow urine is antibacterial can’t be generalised”.
Also Read | Govt permits 5 private enterprises for cluster farming on 50,000 hectares
“Some people put forth the contention that distilled urine doesn’t have infectious bacteria. We are carrying further research on it,” he added.
The statement from the ICAR-IVRI comes at a time when cow urine has gained renewed attention in India due to the several claims made around the use of cow urine as a disinfectant and by other means during the COVID-19 pandemic.
(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)
Source – CNBCTV18.com
(The Agrinews.in hasn’t changed anything about this story except for the headline. It comes from a syndicated feed.)
Add Comment