Review Article

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S Choudhary et al /International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences Letters 2015 Vol. 5 (1)| 505-508

A Review on Various Biological Activities of Bos Indicus Urine Sweety Choudhary* and Anju Goyal B N Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sevashram road, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India, 313001 ABSTRACT Bos indicus urine is a valuable product used as a medicine. The composition containing Bos indicus excretion, urine, dung, milk, curd and ghee etc., is called as Panchagavya. This is generally used by rural population because of its easy availability, cost effectiveness and therapeutic effect with least side effects as compare to allopathic drug. Ancient texts and literature recommend use of Bos indicus urine for variety of conditions and ailments including gastric troubles, wounds, injuries, skin disorders, treatment of diabetes, blood pressure, asthma, psoriasis, eczema, heart attack, blockage in arteries, fits, piles, prostrate, arthritis, migraine, thyroid, ulcer, acidity, constipation, gynaecological problems. It is also used as bio-enhancer. Bos indicus urine contains all substances, which are naturally present in the human body Thus, consumption of Bos indicus urine maintains the balance of these substances and this helps to cure incurable diseases. It is natural, eco-friendly with no residual effects, economical and easily available, hence can be harnessed as potential therapeutic agent. Therefore, as a part of broader investigations to verify the claimed utility of Bos indicus urine, it was thought worthwhile to study its various biological activities. INTRODUCTION Indian system of medicines, especially Ayurveda, has been using Bos indicus urine for betterment of physical and mental health of mankind since thousands of years. Ancient texts and literature recommend use of gomutra for variety of conditions and ailments. Bos indicus urine is considered to be the most effective animal origin substance having intrinsic property of general health improvement [1]. Bos indicus is the most valuable animal in all Veda and it is called as mother of all. Cow is worshipped as Kamdhenu i.e. the god who fulfills all the desires since thousands of years. Different product obtained from cow is useful to mankind either in medicine, agriculture or religious purpose [2]. Cowpathy / Panchagavya The composition containing cow's excretions, urine, dung, milk, curd, ghee, five ingredients together known as "Panchagawya" have medicinal and spiritual importance in India. All these five components have medicinal properties and are used either single or in combination with herbal or minerals against many diseases and is also given to women after she delivers a baby. Panchagavya is an important component of many rituals, pooja and also ayurvedic preparation.

Many useful elements have been found in Panchagavya like Urea, Uric acid and Minerals and Bioactive substances and Hormones like Urokinase, Epithelium growth factor, Colony stimulating factor, Growth hormone, Erythropoetin, Gonadotropins, Kallikrin, Trypsin inhibitor, Allantoin, Anti-cancer substance, Nitrogen, Sulphur, Ammonia, Copper, Iron, Phosphate, Sodium, Potassium, Manganese, Carbolic Acid, Calcium, Salts, Vitamin A, B, C, D, E, Lactose Sugar, Enzymes, Water, Hippuric Acid, Creatinine etc . Bos indicus urine one of the ingredients in Panchagawya is believed to have therapeutic value. In India Bos indicus urine is used by majority of rural population as folklore remedy in almost all the states [3-10]. Qualities of Bos Indicus Urine in Ayurveda In Veda, Bos indicus urine was compared to the nectar. In substrata, several medicinal properties of Bos indicus urine have been mentioned and are known to cause weight loss, reversal of certain cardiac and kidney problems, indigestion, stomach ache, edema, etc. Bos indicus urine has a unique place in Ayurveda and has been described in ‘Sushrita Sumhita’ and Ashtanga Sangraha’ to be the innumerable therapeutic values. It has been recognized as water of life or “Amrita” (Beverages of immortality), the nectar of the God. In India, drinking of cow urine has been practiced for Key words: Panchagavya, Ayurveda, Bio-enhancer, thousands of years. An exhaustive reference of Bos indicus urine having curative properties in skin diseases, Gynaecological, Blood pressure, Constipation especially leprosy, is referred to in Caraka samhita. FurReceived 25 November 2014; accepted 30 December thermore, in the treatment of falling body parts, discharg2014; ing lymph and organism infested organs, use of Bos indicus urine along with some other ingredients has been *Corresponding Author: Sweety Choudhary recommended for bath, anointing and intake. The cow B N Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sevashram urine distillate has been patented as activity enhancer and road, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India, 313001 availability facilitator for bioactive molecules including Email: [email protected] anti- infective and anti- cancer agents [11-13]. Copyright ©2011 Published by IJPSL. All rights reserved

