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© 2012 - 2024, Swetha Sundaram The articles on this blog are a collection of the author's studies and/or inferences made by the author from such studies. The posts on the vedic civilizations and symbolisms in vedic texts is the result of intense study undertaken by the author and the inferences made by the author from these studies. Please ensure to cite this blog if using material from this blog.

Thursday 13 December 2012

Panchagavyam - Ahara Niyamam Part 10



Introduction:

Very soon we may see a product labelled as CUC sitting next to products like CLA, DGA, EFA and so on in health stores. It would be sold as a potent antioxidant which could reverse cancer, prevent diabetes, Alzheimer disease as well as heart disease. You would be surprised to learn that CUC is the abbreviation for “Cow Urine Concoction”! Different blends of cow urine mixed with herbs are being tested. Very soon, research may validate the traditional panchagavya as the best CUC! Panchagavya could very soon be marketed in capsule form labelled as CUC!

Panchagavyam is a traditional mixture made out of five drops of cow urine, half a thumb measure of cow dung, cow’s  milk equal to the weight of seven one rupee coins, curd equal to the weight of three one rupee coin and made from cow’s milk plus ghee equal to the weigh of one one rupee coin also made from cow’s milk are mixed together while chanting manthras.(Ref: http://www.pradosham.com/panchagavyam.php)

The panchagavya mixture is taken internally to purify body and mind. In this modern day and age we wonder how a mixture made out of cow excreta could possibly purify a person’s body and mind. To understand this purification process, we must first understand about the toxins which contaminate our body. We are affected by environmental pollutants from pesticides, chemical fertilizers, tobacco smoke etc which increase the occurrence of free radicals in our body. Apart from the environmental toxins we are also affected by pathogenic (disease causing) microorganisms. Panchagavya helps to remove/control both the chemical as well as microbial toxins.


Free Radicals:
Free radicals sre formed when a bonding electrol pair is split evenly between the products. The resulting free radical then pulls an electron from the neighnouring molecule thus turning the neighbouring molecule into a free radical. This type of reaction is termed as the electron transfer reaction and has a cascade effect. The reaction by electron transfers goes on from one molecule to the next in our body thus damaging cells in our body. This reaction eventually causes dysfunction and even affects our basic DNA structure.
Antioxidants are products which readily donate electrons to the free radicals thus stabilizing them before damage starts. The antioxidants themselves remain stable even after donating an electron thus completely stopping the cascade reaction initiated by the free radicals before they damage our cells.
The effectiveness of any antioxidant is analysed by its effect on reducing ferric ions, and its effect in scavenging for free radicals like super oxides and DPPH. A study found that low dose/concentration of panchagavya had high levels of the antioxidant phenolic acid. The panchagavya mixture was effective in reducing ferric ions and in scavenging for DPPH as well as superoxides.
Free radicals are generated in both the aqueous as well as the lipid portion of our cells. Therefore to prevent free radical damage in the aqueous as well as the lipid portion of the cells  it is crucial for us to consume antioxidants which are soluble in fat as well as in water. Panchagavya fullfills this need as the (urine, dung and colloidal milk without the fat) provides antioxidants which are soluble in water whereas the ghee with milk fat portion provides antioxidants soluble in lipids. Thus it purifies our body by removing/stabilizing the toxic free radicals. It works best in low concentartion/dose.

The antioxidants naturally present in panchagavya have been found to provide protection against cancer, diabetes, convulsions and hyper lipidemia. Panchagavya also protects the liver from damages. Many Ayurvedic herbal remedies are made with panchagavya.  A remedy called Brahmi Grihta which is made with herbs mixed in panchagavya was found to be an anticonvulsant.

Traditionally women were given panchagavya after child birth to stabilize their nervous systems and probably to prevent convulsions.

