NEED OF CONCLUDING PANCH GAVYA THERAPY IN PRESENT TIME

         

I was avoiding writing on Panch Gavya  (means therapeutic use of milk, curd , ghee, urine and dung of cow origin for curing ailments ) , an old Ayurvedic therapy encrypted in Indian Vedas, as I do not know Sanskrit to understand the subject correctly. Secondly, our central council for research in  Ayurveda and Siddha , (Department of Ayush) GOI etc  appear little interested to participate in discussion of the ancient subject in light of modern science. My this assumption rests on my posting “ Schistosomiasis, small pox and malaria in ancient times”  (dated 5^th May,2015) on my blog www.indianschistosomiasis.blogspot.com  and no answer on use of “inoculation” for small pox in ancient India from any authorities of the above council etc . We are well aware that prior development of “Vaccination” by Jenner , a British doctor, inoculation method was in practice in India and this was transferred to Europe by the Arabs; However, there are many questions ,raised in my post , to be answered , if we really wish to take credit of this old practice of India and reply rests on searching our old sculptures which are either in Sanskrit or in Brahmi (older language than Sanskrit ) hence an expert in that language will do justice . My request went unnoticed with the President and other executives of the organizations.

Other reason of my reluctance is that the subject is hyped emotionally where any scientific discussion may not be possible . However, the subject is important ; moreover  new Veterinary Universities are coming up in India, many of them are given the mandate to work on development of indigenous cow breeds and some are directed to make Panch Gavya research centers ( like Chhattisgarh Kamdhenu Vishwa Vidyalaya, Durg) hence it becomes important  to view the subject in its right perspective.

As I have said earlier, I am not knowing Sanskrit hence all my discussion depends on general perceptions and also on two books on Panch Gavya published  in Hindi by Govigyan Anusanthan Kendra, Kamdhenu Bhavan ,Nagpur 440032 ( email gauseva@yahoo.co.in  ; gauvigyan@gmail.com ; website www.govigyan.com ). They have given a long list of projects run by various prestigious  institutes with Go Vigyan Anusanthan Kendra, Nagpur but have failed to provide references, if any publications are made by these efforts.  Obviously, such work can not be accepted by scientific community when we do not have assess to their work and their results.

As is practiced in true scientific research , I may mention “ Na kahu se dosti , na kahu se bair” hence this discussion should be taken in that spirit . My only wish is that this Panch Gavya  therapy should be investigated in its right perspective . As said in our “Bhagvat Geeta”  our right is on our work without knowing its results ; we don’t know what will come out after scientific investigations .

COW  EPICENTER OF ANCIENT ECONOMY : In our old scripts  cow was epicenter of  almost all human activities ; it was most important in  ancient agrarian  economy  and referred as “Kamdhenu” the object of fulfilling all the wishes .  Even in present time ,there is  belief in some segments that if we put cow in the center ,we may attain best economy of the world; perhaps this is far fetched idea. This is because they fail to recognize the developments that took place centuries, thereafter . Presently, all where agriculture is not epicenter of  economy though countries like Denmark, Netherland  depend largely on animal husbandry .However, there is a vast difference in animal husbandry practices between our and these countries. Presently our animals are maintained mainly by land less or small farmers on agriculture wastes  while that will require shift of cow to well organized large farms ( maintained mainly by  industrialists) on high diet and new technologies that may snatch cow husbanding from poor farmers to rich industrialists . Here, I may cite a good example of Poultry development in India. Earlier, it was a backyard activity of house wife or rural woman providing  her some extra income   whereas  it is now  shifted to large poultry farms being maintained by big houses with no share  to these poor persons .

In present circumstances ,  it will be more prudent if we are able to impress our farmers that instead of using tractors they should use bullocks for farming and bullock carts for carrying the goods and even persons ; likewise  they should use vermicompost or cow manure instead of chemical fertilizers . This can be achieved only with a great will power and protest against the industries which are depending on tractors and chemical fertilizers . No doubt, a devoted drive in this direction  will result in debt ridden farmers to live in a better life than always taking loans and may place cow in its right place in rural economy . It is a bitter fact that our Indian farmers  have dislodged   cow in their present  agriculture practices hence this neglect for cow all over the country ( buffaloes are being used for milk production even in the farms of well to do farmers).