S Choudhary et al /International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences Letters 2015 Vol. 5 (1)| 505-508 Composition of Bos Indicus Urine The biochemical estimation of Bos indicus urine has shown that it contains 95% water, 2.5% urea and 2.5% minerals, salts, hormones, and enzymes sodium, nitrogen, sulphur, Vitamin A, B, C, D, E, minerals, manganese, iron, silicon, chlorine, magnesium, citric, succinic, calcium salts, phosphate, lactose, carbolic acid, enzymes, Creatinine and hormones. Any deficiency or excess of these substances inside the body causes disorders. Bos indicus urine contains all of these substances with having a balanced proximate composition. Therefore, consumption of Bos indicus urine restores the balance of these substances and thus helps in curing from incurable diseases [14-16]. Importance of Bos Indicus Urine Now days, a lot of emphasis has been given on the medicinal use of Bos indicus urine in India. Recently the Bos indicus urine has been granted U.S. Patents (No. 6,896,907 and 6,410,059) for its medicinal properties, particularly for its use along with antibiotics for the control of bacterial infection and fight against cancers. As per Ayurvedic literatures gomutra is useful in number of diseases particularly in gulma, kusta, ascitis, filaria, aburda (cancer), etc. Bos indicus urine is also used along with herbs to treat various diseases like fever, epilepsy, anemia, abdominal pain, constipation, etc by the traditional healers, used as activity enhancer and availability facilitator for bio active molecules including antiinfective and anti-cancer agents. Bos indicus urine also shows Immunomodulatory, hypoglycemic and cardiorespiratory effect. 10-25 ml of Bos indicus urine to be taken in empty stomach since free radicals is implicated in the process of aging. It is prescribed systemically as well as locally for various indications viz. infectious conditions like worm infestations, skin diseases, pruritus; metabolic disorders such as anemia, oedema, gout; neurological disorders like epilepsy and also for acute/ chronic toxicities [17-22]. Bos Indicus Urine and Wound Healing Our Ayurveda has always focused on prevention of disease and maintaining the health and treatment of diseases. Bos indicus urine acts like a magical potion for the treatment of the disease like cancer, asthma, chronic renal failure, hepatitis ABC, urological disorders, and respiratory diseases. Bos indicus Urine contains volatile salts which are beneficial to the human body because these salts destroy acidity and get rid of pain in kidney, intestine, and womb; furthermore urine, a natural tonic, eliminates giddiness, tension in nerves, lazy feeling, paralysis, common cold, diseases of brain, nerves, joints and leucorrhea [23-24]. Bos Indicus Urine in Agriculture Bos indicus urine is also used as fertilizers and pesticides in agricultural operations. It has proved to be an effective pest controller and larvicide when used alone or either in combination with different plant preparations enhances the efficacy of different herbal preparations.

Distillate Bos indicus urine is an activity enhancer and availability facilitator for bio active molecules (antibiotic, antifungal and anticancer drugs). The distillate helps in absorption of antibiotic across the cell membrane in animal cells, gram positive and gram negative bacteria at 40-50°C , transport across the gut wall by two to seven times . It also increases the activity of Gonadotropins releasing hormone conjugate with bovine serum albumin (GnRH-BSA) and zinc. The GnRH-BSA conjugate has a deleterious effect on reproductive hormones and estrous cycles of female mice. So, concentrated Bos indicus urine acts as a bio-enhancer of immunization efficacy. It acts as a bio-enhancer of antiinfective, anticancer agents/ nutrients from compounds, antibiotics, drugs, therapeutic, ions, and also independently as a bioactive agent [25-31]. Bos indicus urine boosted the annual rye grass yield by causing an increase in nitrogen (N) component of the soil and a marked depression in nitrogen fixation by 10% annually in clovers particularly in winter. The effects on yield lasted 2-3 harvests and were followed by a decrease in clover growth. Total nitrogen content in the cow urine is very high ranging from 6.8 to 21.6 g N/l, out of which an average of 69% is urea. Urine increased the nitrogen concentration of grass (particularly the nitrate fraction) and increased the potassium concentration of grass and clover. Increased pasture growth from urine patches has been observed even following high nitrogen fertilizer application which may be due to greater amount of nitrogen applied or to some interaction with one of the other elements in urine such as potassium or sulphur [32-33]. For Better Rearing of Honeybees Bos indicus urine facilitated rapid and holistic recovery in disease infected combs, promoted the growth of brood, enhanced the efficiency of the worker bees in the colonies, thus revealed that the Bos indicus urine can serve as a potential eco-friendly measure for management of European foulbrood (EFB), a serious, bacterial disease of honeybee brood found throughout the world in honeybee colonies and also as an indirect control of mite diseases in colonies [30]. Effects of Bull Urine on Puberty and Calving Date in Crossbred Beef Heifers Earlier studies have proposed the presence of a priming pheromone in bull urine which hastens the onset of puberty in beef heifers. If heifers calve earlier in the calving season, then they can be expected to continue to calve early throughout their lifetime. It also allows for more effective management of the calf crop through early weaning more efficiently and simultaneously allows a longer period to re-establish ovarian cycle before the next breeding period. Thus, treatment with bull urine has potential applications for abbreviating the calving season in beef heifers [34].

