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{{Short description|Various applications of human urine for medicinal or cosmetic purposes}} | |||
{{Biologically based therapy}} | |||
{{redirect|Amaroli|the practice in Hatha yoga|Amaroli mudra}} | |||
{{infobox alternative medicine | |||
| name = Urine therapy | |||
| image = File:Urine sample.JPG | |||
| image_size = 250px | |||
| alt = Urine sample | |||
| caption = A sample of human urine | |||
| claims = Various therapeutic uses of urine. | |||
| topics = ] | |||
| origyear = | |||
| origprop = | |||
| laterprop = | |||
| seealso = | |||
}} | |||
{{Alternative medicine sidebar |fringe}} | |||
'''Urine therapy''' or '''urotherapy''', (also '''urinotherapy''', '''Shivambu''',<ref group="lower-alpha">{{Langx|sa|शिवाम्बु|translit=Śivambu|translit-std=IAST}}</ref> '''uropathy''', or '''auto-urine therapy''') in ] is the application of human ] for medicinal or cosmetic purposes, including ] and massaging one's skin, or gums, with one's own urine. No ] exists to support any beneficial ]s of urine therapy. | |||
In ], the term '''urine therapy''' (also '''urotherapy''', '''urinotherapy''' or '''uropathy''') refers to various applications of human ] for medicinal or cosmetic purposes, including drinking of one's own urine and massaging one's skin with one's own urine. While there are no known ] health benefits of such therapeutic use for urine,<ref name="Middleton"/><ref name="gardner"/><ref name="correx"/><ref name="todd"/><ref name="jeff"/> some chemical components of urine do have some well known commercial and other uses, like ] and ].<ref name="correx"/> For instance, urea in urine has been found to be antibacterial to bacteria causing urinary tract infections specifically, and ingestion of urea has been found to increase this antibacterial activity in urine itself,<ref>{{cite journal|title=Antibacterial activity of human urine|author=Donald Kaye|pmc=297400|year=1968|volume=47|issue=10|pmid=4877682|pages=2374–90|doi=10.1172/JCI105921|journal=The Journal of clinical investigation}}</ref> though no evidence was found for such an effect upon the actual ingestion or application of urine. | |||
==History== | ==History== | ||
Though urine has been believed useful for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes in several traditional systems,<ref name="Alter 2004">{{cite book|author=J.S. Alter|title=Yoga in modern India: The body between science and philosophy|date=19 September 2004|publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=0691118744|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o6anlz6i71oC&q=urine%20therapy%20hinduism&pg=PR11}}</ref>{{efn|Urine was recommended for whitening teeth in ancient Rome.<ref name="Geissberger2010">{{cite book|author=Marc Geissberger|title=Esthetic Dentistry in Clinical Practice|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eGTBUDMTU_gC&pg=PA6|access-date=11 January 2013|date=19 April 2010|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-0-8138-2825-1|page=6}}</ref> Islamic legist ] allowed for use of ] for medicinal purposes.<ref name="alden">{{cite book | title = The Word of Islam | first = John Alden|last= Williams | publisher = ] | year = 1994 | isbn = 9780292790766 | pages =98| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=cbaZiqERLEQC&pg=PA98}}</ref> It has also been used in some traditional remedies in Mexico<ref name="gardner">{{cite book |author=Gardner, Martin |title=Did Adam and Eve Have Navels?: Debunking Pseudoscience |publisher=W.W. Norton & Company |location=New York |year=2001 |pages=92–101 |isbn=0-393-32238-6 }}</ref> and in Nigeria.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Ogunshe AA, Fawole AO, Ajayi VA |title=Microbial evaluation and public health implications of urine as alternative therapy in clinical pediatric cases: health implication of urine therapy |journal=Pan Afr Med J |volume=5 |pages=12 |year=2010 |pmid=21293739 |pmc=3032614 |doi= 10.4314/pamj.v5i1.56181}}</ref>}} and mentioned in some medical texts,{{efn|Such as ''Solomon's English Physician'' published in 1665, ''One thousand notable remedies'' published in early-nineteenth century,<ref name=Atler/> and ''A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica'' published in 1902.