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OFFTRACK: INDORE, MADHYA PRADESH
Bovine Elixir
A businessman believes that cow urine has medicinal properties
By Neeraj Mishra
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FAITH HEALING: Jain (extreme left) distributes cow urine and ark,
a mixture of cow products
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There's a long
queue in front of Virendra Jain's house in Indore every morning. When
their turn comes, the people receive small bottles of cow urine and ark,
a brown paste. Jain is no doctor, ayurvedacharya or a therapist distributing
healing potions, only a businessman with immense faith in the medicinal
utility of cow urine.
It has now become a routine for Jain to Jain
to buy 50 litres of urine from dairies every day, filter it by distillation
and then distribute it to the throng at his door-the hopefuls with a range
of ailments from gastro-intestinal disorders to cancer. The story goes
back three years to the time when Jain's mother lay dying of cancer, the
doctors having given up all hope. In desperation, Jain started treating
her with cow urine and some commonly available ayurvedic drugs made from
the liquid. His mother survived, and the cancer disappeared completely.
An overwhelmed Jain made propagation of cow urine a mission. He opened
the Gosmavardhan Kendra in the city three years ago, and has since inspired
129 others all over the country.
There are claims that 50,000 people have benefited
from Jain's purified cow urine and ark, a mixture of milk, curd, ghee,
urine and dung. Another 5,000 run their own centres based on advice that
Jain dispenses freely. A keen observer, Jain has noted how cow urine can
be used to treat various ailments. While doctors would advise caution
as these prescriptions are untested, Jain suggests that those suffering
from blocked arteries should use urine with an ayurvedic capsule called
Cardorid, while urinary disorder patients are given Urosil and those who
suffer from eczema are prescribed Puroderm. For other diseases like diabetes,
ulcers and enlarged spleen, urine might be given with honey and common
salt.
It appears a whole industry revolves around
cow urine in conjunction with ayurvedic preparations. With such intense
interest in the beneficial impact of urine therapy, Jain has researched
the subject well. "Cow urine contains nitrogen, sulphur, copper,
carbolic acid, ammonia gas, iron and 24 different types of salts which
make up for the deficiencies in the human body," he explains. "That
may be the reason it can cure such a vast range of diseases." Jain
has even convinced important visitors like Union ministers Sunder Lal
Patwa and Digvijay Singh into taking cow urine. Jagdishchandra Nema of
Ujjain, an aids patient whose wife succumbed to the same disease, is visibly
better today and has gained weight. Jain claims this is because Nema has
been undergoing urine therapy for 18 months
Jain says the secret lies in mixing the ark
in the right proportions. "It takes people time to get used to the
idea of drinking urine along with a raw-tasting paste, but once past that
its benefits allow people to continue,'' says Jain. However, doctors are
unsure about the benefits. "Not enough research has been done in
the field, and though cow products have been used in manufacturing ayurvedic
medicines, no one knows which composition works,'' says Dr S.K. Bajpai,
joint director in the state Health Department.
It's quite obvious that Jain is only perpetuating
a tradition that has an important place in Indian society. The native
Zebru, though physically weaker compared to the Jersey and other western
breeds, is a revered animal. For long dung has been used as manure and
pesticides. Its favourable impact on ginger cropping and rice cultivation
has been researched and proved beyond doubt. A mixture of neem leaves
and cow urine is also considered a very useful pesticide. Susruta wrote
a treatise on urine therapy in his book on Ayurveda, and Charaka gave
it top priority in his Samhita.
The University of Kuopio in Finland is doing
an impact assessment of cow urine on allergies induced by animal allergens.
The study being conducted by its department of microbiology has so far
reported that cow urine might be useful in treating tuberculosis caused
by animal allergens. If indeed cow urine is as useful as Jain and others
have found it to be, then further research needs to be done in this country
as well.
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