Fact check: No, Cow Urine Cannot Ward Off COVID-19

At a time when fact-checkers are each day debunking myths and misleading claims about prevention and cure of coronavirus which have flood social media, the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha, in a bizarre plan, hosted a cow urine-drinking event on Saturday in New Delhi, with a hope that the practice will ward off the novel coronavirus.

Not just the Hindu Mahasabha, but several leaders from the ruling Bhartiya Janta Party have advocated the consumption of cow urine or cow dung for its "medicinal" properties and to avoid coronavirus. Suman Harpriya, a legislator in the northeastern state of Assam claimed that cow urine and cow dung could be effective in treating COVID-19.

"Coronavirus is an airborne disease and it can be cured by using 'gaumutra'(cow urine) and cow dung," Haripriya had said.

"Performing yagna with ancient Vedic rituals of Hindu religion would help in killing the deadly coronavirus in the air," Sanjay Gupta, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator from Laksar area in Haridwar said.

Our community members also reached out to us on our WhatsApp Fact Check Number asking us to verify this claim.

Claim:

Drinking Cow Urine Can Ward Off COVID-19

Fact Check

A study titled "Evaluation of antidiabetic, antioxidant effect and safety profile of Gomutra ark in Wistar albino rats" has revealed that cow's urine has a significant anti-diabetic effect which is comparable to standard drug glibenclamide. This activity may be due to the presence of sulfur in the cow urine or due to its antioxidant activity.

But beyond that, there is no empirical evidence to suggest that cow urine can cure or prevent COVID-19 or any other disease.

On February 24, The American Association For The Advancement of Science reported that more than 500 scientists have asked the Indian government to withdraw a call for research proposals on the "uniqueness" of indigenous cows and the curative properties of cow urine, dung, and milk, including potential cancer treatments.

In an online letter, the researchers say the call is "unscientific" and a misdirection of public money at a time when research in India is already facing a financial crunch.

In their letter, scientists note that the call presumes "special physiological status to select breeds of only one species," adding that "to begin a project with such presumptions is prima facie unscientific." Money under the scheme could be "wasted to 'investigate' imaginary qualities derived from religious scriptures," they said.

While cow urine and cow dung might be used in several medicines, it can certainly not cure coronavirus. No such scientific evidence exists.

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