For millennia, people around the world have used both animal and human urine topically to remedy certain physical ailments. Topical application of urine is one thing, but drinking urine? The average person might think that’s one step too far.
Yet, there exist Ancient Indian yogic texts and ancient Chinese documents that shine a light on the supposed health benefits of drinking one’s urine. These benefits include everything from acne to diabetes to cancer.
And once a month in Boulder, Colorado, a group of people meet up at a public library to discuss urine therapy.
It’s called the Urine Therapy Meetup
Christopher Macor, one of the urine therapy group members, used to suffer from eczema. He would use various creams or ointments but to no avail.
However, the moment he started to soak the affected parts of his body in his urine, his eczema went away.
“It’s the fluid of your body that’s being given to you,” said Macor. (1) “[Urine therapy] works. If you just shift your perception about it.”
Another group member is a woman named Indira Bhatt Gupta. She claims that urine therapy has helped her remedy various ailments since 1983.
“In the morning that is the first thing I do,” said Gupta. “Let some part go, take the middle part, put it in my eyes, put it in my face, and just have some Chai in the morning.” (1)
Therese Nicol is another member who soaks her feet in her urine as well as drinks it.
What’s the proof?
According to the group, they seek guidance from a book by Boulder resident Brother Sage called Healing Water from Within: How the Ancient 5,000-Year-Old Yogic Practice, Shivambu or Unrine (Orin) Therapy Is Brining Miracles to a Modern World. (2)
British naturopath John Armstrong also published a book called The Water of Life: A Treatise on Urine Therapy in 1945. In it, Armstrong claims that urine can cure all major illnesses — by topical application and ingestion. (3)
Some of the health conditions people have claimed urine can help are: (4)
- Acne
- Allergies
- Cancer
- Heart problems
- Infections
- Rashes and other skin ailments
- Stings
- Stuffy nose
- Wounds
According to a 2010 study published in The Pan African Medical Journal, there are traditional present-day communities in Nigeria to supposedly treat children who suffer from seizures. (5)
But, before you start mixing urine into your daily health ritual, you may want to keep reading…
The truth behind why you shouldn’t ingest urine
Contrary to the popular belief that urine is sterile, a 2014 study from the Journal of Clinical Microbiology has demonstrated that urine, in fact, contains potentially harmful bacteria. (6)
Risks of urine consumption
According to Healthline, there are four major reasons you should avoid taking part in urine therapy. (4)
- Bacteria — Naturally occurring bacteria in your urinary tract is harmless unless it grows out of control (like in a urinary tract infection). As urine passes through the urinary tract, it becomes contaminated. When you ingest urine, it introduces your body to bacteria that can result in infections and gastrointestinal problems.
- Toxins — Urine contains toxic — or, more accurately, highly concentrated — waste products that your body has worked hard to filter out of your bloodstream. Ingesting urine will unnecessarily strain your body as it has to filter out the toxins all over again.
- Medications — If you ingest urine while taking prescription medications, you run the risk of altering the suggested dose. This is because, when medication is metabolized, your body gets rid of it via your urine.
- Non-hydrating — Believe it or not, drinking your own urine won’t keep you hydrated. Because urine tends to contain high concentrations of salts and minerals, your kidneys have to work overtime. However, since kidneys need more water to function properly, drinking urine would actually cause dehydration more quickly.
“Urine” for a treat
Good news! There are other natural alternatives that don’t involve drinking your own — or someone else’s — urine. Instead, check out The Hearty Soul’s archive of natural remedies: HEAL.
