CHENNAI: Veezhinathan Kamakoti, the current director of IIT Madras has justified his earlier controversial remark that cow urine possessed medicinal properties. Kamakoti said he has made it a practice to consume panchagavyam made with cow urine, cow dung, milk, curd and ghee and even expressed his willingness to engage in a debate to vindicate his stance.
On January 15, Kamakoti spoke about the benefits of cow urine at the Go Samrakshana Sala (cow protection centre) event held in Chennai. Kamkoti revealed an anecdote from his life when he was advised by a monk to practice drinking cow urine. The IIT director said his father was miraculously saved from a serious fever after taking sips of cow urine.
After the event, the internet reacted with trolls and memes to Kamakoti’s revelations. The IIT director told the media that there are at least five scientific papers vouching for the anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties of cow urine. He also stated that a review on cow urine has been published in the Asian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research, April-June 2020.
"Panchagavyam can be purchased from online shopping sites like Amazon. Studies have been conducted on its benefits, including in IITs. Panchagavyam is eaten during festivals. We are ready for a good scientific discussion," said Kamakoti.