It is hard to believe that people could use facial and bath products made of cow dung and urine, but it is true. Strange, yet it’s the truth. Sure, the dairy products are good and using cow dung as fertilizer is an old tradition in the country. But, now the people have taken it to extreme levels. Indian entrepreneurs are selling bath products, beverages, and even toothpaste made of cow dung and urine and apparently, they are very popular among people.
The Indian government, led by Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP), awards subsidies worth up to 60 percent of the initial investment to commercial organisations using products derived from cows, except for meat and hides. Now, soaps, shampoos, and other personal care products made from cow dung and urine are now being sold by the top digital retailers in India such as Amazon, Flipkart, and eBay.
49-year-old craftsman, Ganeshan Palsamy of Madurai, has reared two indigenous cows and uses their excreta and urine to make artifacts. Buddha’s face, the Hindu temple pyramid, and Hindu religious symbols are among his creations.
Ganeshan Palsamy / Image: Kamala Thiagarajan
Interestingly, Palsamy thinks that excrement from his cows is antiseptic and easier to shape into artifacts without using moulds. He doesn’t touch the dung of other cows. According to him, his cows are native breeds that are grass-fed which makes a difference in the quality and purity of the dung.
Dr. Umesh Soni, 36, a Mumbai-based microbiologist, is the founder of Cowpathy. In 2012, he started crafting his organic range of cow dung soaps. The brand only uses excrement from indigenous cattle. The excreta is collected by hand and heat-processed in his factory to stop bacterial growth.
Dr. Umesh Soni / Image: Cowpathy
Cowpathy manufactures a substitute for talcum powder that is composed of the dung and ash of burnt cow pats; toothpaste made of the bovine’s dung, urine distillate and stevia (a plant-based sweetener used as a binder); an under-eye gel made from distilled urine; and shaving and shower creams.
The most popular item among the products of Cowpathy is soap made from the panchagauvya, which is a combination of the five main products derived from cows that are highly valued: milk, yogurt, ghee, dung, and urine.
Dr Soni recently added a line of non-caffeinated beverages. Liquids teas are made from herbs and distilled cow urine. He says that a concoction of herbs roasted over dried cow dung tastes exactly like coffee. His firm supplies products to 400 wholesalers across India and exports to 14 countries.
Also Read: Did You Know “Indian Cow” is Only Animal to Exhale Oxygen?
30-year-old Rajas Paranjpe and his 26-year-old wife Gautami, both media marketing professionals, began their own bovine venture called Bodhishop in August 2018. They have been selling a variety of cow dung and urine-based bio-fertilizers, sunscreens, face washes, and soaps.
Rajas Paranjpe and Gautami / Image: Amruta Laghate
Besides the excreta-based products, the couple sourced milk from eight of the 43 varieties of indigenous Indian cows, buying it from organic farmers all over the country. The product from each breed is processed separately and milk products, especially ghee – a kind of clarified butter used widely in India for various occasions and ayurvedic and medicine industry, are their bestsellers.
In February 2019, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi set up Kamadhenu Aayog, an official advisory organization tasked with preparing policies and guidelines for the protection of the Indian cow. The Aayog will promote organic farming using cow urine and dung as bio-pesticides and bio-fertilizers. Commercializing dung and other cow products will help protect the animal past their prime milking years.
The consumption of beef from cows that have died naturally is not banned in India. But since 2014, the cases of mob-lynching have increased, usually targeted at Muslims, in the name of cow protection.
The status of cows has been politicized since then. It comes as no surprise that Indians can be very superstitious. Then again, cows are sacred in the Hindu religion, so it’s only natural to worship the bovine and use products made of its excreta. Sure, it can be beneficial if used as fertilizers. But, there is no scientific proof of the benefits of cow excreta to the human body.
A 1975 study on mice found that cow urine causes death in high doses. A similar study in 1976 on dogs revealed that repeated administration of cow urine concoction as used in Nigerian folk medicine, resulted in hypotension and tachypnea, and could also result in death.
However, the Indian entrepreneurs are making a profit by selling cow excreta-based body care products, and people are utilizing these products with immense faith and religiousness. And the exaggerated statements about cows and their excreta are fueling the superstitions even further!
Via: Today Online