Did BJP leaders advocating the consumption of cow urine to fight COVID-19 ‘piss away’ time and energy? At least, that’s what research by Bareilly-based Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) shows.

According to the country’s premier animal research body, fresh cow urine, which may contain potentially harmful bacteria, is not suitable for direct consumption, The Times of India (TOI) reported.

Fresh cow urine contains, at least, 14 types of harmful bacteria with the presence of Escherichia coli, which can cause stomach infections, the study, led by Bhoj Raj Singh of the institute along with three PhD students, shows.

The findings of the peer-reviewed research have been published on online research website ResearchGate.

“We collected urine samples of three types of cows—Sahiwal, Tharparkar and Vindavani—from local dairy farms along with samples of buffaloes and humans. Our study, carried out between June and November 2022, concluded that a sizeable proportion of urine samples from apparently healthy individuals carry potentially pathogenic bacteria,” Singh, who heads the department of epidemiology at the institute, told TOI.

“The urine of some individuals, irrespective of sex and breeder species, might be inhibitory to a select group of bacteria but the common belief that cow urine is antibacterial, can’t be generalised. In no case can urine be recommended for human consumption,” he added.

IVRI is carrying out further research on the claim that distilled urine doesn’t have infectious bacteria, Singh further added.

IVRI’s analysis of 73 urine samples of cow, buffaloes and humans also suggested that “antibacterial activity in buffalo urine was far more superior than cows. Urine of buffalo was significantly more effective on bacteria like S Epidermidis and E Rhapontici”, he said.

Former IVRI director RS Chauhan, who has been researching cow urine for 25 years, however, said that the research “was not done on distilled urine samples, which we recommend people to actually consume”.

“We have found that distilled cow urine improves immunity of humans and helps against cancer and COVID-19,” Chauhan added.

In March 2020, when COVID-19 cases were first detected, a BJP activist was arrested by the West Bengal Police when a volunteer fell sick after drinking cow urine at a party to combat the coronavirus. Narayan Chatterjee was arrested for “organising the cow urine consumption event and compelling a civic volunteer to drink cow urine”, Kolkata police chief Anuj Sharma had told AFP.

Strangely, cow urine is widely sold in the market without FSSAI trademark by several suppliers.

After COVID-19 hit India, several BJP leaders claimed that cow urine and dung could cure several diseases, including infection caused by SARS-CoV-2. Some Hindutva outfits organised cow urine-drinking events during the pandemic.

In July 2020, then-West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh advocated the use of cow urine to boost immunity against COVID-19 in a video shot in Durgapur. “If I speak about cows, many feel uncomfortable. Donkeys will never understand the worth of a cow. This is India, the land of Lord Krishna and here we worship cows. We will have cow urine to stay healthy. Those who consume alcohol, how will you understand the worth of a cow,” Ghosh is heard saying in the video.

During the second wave of the pandemic in May 2021, then-BJP MLA from Bairia, in Ballia district, Surendra Singh, called on people to drink cow urine to beat the virus. He also posted a video of himself drinking cow urine.

In the same month, BJP parliamentarian Pragya Thakur claimed that drinking cow urine could help beat the coronavirus. “I consumed cow urine daily and it is a kind of acid which purifies my body. It also purifies the lungs and saves me from COVID-19 infection. I don’t take any medicine against corona but I am safe,” she told party workers in Bhopal.