Cowpathy: A novel and potential source of new anti-microbial agents / strategies

Progressive increase in anti-microbial resistance made the future of infectious disease treatment worrisome. Although anti-microbial resistance is in existence since pre-antibiotic era, but indiscriminate use of antibiotics has accelerated its emergence and spread. This eminent threat to global ‘One Health’ suggested to limit the use of antibiotics and emphasized on the development of alternative treatment therapies for infectious diseases. The ancient Indian medicinal system i.e. Ayurveda, offers a library of antimicrobial solutions including use of herbal as well as animal products for infectious disease treatment. Different cow products such as cow urine, dung, milk, curd, ghee and Panchgavya have been reported to possess antimicrobial activities. Antimicrobial potential of these products have been attributed to different bioactive compounds including phenols, tannins, urea and supplemental elements. This article discusses the different studies related to antimicrobial potential of cow products, however, majority of these studies are preliminary and more research is required to explore the actual potential and to dive into the detailed mechanism of action.


Keywords: Cow products, Antimicrobial potential, Antimicrobial resistance, Panchgavya, Infectious diseases