The cow is, at the least, an animal domesticated by man for help
in agricultural activities. Although the mighty machines now
used in farming have made these animals irrelevant in
agriculture, valiant attempts are being made, at least in India,
to preserve the exalted position of the so called ‘second
mother’  or even ‘mother of the world’ [3,4]. The stringent
agitations to protect the ‘cow-mother’ [4,5] and even riots and
murders of dalits for the sake of the cow,[6,7] suggest that the
human life is far less important than a dead cow in this part of
the world. This extraordinary reverence for the cow has led to
the development and marketing of many ‘products’ made from the
secretions and excretions of the cow, with claims that these
products may be more ‘lucrative’ than even the dairy.
Panchagavya is a blend of five (pancha) products obtained from
the cow (gavya = from gau) – the dung, urine, milk, ghee and
curd.[9,10] Three preparations of cow’s urine, namely gau-mutra
asav (fermented preparation), gau-arka