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S Choudhary et al /International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences Letters 2015 Vol. 5 (1)| 505-508 The Effect of Cow Urine on Ovipositor Cues to Mosquitoes Bos indicus urine produces ovipositor cues to Anopheles gambiae and Culex quinquefasciatus. Bos indicus urine had a positive influence on ovipositor behavioral response as measured using Oviposition Activity Index (OAI) in mosquitoes. Under experimental conditions, different species of mosquito was found to be positive for Oviposition Activity Index, but was maximum in rainy season than dry months of the year. They inferred that due to microbial activities, the chemical compounds could have been produced due to ageing in Bos indicus urine as by-products that might influence ovipositor attraction and/ or deterrence cues for each mosquito species. Furthermore, the presence of chemicals and continued decomposition of Bos indicus urine increases microbial colonies which lead to generate more volatile compounds that attract gravid mosquitoes’ to oviposit. Thus, Bos indicus urine may act as an effective oviposition attractant, which is locally available, economical and reliable, hence can be deployed in aggregating mosquitoes’ larval habitats for use in the therapeutic planning and management of effective control of malaria [35-36]. Bos Indicus Urine as an Immunomodulator Considering the immunosuppressive effects of pesticides and immunopotentiating properties of Bos indicus urine, evaluated the immunomodulatory properties of Bos indicus urine on dimethoate induced Immunotoxicity in avian lymphocytes using lymphocyte proliferation assay. In their study, avian Lymphocytes showed marked decrease when treated with thousand times dilution of No Observable Effect Level (NOEL/103) dose of dimethoate, while significant increase in both B and T cell blastogenesis was observed when exposed to Bos indicus urine. Combination treatments of NOEL/103 dose of dimethoate and the Bos indicus urine also revealed a significant increase in both B and T cell blastogenesis as compared with the dimethoate treated cells [37-40]. Bos Indicus Urine and Hepatoprotection Hepatotoxicity is induced in mice using CdCl2 and treated one group with ‘Kamdhenu ark’ and another group with Zn and ‘Kamdhenu ark’ up to 60 days. Treated animals revealed hepatocytes with normal cellular features and prominent nuclei in comparison to CdCl2 treated group. These observations suggest that ‘Kamdhenu ark’ has antagonistic effects against the cadmium-induced liver toxicity and it also work as a bioenhancer of Zn. Bramhi ghrita a formulation that belongs to the Panchagavya class of Ayurvedic formulations, used in combination with herbs significantly reduced the levels of serum marker enzymes, serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (SGOT), serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT), alkaline phosphates and acid phosphates elevated during carbon tetrachloride-induced Hepatotoxicity. It was confirmed by histopathological study of liver

Antioxidant Properties of Bos Indicus Urine and Its Distillate The redistilled Bos indicus urine distillate possesses strong antigenotoxic and anticlastogenic. Properties against human polymorph nuclear leukocytes and human peripheral lymphocytes treated with manganese dioxide and hexavalent chromium (which induce DNA strand break, chromosomal aberration and micronucleus). This property is mainly due to the antioxidants present in RCUD. Another study was conducted wherein the antigen toxic/antioxidant properties of cow's urine distillate and redistillate were studied in vitro using Actinomycin-D and hydrogen peroxide (to cause DNA strand break). They concluded that the redistillate of Bos indicus urine possess total antioxidant status, contributed mainly by volatile fatty acids (1500 mg/L) which might cause the protective effects [43-44]. Bos Indicus Urine in the Treatment of Diabetes Bos indicus urine mixture, a traditional remedy for convulsions, administered intra-peritoneal to Fasting grey rabbits was found to produce marked depression of their plasma glucose. A similar effect on the plasma glucose was produced by a sample of Bos indicus urine mixture given by the nasogastric route. These findings confirm that the mixture has hypoglycemic effect when given both parenterally and orally, the latter being the usual mode of administration of this concoction. An herbal preparation prepared using Bos indicus urine and Gymnema sylvestre, Momordica charantia, Eugenia jambolana, Aegle marmelos, Cinnamomum tamala, Aloe barbadensis and Trigonella foenumgraecumto to study antidiabetic activity in alloxaninduced diabetic rats. They Concluded that herbal preparations made of Bos indicus urine significantly lower the blood sugar level when compared to the preparation prepared using water. Fresh Bos indicus urine also exhibits antidiabetic effect. In another study diabetes is induced in rats using streptozotocin (45 mg/kg). The diabetic rats with cow urine and observed weight gain, decreased blood glucose, serum cholesterol, triglycerides, BUN and serum Creatinine when compared to the diabetic control group [45-46]. CONCLUSION Bos indicus is used for betterment of physical and mental health of mankind since thousands of years. Bos indicus urine is considered as the most effective natural substance having intrinsic property of general health improvement. It is considered to be the most useful medicinal component of Panchagavya. Allopathic drugs have various biological activities. Moreover their use is often associated with risk of various side effects. That’s why Bos indicus urine by product can be used for various biological activities, as it prevent time consuming, painful and expensive complication. This review article may be useful for the development of new drug for the treatment of cancer, AIDS and Ebola infection.

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Conflict of interest: None declared.

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