Cow urine seen as disease cure in India

NEW DELHI, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- India's experts in the Ayurveda, an ancient system of medicine in South Asia, say cow urine contains properties to cure many diseases, including cancer.

In the northern state of Uttarakhand, officials have begun a program to buy about 1,300 gallons of cow urine every day to be used by Ayurvedic experts, reports Britain's Daily Telegraph.

The product will be collected from a network of 1,900 specially created milk cooperatives.

There are also plans to add 26 species of mountain cows to the program as yield from these animals reportedly has a "richer" herbal residue content compared to the one provided by those in the plains.

Ayurvedic chemist Rakesh Bhaguna told the newspaper cow urine has the same potential Western system medicines to fight diseases.

The state also has plans for a Cow Science and Technology Institute to conduct research in the medicinal values of cow urine and cow dung.

Ayurvedic products already are being marketed as a treatment and are used in face creams, shampoos and memory pills in a country where the cow is highly sacred for the Hindus.

Some modern doctors warn more research is needed on cow urine before it can be used as a curative medicine.