<ref>''A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica'', John Henry Clarke, London: Homoeopathic Pub. Co., 1900–1902. See </ref>}} auto-urine therapy as a system of ] was popularized by British ] John W. Armstrong in the early 20th century. Armstrong was inspired by his family's practice of using urine to treat minor stings and toothaches, by a metaphorical misreading of the ] "Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well", and his own experience with ill-health that he treated with a 45-day fast "on nothing but urine and tap water". Starting in 1918, Armstrong prescribed urine-therapy regimens that he devised to many thousands of patients, and in 1944 he published ''The Water of Life: A treatise on urine therapy'', which became a founding document of the field.<ref name=Atler>{{cite book|last1=Atler|first1=Joseph S.|title=Yoga in Modern India: The Body Between Science and Philosophy|date=2004|publisher=Princeton University Press|pages=181–210|isbn=0691118744|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o6anlz6i71oC}}</ref><ref name=Armstrong>{{cite book|last1=Armstrong|first1=John W.|title=The Water Of Life: A Treatise on Urine Therapy|date=2011|publisher=Random House|isbn=978-1446489925}}</ref> | |||
Some of the earliest human cultures used urine as a medicine. | |||
Armstrong's book sold widely, and in ] inspired the writing of {{transl|gu|Manav mootra}} (]: Urine therapy; 1959) by ] social reformer Raojibhai Manibhai Patel, and many later works. These works often reference ''Shivambu Kalpa'', a treatise on the pharmaceutical value of urine, as a source of the practice in the East.{{efn|''Shivambu Kalpa'' ({{literal}} "water of ]") is said to be a section of the larger work ''{{IAST|Ḍamara Tantra}}'', which is described by practitioners of urine therapy as "belong to the ] age". According to Joseph Atler the 107-] ''Kalpa'' is not well attested or in wide circulation, and is most easily accessible through modern Indian books on urine therapy, where it is often attached as an appendix.}} They also cite passing references to properties and uses of urine in ]-texts such as ''Vayavaharasutra'' by ] and '']'' by ]; and ] texts such as '']'', ''Bhava Prakasha'' and ''Harit''. However, according to medical anthropologist Joseph Atler, the practices of {{transl|sa|sivambu}} (drinking one's own urine) and {{transl|sa|amaroli}} recommended by modern Indian practitioners of urine therapy are closer to the ones propounded by Armstrong than traditional ayurveda or yoga, or even the practices described in ''Shivambu Kalpa''.<ref name=Atler/> | |||
===Rome=== | |||
In ] times, there was a tradition among the ]s to use urine to ]. A famous poem by the Roman poet ], criticizing a Gaul named ], reads:<ref name=catullus>, poem by ]</ref><ref>. Christopher Nappa, Frankfurt-am-Main: Peter Lang, 2001. Pp. 180. ISBN 3-631-37808-4. SFr.56.00.</ref> | |||
Urine-therapy has also been combined with other forms of alternative medicine. | |||
{{quote|Egnatius, because he has snow-white teeth, / smiles all the time. If you're a defendant / in court, when the counsel draws tears, / he smiles: if you're in grief at the pyre / of pious sons, the lone lorn mother weeping, / he smiles. Whatever it is, wherever it is, / whatever he's doing, he smiles: he's got a disease, / neither polite, I would say, nor charming. / So a reminder to you, from me, good Egnatius./ If you were a Sabine or Tiburtine / or a fat Umbrian, or plump Etruscan, / or dark toothy Lanuvian, or from north of the Po, / and I'll mention my own Veronese too, / or whoever else clean their teeth religiously, / I’d still not want you to smile all the time: / there's nothing more foolish than foolishly smiling. / Now you’re Spanish: in the country of Spain / what each man pisses, he's used to brushing / his teeth and red gums with, every morning, / so the fact that your teeth are so polished / just shows you’re the more full of piss./}} | |||
