Cow Dung and COVID-19: Why Indian Doctors Warned Against It

Originally published 2021-05-12.

No, cow dung and cow urine do not protect against COVID-19 or cure it. In May 2021, as India's devastating second wave peaked, doctors there publicly warned people not to smear their bodies with the mixture, a practice that had spread at cow shelters in the western state of Gujarat. There is no scientific evidence that it works, and it carries real risks, from other infections to crowded gatherings that can spread the virus itself.

This is the story of why the practice took hold, what doctors said about it, and why such remedies flourish when health systems are overwhelmed.

What people were doing at the cow shelters

A Reuters report from Ahmedabad, by reporter and photographer Amit Dave, described believers visiting cow shelters about once a week. There they covered their bodies in a paste of cow dung and urine, hoping it would strengthen their immunity or help them recover from COVID-19.

While the paste dried, participants hugged or honoured the cows and practised yoga, which they believed raised their energy. Afterwards they washed the paste off with milk or buttermilk.

One of the best-known sites was the Shree Swaminarayan Gurukul Vishwavidya Pratishthanam, a school run by Hindu monks, which by coincidence sits across the road from the Indian headquarters of Zydus Cadila, a drugmaker developing its own COVID-19 vaccine. Among its regular visitors was Gautam Manilal Borisa, an associate manager at a pharmaceutical company, who credited the practice with his recovery from the virus the previous year. He told Reuters that even doctors came, believing the therapy let them treat patients "with no fear." Reuters did not verify that claim.

Explainer: What we know about the Indian variant as coronavirus sweeps South Asia https://t.co/RvxFaL5R9W

— Reuters India (@ReutersIndia) May 11, 2021

Why cow products carry such meaning

In Hinduism, the cow is a sacred animal associated with life, the earth and motherhood. For centuries, families in rural India have used cow dung to plaster floors and walls and in religious rituals, partly in the belief that it cleanses and purifies.

Traditional Ayurvedic practice also includes panchagavya, preparations based on five cow products: milk, curd, ghee, dung and urine. During the pandemic, some groups and politicians promoted these products as protection against COVID-19. Indian media reported at least one isolation centre in a Gujarat village giving patients panchagavya medicines alongside standard drugs.

Respect for religious tradition is one thing. Treating a ritual as a medical treatment for a new viral disease is another, and that is where doctors drew the line.

What doctors said about the risks

Dr JA Jayalal, national president of the Indian Medical Association, was blunt. "There is no concrete scientific evidence that cow dung or urine work to boost immunity against COVID-19," he told Reuters, adding that the practice is based entirely on belief.

He and other doctors highlighted three main dangers:

• Other infections. Animal waste can carry bacteria, parasites and fungi. Smearing or swallowing it can pass diseases from animals to people. Some doctors warned specifically that it could add to the risk of mucormycosis, or "black fungus," a serious fungal infection that was then striking many COVID-19 patients in India.
• Crowds. Groups gathering at shelters, especially during an outbreak, could spread the coronavirus. Madhucharan Das, who ran another shelter in Ahmedabad, said he was limiting the number of participants.
• False reassurance. People who feel protected may skip masks, vaccination or medical care, or delay going to hospital when they fall ill.

Health authorities worldwide repeated the same message throughout the pandemic: no home remedy, herbal mix or ritual has been shown to prevent or cure COVID-19. Vaccines, timely medical care and basic precautions saved lives. Anyone with symptoms should talk to a doctor rather than rely on traditional cures.

'Who to be saved, who not to be saved should be decided by God': On shift with a doctor in COVID-hit India, who must decide who will live and who will die https://t.co/YExOLlVFzr 📷 @dansiddiqui pic.twitter.com/V6dA1XZGTw

— Reuters Pictures (@reuterspictures) May 9, 2021

A country overwhelmed by its second wave

The warnings came at the height of one of the worst outbreaks of the pandemic. By mid-May 2021, India had reported roughly 23 million confirmed cases and about 250,000 deaths. Experts told Reuters the real figures could be five to ten times higher.

Hospitals ran out of beds, and families scrambled for medical oxygen and medicines on social media. Crematoriums worked around the clock. In such conditions, with formal care out of reach for many, people turned to whatever offered hope, from unproven drugs to traditional rituals.

The doctors' fears about undercounting proved well founded. On 5 May 2022, the World Health Organization estimated that the pandemic was associated with about 14.9 million excess deaths worldwide in 2020 and 2021. For India, its estimate was around 4.7 million, close to ten times the official count of about half a million. The Indian government rejected the figure, objecting to the modelling methods and pointing to its own civil registration data.

Why unproven cures spread during a crisis

Cow dung was far from the only false remedy of the pandemic. Around the world, people tried drinking bleach, taking livestock medicines, gargling salt water and swallowing herbal concoctions. These ideas spread for similar reasons:

• Fear and uncertainty make people look for something they can do themselves.
• Personal stories of recovery feel convincing, even though most people with COVID-19 recover anyway, which makes any remedy look effective.
• Remedies tied to faith, culture or national pride are hard to question.
• When hospitals are full, home cures fill the gap.

The best antidote is clear, respectful information from trusted voices, which is why statements from bodies such as the Indian Medical Association matter.

Doctors in India are warning against covering one's body in cow dung and urine in the belief it will ward off COVID-19, saying there is no scientific evidence for its effectiveness and that it risks spreading other diseases. More photos: https://t.co/g2rTla2PUx 📷 Amit Dave pic.twitter.com/3WpULYndxA

— Reuters Pictures (@reuterspictures) May 11, 2021

How to judge a health claim

When you meet a claimed cure, a few questions help:

• Has it been tested in controlled trials in people, or is it based on stories?
• Do major medical bodies or health agencies recommend it?
• Could it cause harm, either directly or by delaying proper treatment?
• Is someone selling it, or promoting it for political or religious reasons?

If the answers point to "untested," the safest choice is to ask a doctor before trying it.

Sources: Reuters via Interaksyon, 11 May 2021: Indian doctors warn against cow dung as COVID cure (reporting and photos by Amit Dave); Reuters original report; SabrangIndia: Cow dung, urine don't prevent Covid-19, can cause infections; World Health Organization, 5 May 2022: 14.9 million excess deaths associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Embedded posts: Reuters India and Reuters Pictures (photos by Danish Siddiqui and Amit Dave).