Free radical damage is also the leading cause of neurodegenerative disorders. Many Behavioral problems are attributed to brain changes which occur because of free radical damage. Some of the behavioural problems associated with this type of damage are confusion, disorientation, decreased social interaction, wandering, pacing, being accident prone, and altered sleep patterns. Free radical damage is also considered to be the leading cause of Alzheimer’s disease.
Antimicrobial Properties:
Panchagavya is also an excellent antimicrobial agent which was traditionally used to control pathogenic microorganisms. the cow urine contains Quninolones and  Flavoquinolones. Quininolones are used by parmaceutical companies to make broad spectrum antibiotics. A strain of beneficial microbe isolated from cow dung was shown to inhibited the growth of Escherichia coli. Escherichia coli infection is prevalent and affects the human urinary tract as well as digestive system.  In another study the effectivenes of cow urine against various pathogenic microorganisms was compared against the effectiveness of streptomycin. The result showed that fresh cow urine had more antibacterial properties compared to distilled cow urine.
The following table compares the effect of photoactivated cow urine, cow urine distillate, fresh cow urine and streptomycin against various species of pathogens.


Notice that in the above table, sptreptomycin and cow urine have similar effect on E.coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, staphylococcus aureus. E.coli is the leading cause of urinary tract infections and digestive tract infections. Klebsiella pneumonia as the name suggests is responsible for causing pneumonia and bronchitis. Staphylococcus aureus is able to affect all most all of our major organs. Staph infection of lungs, urinary tract and kidney is considered to be fatal. It can affect breast feeding women and cause breast inflammation commonly known as mastitis. It could eventually spread via breast milk and affect the infant as well. Probably this is another reason why women were given panchagavya after child birth.

Conclusion;
To summarise, the following are some of the many health benefits of Panchagavya. It Cures Psoriasis, Improve symotoms experienced by HIV patients, Has anti-carcinogenic effects, Prevents diabetes, Protects liver, It is a potent probiotic and is loaded with beneficial bacteria like lactobacillus which protect our gut. Sushrutha Samhita records the use of panchagavya to  treat mania, epilepsy, fever and hepatitis.
To conclude panchagavya purifies our body and mind by preventing damage caused by free radicals as well as pathogenic microorganisms.
References:
Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities of Cow Urine Edwin Jarald, Sheeja Edwin, Vaibhav Tiwari, Rajesh Garg and Emmanuel Toppo - Department of Natural Drug Research, B.R. Nahata College of Pharmacy and Research Center, Mandsaur-458001, Madhya Pradesh, India 2008

In vitro screening of antibacterial activity of cow urine against pathogenic human bacterial strains Charmi P Shah*, Deval M Patel, Paras D Dhami, Janak Kakadia, Dhruvesh, Bhavsar, Urmila D Vachhani1, Manisha N Trivedi, Joshi VJ  1Rofel, Shri G M Bilakhia College of Pharmacy, Vapi, Gujarat, India, 2NIMS University, Shobha nagar, Delhi highway, Jaipur, India Email: charmishah15@yahoo.co.in
Received: 22 Nov 2010, Revised and Accepted: 24 Dec 2010

Preliminary biological screening of microbes isolated from cow dung in Kampar -Teo, K. C.* and Teoh, S. M. Department of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Science, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Kampar, Perak, Malaysia. Accepted 14 January, 2011

 Evaluation of in-vitro antioxidant activity of panchagavya: a traditional ayurvedic preparation Arun Athavale, Nikhil Jirankalgikar, Pankaj Nariya and Subrata De*

Antifungal Efficacy of Panchagavya Baby Joseph** and Sankarganesh P*
Interdisciplinary Research Unit (IRU), Department of Biotechnology, Malankara Catholic College, Mariagiri – 629 153, Kanyakumari District, Tamilnadu, India. Jan-Mar 2011

Evaluation of CNS activity of Bramhi Ghrita by G. S. Achliya, S. G. Wadodkar, A. K. Dorle


http://crusadecancer.com/2012-12-07-04-36-49/2012-12-07-06-04-24/panchagavya.html
http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/03/stories/2007120361860800.htm



http://news.discovery.com/human/cow-dung-medicine-spiritual-india.html


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