It was used by ] to ].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lenkeit |first=Roberta Edwards |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sapxDwAAQBAJ&dq=Teeth+whitening+ancient+Rome&pg=PA72 |title=High Heels and Bound Feet: And Other Essays on Everyday Anthropology, Second Edition |date=2018-10-23 |publisher=Waveland Press |isbn=978-1-4786-3841-4 |pages=72 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Perdigão |first=Jorge |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lB3KDAAAQBAJ&dq=Teeth+whitening+ancient+Rome&pg=PA170 |title=Tooth Whitening: An Evidence-Based Perspective |date=2016-08-03 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-3-319-38849-6 |pages=170 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Bonitz |first1=Michael |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EzW8BAAAQBAJ&dq=Teeth+whitening+ancient+Rome&pg=PA465 |title=Complex Plasmas: Scientific Challenges and Technological Opportunities |last2=Lopez |first2=Jose |last3=Becker |first3=Kurt |last4=Thomsen |first4=Hauke |date=2014-04-09 |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |isbn=978-3-319-05437-7 |pages=465 |language=en}}</ref> | |||
===Religious=== | |||
====Christianity==== | |||
Some advocates believe that the Bible recommends urine therapy. A verse in Proverbs ({{bibleverse||Proverbs|5:15|NIV}}) advises: "Drink waters from thy own cistern, flowing water from thy own well."<ref>The Independent:</ref> | |||
====Hinduism==== | |||
In Hinduism a religious ] text called the ''Damar Tantra'' contains 107 ]s on the benefits of "pure water, or one's own urine".<ref name=jasdt>{{cite book|title=Yoga in Modern India|author=Joseph S. Alter|publisher=Princeton University Press|pages=144|isbn=0691118744}}</ref> In this text, urine therapy is referred to as ''Shivambu Kalpa''.<ref name=jasdt/> This text suggests, among other uses and prescriptions, massaging one's skin with fresh, concentrated urine. In the ] tradition, which is fundamentally taken from the Hindu scriptures called the ], urine therapy is called ''amaroli'' which when practised requires some dietry requirements such as mixing it with water to "cure cancers" and other "diseases" along with "raw food and certain fruits like banana, papaya and citrus fruits" which are claimed to be "very good in the practice of amaroli".<ref name="Amaroli">{{cite web|url=http://www.yogamag.net/archives/1981/ajan81/amar.shtml|title=Amaroli|first=Swami Satyananda Saraswati|publisher=YogaMagazine.net|language=English|accessdate=5 January 2012}}</ref><ref name="Urine Therapy - Benefits of Urine">{{cite web|url=http://www.ayurvedic-medicines.org/ayurveda/urine-therapy.htm|title=Urine Therapy - Benefits of Urine|publisher=ayurvedic-medicines.org|language=English|accessdate=5 January 2012}}</ref><ref name="What is Ayurveda?">{{cite web|url=http://hinduism.about.com/od/ayurveda/p/ayurveda.htm|title=What is Ayurveda?|last=Das|first=Subhamoy|publisher=About.com|language=English|accessdate=5 January 2012}}</ref><ref name="Ayurveda">{{cite web|url=http://www.religionfacts.com/hinduism/practices/ayurveda.htm|title=Ayurveda|publisher=Religion Facts|language=English|accessdate=5 January 2012}}</ref> One of the main aims of this system is to "prevent illness, heal the sick and preserve life".<ref name="What is Ayurveda?" /><ref name="Diwali: Hindu Health Check - What is Ayurveda?">{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00nfkt7|title=Diwali: Hindu Health Check - What is Ayurveda?|publisher=BBC|language=English|accessdate=5 January 2012}}</ref> | |||
====Islam==== | |||
In Islam drinking urine is forbidden and is considered "]" and is punishable as in the same as if "exposed to the penalty of ]" due to its ], with the willing drinker not being considered ] anymore.<ref name="alden"/> Sunni Islamic commentators find urine to be something that is "filth in an extreme degree".<ref name="alden"/> However scholars such as ] have said that "it's disliked" ("]" or "almost" ]).<ref name="alden"/> In two of the Hadith's written by ] it states several times that the Prophet Muhammad told his followers to drink camel urine and milk for the purposes of "recovery" to use "medicinally".<ref name="Volumn 006, Book 060, Hadith Number 134.">{{cite web|url=http://www.luvu4luv.com/Hadith_Bukhari_Book60.html|title=Volumn 006, Book 060, Hadith Number 134.|first=Bukhari|accessdate=5 January 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.luvu4luv.com/Hadith_Bukhari_Book82.html|title=Book 82. Punishment Of Disbelievers At War With Allah And His Apostle.