₹3.5 cr on cow dung cancer research: Science or waste of taxpayer money?

A state-funded cancer research project centred on cow-based remedies has triggered debate. Surgical oncologist explains what science says, what evidence is missing, and why accountability matters

A research project funded by the Madhya Pradesh government to study cow-based products as a potential cancer treatment recently made news over alleged misuse of funds and lack of scientific output. Launched in 2011 at the Nanaji Deshmukh Veterinary Science University, the study focused on Panchagavya, a traditional blend of cow dung, cow urine, milk, curd, and ghee, which has long been used in Hindu rituals. Of the ₹3.5 crore allotted, ₹1.92 crore was reportedly spent on cow-based raw material, while the remaining funds went towards travel, including multiple trips to Goa.

 

While milk and dairy products are well-established sources of nutrition, particularly calcium, the issue remains: does this research have any credible scientific basis in cancer treatment?

 

 

Dr Vaishali Zamre, director surgical oncology & head, Breast Cancer Surgery, Andromeda Cancer Hospital, explains how cancer treatments actually work.

 

"Cancer is not one disease. It is a collection of diseases where cells stop following rules, dividing endlessly, dodging death, hijacking the immune system. To treat cancer, a therapy must act on very specific biological pathways," says Dr Zamre, who has over 20 years of experience in surgical oncology.

 

“These include DNA repair, cell division, apoptosis (programmed cell death), or targeted immune activation. Modern cancer drugs are designed to hit these pathways with precision,” she adds.

 

Cow dung, cow urine and milk, she points out, are complex biological mixtures that are mostly water, salts, bacteria and metabolic waste.

 

“There is no known active anti-cancer molecule in these substances that can selectively kill cancer cells while sparing healthy ones,” she says.

 

Without a known compound and a clear mechanism, scientific research has no starting point, she asserts.

Is there any plausible biological mechanism here?

“From a cancer biology standpoint, there is no plausible biochemical mechanism by which cow dung or cow urine could selectively target cancer cells,” says Dr Zamre. “Selective killing is crucial. Anything that harms cancer but also damages normal tissue is not a treatment, it’s toxicity.”

 

She points out that even bleach kills cancer cells, but that doesn’t make it medicine.

Have any cancer drugs ever come from cow products?

“No approved cancer drug anywhere in the world has been developed from cow dung, cow urine or milk,” says Dr Zamre.

 

Yes, some lab studies have tested crude extracts of these substances on cancer cells in petri dishes. But that bar is extremely low.

 

“Many substances kill cancer cells in a dish,” she explains. “What matters is whether they work safely inside the human body. That has never been demonstrated.”

What does ‘immune boosting’ mean in medicine?

'Immune boosting' often comes up in WhatsApp forwards and wellness reels, especially in the context of cow products. But according to Dr Zamre, in oncology, immune boosting must be measurable.

 

“It should show specific changes like activation of cancer-fighting T-cells, defined cytokine responses, and most importantly, tumour regression in animals or humans,” she says.

 

None of that evidence exists for cow dung, cow urine or milk. “General inflammation or a rise in white blood cells does not mean the immune system is fighting cancer,” she adds.

Are there risks involved in using these substances?

“Cow dung and urine can contain harmful bacteria, parasites and fungal toxins,” warns Dr Zamre. “Milk can carry aflatoxins, which are known cancer-causing compounds, if animal feed is contaminated.”

 

Used without medical control, these products may increase infection risk or long-term cancer risk rather than reduce it.

When can something actually be called a ‘cancer treatment’?

According to Dr Zamre, a legitimate cancer therapy must pass:

• Laboratory testing
• Animal studies showing tumour shrinkage
• Human safety trials
• Large clinical trials proving survival benefit

“Cow-based products have passed none of these stages,” says Dr Zamre. “They remain folk remedies, not medical treatments.”

What about stories of people who ‘recovered’?

“Such stories often involve misdiagnosis, standard treatment working alongside alternative remedies, rare spontaneous remission, or selective reporting,” explains Dr Zamre, asserting that science runs on patterns, not exceptions. 

Has any regulator approved cow dung or urine for cancer treatment?

Dr Zamre says that no Indian or international regulatory body has approved these substances even for experimental oncology trials.

 

“If cow dung, cow urine or milk truly cured cancer, oncologists across the world would already be using them,” says Dr Zamre. “Science adopts anything that works, regardless of origin.”

 

Dr Zamre says that cancer patients don’t have time for faith-based experiments. "They need treatments that survive evidence, ethics and accountability."