Indian cow and its products have been innate components of the Hindu civilization since ancient times and still maintain inseparable relation with the Indian culture. Apart from the divine status, the cow has been considered as a source of food, medicine, fertilizer, etc. by the Indian society. Medicinal properties of cow urine was well defined and utilized by the science of Ayurveda for a host of ailments. Cow urine composition is a complex mixture with organic and inorganic compounds and several elements. This wide range of components impart spectacular healing and rejuvenating properties to the urine. The cow urine benefits for health largely depend on the diverse components possessed by it and the unique composition.

Distilled cow urine (Gou Arka) and panchagavya are the two common forms in which the cow urine is used for healing purposes. The cow urine health benefits have two broad segments of application such as therapeutic agent and nutritional supplement. Most of the therapeutic formulations of cow urine are multipurpose in nature and provide a wide range of health benefits apart from curing the diseases. Cow urine acts as an immune-modulator, thereby improving the body defense against infections and diseases. Due to this reason, formulations of cow urine act as highly effective products for preventive medicine.

The cow’s urine medicinal value has been evolved, preserved and propagated by the Indian system of medicine, Ayurveda. This ancient system of medicine believes on a holistic approach for the treatment of illnesses and hence the medicinal formulations are generally not derived or containing only one active ingredient, unlike the Allopathic medicinal formulations. Accordingly, raw cow urine, Gou Arka or Panchagavya are used as ingredients in Ayurvedic formulations. 

However, the full potential of this product range is not put into practical utility mainly because of the inadequate proof of scientific evidence and validation of clinical outcomes supporting their medicinal effects in a way compatible to the modern drug discovery pipeline of the Allopathic drug development process. A major breakthrough along this direction in the contemporary times is the award of two US patents to the discovery of antibacterial and anticancer drugs derived from cow urine by the Indian scientists. Probably, these discoveries can act as game changers in the highly competitive drug discovery platform, in elevating humble cow urine to the status of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API). The Ayurveda prescribes formulations derived or containing cow urine for the treatment of wide range of diseases and disorders affecting multiple systems of the human body. The medicinal properties of cow urine for the treatment of challenging diseases like leprosy, epilepsy, and cancer have their mention in Ayurvedic literature.

Present-day practitioners of Ayurveda have endorsed the use of cow urine based formulations for the cure of wide-ranging disorders like peptic ulcer, different types of cancers, liver disorders, asthma, diabetes and many other ailments. The cow urine health benefits are making a silent revolution, in the healthcare domain as per the revelations of thousands of cured patients and committed practitioners of Cowpathy. Some of the leading Cowpathy practitioners have demonstrated cow urine benefits for health through successful management of the chronic diseases like diabetes, psoriasis, and AIDS. The research work carried out on the healing mechanism of cow urine has confirmed its ability to enhance the efficacy of many Allopathic drugs. Many healers and patients have authenticated the efficacy of Panchagavya in enhancing the activity of anti-diabetic and antibiotic drugs enabling the patients to reduce the dose of allopathic medicines. Herbal oil supplemented with cow urine is used extensively for the treatment of skin problems, especially psoriasis.

The research and development work carried out by the Cow Urine Treatment and Research Center, Indore has established the medicinal value of cow urine for the cure of blood pressure, diabetes, psoriasis, asthma, heart attack, eczema, atherosclerosis, seizures, AIDS, many types of cancer, piles, thyroid problem, arthritis, migraine, gynecological problems, ulcer, constipation, ear and nose problems, liver cirrhosis, abortion and many other diseases. The current trends in the research and clinical applications of cow urine send a strong message of its acceptance by the scientific and medical professionals and across the patient community for multiple therapeutic applications in the near future.