INDIGENOUS OR CROSS BRED COW : If you read out above two books, they are emphasizing that Panch Gavya should be from an indigenous cow and not from a videshi or cross bred cow.  Obviously, in ancient times we were having only indigenous cow hence their products were employed in the therapy. Though the books emphasize to use indigenous cow for Panch Gavya, they have not provided any scientific reference which substantiate their arguments. Again , they are prescribing prior conditions for collection ;even they prevent to use urine and dung from vaccinated cows for 3 days. As per our knowledge, vaccine may affect milk of the animal but not urine or dung unless proved otherwise.

It will be prudent to support these claims by biochemical studies of Indigenous and cross bred cows as well as their products. One has to discover biochemical molecules present in different cows under different conditions and which molecules are beneficial and which are contradictory.   Whether, the cross bred cow are devoid of beneficial molecules or its milk possesses some contradictory substance that may hinder good effects of the therapy. Again , as admitted in the book , there are more than 15 Indigenous cow breeds and if they claim that only Indigenous cow should be used for Panch Gavya therapy, argumentably it is possible that these indigenous breeds differ in milk constituents thereby leading different effects on the ailments.

PANCH GAVYA  A FOOD OR MEDICINE :   Presently , the eatable items have been divided in two categories. One is drugs or medicines which are taken in specific quantities, certainly lesser than your food items, and if taken more by mistake , it has wide side effects, even may lead  to death. On the other hand, eatables are those products that may be consumed in larger quantities and are required for maintaining our life . If we examine Panch gavya on these criteria, they are eatables ,particularly milk, curd and ghee. Therefore, it is difficult to put them under drugs. Generally, some eatable items may be good for our health while others may not be so. For example ‘Amwala” is a fruit which is termed “Amratya” at many places and this has been considered a very important health tonic in Ayurveda . Our Rishi Chavyan emphasized its importance in human health and we are having in his name ‘Chawanprayas’.

Other important difference between the drug and eatery is while drugs are prescribed for specific ailments, eatery are recommended  in general in all ailments- they are known to enhance our immunological system.  If you refer the above published books this Panch Gavya is recommended in so many maladies ; obviously this may prove 100% effective in only limited ailments and unless and until we will not identify  these specific ailments , modern medicine may not accept its claims . If we wish to use Panch Gavya as medicine, it is necessary to analyze the ingredients and to concentrate them to enhance their therapeutic effect .

COW URINE AS INSECTICIDE : Either alone or in combination with Neem Patti  ,cow urine is claimed a very effective insecticide which is able to kill agriculture pests but protecting  the good insects. This statement requires two explanations. What is the effect of individual ingredient as pesticide and how it synchronizes the effects of other  pesticide- whether there is formation of a new product ?  

Obviously, this statement carries no weight age in scientific language. It will be important  to identify the molecule which is acting as insecticide and how it is combining with neem leaves. Again,  we have to identify which insects or pests are killed and at what stage (larva, pupa ,imago ) and which insects (good for farming) are resistant to this insecticide.

COW MANURE : Like other subjects, the book  has also mentioned different types of cow manures; the one vermicompost is much popular and need not to elaborate but the book also mention some other type of manures. Among them, I wish to mention about ‘Samadhi Khad” which is prepared by burying dead body of the cow (male also or only female?) with salt ; the soil , recovered after considerable time ( period not mentioned) is a good manure and is termed as Samadhi khad. Again, there is no mention about the crops where these different manures have been tried and given excellent results. I think work may be carried out with this Samadhi khad as  this will prove a by –product with out much investment and may be carried away vigorously . However, these manures should be tried in various seasons on different crops to find their best effect.    

My above discussion throw light that the subject requires complete scientific investigations , using modern equipments and techniques  to separate the active ingredients in Panch Gavya which are effective either for enhancing our general immune system, body health, or effective against particular diseases ; urine is to be tested against harmful and useful insects and different types of manures are to be investigated to see their best effect on specific crops in specific seasons . Without undertaking such work and publishing them in important scientific journals ,  it is very difficult to convince use of Panch Gavya as a remedy for all diseases or use of urine as best insecticide .