GANDHINAGAR: Sale of cow urine has picked up in Gujarat as belief that it has immunity boosting property gains ground in the state amid the coronavirus outbreak.Vallabh Kathiria, chairman of Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog, told ET that consumption of goumutra (cow urine) and goumutra ark, or condensed cow urine, in the state has risen significantly after the coronavirus outbreak to about 6,000 litres a day.Cow urine has long been promoted by cow entrepreneurs as a panacea for a myriad of ailments. Last month a small group of people in Delhi held a cow urine drinking party to highlight these properties.In Gujarat, cow urine is not only being sold for oral consumption, but is also being used to manufacture body spray to keep the “malicious microbes” away, said Kathiria.Kathiria said that while a lot of people have been consuming fresh cow urine as a preventive against illnesses, there is also significant demand for the ark, which is used for both gargling and drinking.“Apart from improving digestion, goumutra strengthens the lymphocytes and is reach in antioxidants,” said Kathiria, an oncology surgeon who was also Union minister of state for health and family welfare. He said “use of cow urine kills bacteria and would definitely be helpful in fighting the coronavirus”.Kathiria, who was heading the state’s ‘Gau Seva Ayog’ earlier, pointed out that about 700 ml of ark is produced from 1 litre of cow urine. The other cow urine-based product being developed in the state is hand sanitiser.Raju Patel, who runs a cow shelter in Ahmedabad, confirmed the spurt in demand. He said that while he was making about 80 to 100 bottles of ark every month earlier, the demand has shot up to around 425 bottles.“We are also adding Tulsi, ginger and other herbs to ark to develop a potent combination to fight cough and cold,” he said, adding that he is now refusing to take more orders.Labhshankar Rajgore, a retired teacher and a cow activist from Shami in Patan district, said he had developed the first body spray based on cow urine back in 2007. “The spray is useful to keep the virus away along with many other harmful germs,” Rajgore said, adding that in the wake of coronavirus outbreak, he has also developed sanitisers based on cow urine.Rajgore said he produces around 50 bottles a day to meet demand from Ahmedabad, Patan and Mehsana districts. “The lockdown is delaying the supply. Normally it is taking couple of days for us to deliver the product,” he said.Kathiria of Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog said, “There are about 4,000 gaushalas in the state, of which around 500 are involved in collecting and processing cow urine.”He said that with the demand of cow urine on the rise, the gaushalas can easily become self-sustaining.Speaking to ET, Kantilal Patel, a retired engineer claimed to have benefited from using Cow Urine. “My wife had suffered from cancer and we used to get fresh cow urine for her to drink in the morning,” Patel told ET. “She had greatly benefitted from it,” he said. “Goumutra definitely has a lot of potentials to keep the virus at bay,” he added.