Cowpathy in Ayurveda


Ravi Kant Gupta1*, Shashikant Gupta2, Nazam Khan3 and K.B.Shinde4
1Ph.D. Scholar, 4Ph.D. Scholar, Livestock Production & Management Division
3Ph.D. Scholar, Dairy Cattle Nutrition Division,
National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal -132001
2Junior Resident, Department of Surgery, King George Medical College,
Lucknow - 226003


Cowpathy or panchgavya therapy is a treatment based on products obtained from cows used in ayurveda and of religious significance for Hindus. It is a system of medicine just like as homeopathy, allopathy or naturopathy. Within Hinduism, Panchgavya is used as an offering to deities and consumed by devotees as a form of prasad. It is made up of five cow products; milk, curd, ghee, urine and dung. The ancient ayurvedic literature (Vir Charak Samhita, Sushrut Samhita, Gad Nigrah) suggests a number of pharmacological applications of the substances obtained from Panchgavya. These substances are abundantly used in ayurveda for treatment of several disorders such as leucoderma, hyperlipidemia, arthritis, renal disorders, dietary disorders, gastrointestinal tract disorders, acidity, asthma etc.


The new research on panchgavya products shows that it has potent anticancer and anti HIV properties. The Panchgavya products also show many other applications viz. excellent agricultural application in the form of biofertilizers, vermicompost and biopesticides, which improves soil fertility and provide food grains free from the health hazards of using chemical fertilizers/pesticides