After its proposal to make floor cleaners using cow urine, the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to give a push to the use of cow urine in preparing medicines. The Ayurveda department said it has prepared eight medicines using ‘gau mutra’ which can prove to be useful in case of liver ailments, joint pain and immunity deficiency.
“The department, which has two pharmacies in lucknow and Pilibhit along with other private units, are preparing Ayurvedic medicines using cow urine, cow milk and ghee,” the department’s director Dr RR Chaudhary said. There are eight Ayurvedic medical colleges in the state in Banda, Jhansi, Muzaffarnagar, Allahabad, Varanasi, Bareilly, lucknow and Pilibhit. “In these medical colleges, degree course in ayurvedic medicine is imparted. Along with this, in these medical colleges, everyday thousands of patients come for treatment.
“In lucknow alone, the daily footfall in the OPD of the Ayurveda Hospital is around 700 to 800. If the all patients arriving in eight medical colleges are combined together, then the figure reaches thousands,” Chaudhary said. Elaborating on the benefits of Ayurveda, the director said, “Gau Mutra is an integral part of Ayurveda, and there are eight medicines, which are made using cow urine and other cow products.”
“New research shows that cow urine and other cow derivatives can prove to be highly useful. Till now, we have been giving medicines made using cow urine in cases pertaining to liver ailments, joint pain and for boosting immunity. Our endeavour is to expand the ambit of these medicines and use it for curing other ailments and diseases as well,” he said.
He said since there are only two government pharmacies in UP, there is comparatively less production at the government level.”However, in the private sector, there are many companies engaged in manufacturing medicines using cow urine, which are supplied to Ayurvedic medical colleges of the state,” Chaudhary said. The director said the department is working to open new pharmacies and start post-graduate and MD courses in Ayurvedic medical colleges.
In August last year, the Yogi Adityanath government had proposed use of cow urine in making floor cleaners. In July 2017, the Centre set up a 19-member panel, including three members to carry out what it said will be scientifically validated research on cow derivatives including urine, and their benefits, according to an inter-departmental circular and members of the panel.
The Adityanath government has also cleared setting up 1000-capacity gaushalas (cow-shelters) in seven districts of the state and 16 urban locations in phase one of a giant project which could see the UP government help build such shelters in every block of the state.
The government will help build these new cow shelters with proper sheds and boundary walls and a committee under the district collector is being set up to maintain them with help of NGOs and public.
Focus is first on the seven districts in Bundelkhand where cows will get shelter in the new cow-shelters. New cow-shelters in urban areas will result in better sanitation and less incidents of cows dying due to eating plastic. The UP government is also planning to free up its own land from illegal encroachment to set up these new cow- shelters in “safe locations” and with full facility for fodder and water.