Cow urine is unsafe for human consumption, contains at least 14 types of deadly bacteria: Veterinary Research Body

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• Apr 11, 2023 | Dhupali Das

Cow urine, which has been promoted as a miracle cure for decades, has recently been... 

Digital Desk: Cow urine, which has been promoted as a miracle cure for decades, has recently been found to be unfit for direct human consumption due to the presence of potentially hazardous microorganisms. The ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) in Bareilly, the country's main animal research agency, found that buffalo urine was more efficient against certain bacteria.

The study, headed by the institute's Bhoj Raj Singh and three Ph.D. students, discovered that urine samples from healthy cows and bulls included at least 14 types of deadly bacteria, with Escherichia coli, which might cause stomach infections, being the most commonly detected.

The results of the group research were published on the online research website ResearchGate.

Singh, the institute's epidemiology department head, said, "A quantitative analysis of 73 pee samples from cows, buffaloes, and people revealed that the antibacterial activity of buffalo urine was significantly superior to that of cows. Buffalo urine was much more effective on bacteria such as S epidermidis and E Rhapontici."

"We collected urine samples from nearby dairy farms of three types of cows: Sahiwal, Tharparkar, and Vindavani (cross breed), as well as buffaloes and people. Our investigation, which took place between June and November 2022, showed that a significant number of urine samples from physically healthy people contain possibly pathogenic bacteria," he added. 

Certain persons' urine, regardless of gender or breeder species, may be suppressive to a specific type of bacteria; however, the widely held assumption that cow urine is antibacterial cannot be generalized.

"Urine is never suggested for human consumption. Some people argue that distilled pee does not contain infectious bacteria. We are conducting additional research on it," he added.

Notably, several suppliers sell cow urine in the Indian market without the food safety and standards authority of India (FSSAI) trademark.