The urine then is boiled and condensed to make the “ark” extract. Last month, one of India’s biggest cow shelters began producing 10,000 liters of ark a day at a production facility inaugurated by the health minister, and similar sites are springing up all over the country.
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And it’s not just medicine — other products made from cow urine including insulin substitute and mouthwash.
Reverence for cow urine has become a political issue in India, where hindus worship cows as “gau mata” — “mother of all.” Hindus seek nourishment through milk, dung and urine but almost never cow meat — they regard the cow as sacred and many see its consumption as an abomination.
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