Ayurvedic drugs being manufactured from cow 'products'

Ayurvedic drug companies are manufacturing medicinal formulations made from 'panchgavya', a collective name of five products obtained from cow including its urine and dung.
"Out of 7,835 licensed ayurvedic drug manufacturing units in the country, many ayurvedic drugs manufacturing companies manufacture medicinal formulations made from Panchgavya or cow's products," Minister of State for AYUSH Shripad Yesso Naik said in a written reply in Lok Sabha.
Naik said that panchagavya is a classic collective name of five products obtained from cow like milk, curd, ghee, urine and dung.
Medicinal uses of Panchagavya and its individual ingredients, including cow urine, are mentioned in the authoritative books of Ayurveda listed in the First Schedule of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, the minister said.

"States of Punjab, Kerala, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Haryana have reported to have 229, 200, 5, 3, 3 and 2 pharmaceutical units respectively which are manufacturing Panchagvya therapy products," he said.
He said that panchagavya and its ingredients are part of the course curricula of ayurvedic studies at degree and post-graduation levels.

"Opportunities of postgraduate and postdoctoral research as well as extramural research on panchagavya are available to the interested scholars and scientists," he said.
The Minister said that Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) through its constituent laboratories has conducted research studies in collaboration with Go Vigyan Anusandhan Kendra in Nagpur on cow urine distillate for its antioxidant and bio-enhancing properties on anti-infective and anti-cancer agents and nutrients.

"Four US Patents have been secured since 2002 and one pharmaceutical product containing cow urine distillate with anti-oxidant property is available in the market," he said.
Manufacturing of Ayurvedic medicinal products for sale and their quality control is regulated under the provisions of Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and the Rules, 1945.