Gold in urine of Gir cows

Scientists at the Junagadh Agricultural University (JAU), who analysed of urine samples of 400 Gir cows, found traces of gold ranging from three mg to 10 mg from one litre urine, The Times of India reported today. The precious metal was reportedly found in ionic form, which is gold salts soluble in water.

In what could come as a huge boost to the activists campaigning against the slaughter of cows, scientists at Gujarat's Junagadh Agricultural University (JAU) claim to have discovered gold in cow urine. For now, they claim that the precious metal is found only in the Gir cows that are native to the state.
A team led by Dr BA Golakia, the head of JAU's biotechnology department, have been carrying out the landmark study for the last four years before they were able to confirm the remarkable finding. As part of the research, urine samples of 400 Gir cows were tested at the Food Testing Laboratory of the JAU.
"We started the research almost four years back and tested cows from different age groups including pregnant cows, calfs, aged cows and the milking ones. The amount of gold presence varied in all of them -- from 3 milligram to 10 milligram per one litre of urine to be exact," Dr Golakia told ScoopWhoop in a telephonic interview.

So what will be the approximate value of gold extracted from cow urine?

According to Dr Golakia, the value of the gold extracted from 1 litre of cow urine would be around Rs 30.

But the procedure to extract gold is around Rs 10, so the net worth of gold extracted would be around Rs 20, Golakia said. The gold from the urine can be extracted and solidified using chemical processes that would require a laboratory.

However, the researchers have not been able to explain why traces of gold are being found in cow urine.

The research team leader further said that the gold content varied with age of cows and season of the year: “The gold concentration is higher in urine of calves as compared to adults. Similarly, more gold was found in urine of dry cows as compared to milching ones. The gold content was observed higher in samples collected during summer as compared to monsoon.”

The research team also simultaneously tested samples of urine from buffaloes, camels, goats and sheep, but they returned negative for gold. “The gold salt in cow urine can be transformed into powder, and then into metal balls. But we do not prescribe to start an industry of extracting gold from cow urine. The objective of the research was to demonstrate to farmers how important is cow urine and by extension, the cow as an animal. Work is on to identify compounds in cow urine which can be used for plant health and growth,” said the professor, adding that preparations were on to submit their findings to science journals for publication.

The research team identified 5,100 compounds in the cow urine, and said that 388 of them have medicinal properties. “The ayurveda fraternity welcomed the development. “This is a significant and very important observation. It can lead to new therapies in disease cure. Gold is very vital for almost all functions of the human body, especially our nervous system. As prescribed in Ayurveda, Swarnaprashana or small quantity of gold mixed with liquid and given to children boosts their mental health and development,” said Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, vice-chancellor of Gujarat Ayurvedic University, Jamnagar. Vaidya Kotecha further said that they will include the observations of JAU researchers in a registry that the Ayurveda Universtiy is building so that ayurveda practitioners and researchers can replicate and validate the research.