|accessdate=7 January 2012}}</ref> However the authenticity of these verses are disputed by many scholars, with the ], a representative body of scholars, commenting that the prophet recommended drinking camel ''milk'' only with the consumers drinking camel milk ''along with'' urine which was later placed in the hadiths as some of Muhammad's sayings (which were compiled years after his death) as "throughout the history of the Companions there is no reference to the uses of camel urine for theraputic purposes".<ref>{{cite book|last=Israr Ahmad Khan|page=80|first=|title=Authentication of Hadith: Redefining the Criteria|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=jNiEbcmD520C&pg=PA80&dq=camel+urine+history&hl=en&sa=X&ei=7R8IT7eGFIPS8gOC0LCQAQ&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=camel%20urine%20history&f=false}}</ref><ref name="The International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT)">{{cite web|url=http://www.iiituk.com/about.htm|title=ABOUT US|accessdate=7 January 2012}}</ref> ] has said that "urine from camels can be consumed for medicinal purposes". However drinking camel urine is generally overall considered forbidden to consume in Islam as it is an ].<ref name="The International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT)" /><ref name="alden">{{cite book | title = The Word of Islam | author = ] | publisher = ] | year = 1994 | isbn = 0292790767, 9780292790766 | pages =98, 103 | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=cbaZiqERLEQC&pg=PA103&vq=urine&dq=islam+urine+prohibition }}</ref> | |||
===Other cultures=== | |||
In ], the urine of young boys has been regarded as a curative. In ], babies' faces are washed with the urine of other young boys as a skin protectant.<ref name="gardner"/> | |||
The ] customarily soaked ] in urine and wrapped them around their necks in order to cure ].<ref name="gardner"/> Aristocratic French women in the 17th century reportedly bathed in urine to beautify their skin. | |||
In ], ], farmers prepare ]s for broken bones by having a child urinate into a bowl of powdered charred corn. The mixture is made into a paste and applied to the skin.<ref>, Martin Gardner, ''Skeptical Inquirer'', May–June 1999.</ref> | |||
As in ancient Rome, urine was used for teeth-whitening during the ], though they did not necessarily consume their own urine. | |||
===John Henry Clarke=== | |||
The ] ] wrote, "…man who, for a skin affection, drank in the morning the urine he had passed the night before. The symptoms were severe, consisting of general-dropsy, scanty urine, and excessive weakness. These symptoms I have arranged under Urinum. Urinotherapy is practically as old as man himself. The Chinese (Therapist, x. 329) treat wounds by sprinkling urine on them, and the custom is widespread in the ]. Taken internally, it is believed to stimulate the circulation".<ref>''A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica'', John Henry Clarke, London: Homoeopathic Pub. Co., 1900–1902.</ref> | |||
==Modern claims and findings== | ==Modern claims and findings== | ||
An exhaustive description of the composition of human urine was prepared for NASA in 1971. Urine is an aqueous solution of greater than 95% water. The remaining constituents are, in order of decreasing concentration: ] 9.3 g/L, ] 1.87 g/L, ] 1.17 g/L, ] 0.750 g/L, ] 0.670 g/L and other dissolved ions, inorganic and organic compounds.<ref>David F. Putnam . NASA Contractor Report. July 1971</ref><ref>Dan Nosowitz for Popular Science. September 5, 2013 </ref> | |||
Urine's main constituents are water and ]; the latter of which has some well-known ]. Urine also contains small quantities of thousands of compounds, ]s and ]s,<ref name="jeff">, Jeff Lowe</ref><ref>, Alan Broughton, ''Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients'', January 2004.</ref> including ].<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Tompsett | first1 = SL | title = An Investigation into the Determination of Corticosteroids in Urine: I. The Determination of Corticosterone-like Substances | journal = Journal of clinical pathology | volume = 6 | issue = 1 | pages = 74–7 | year = 1953 | pmid = 13034924 | pmc = 1023535 | doi = 10.1136/jcp.6.1.74 }}</ref> Pregnant mare's urine has high amounts of ]s, which are isolated and sold as ]. There is no ] of a therapeutic use for untreated urine.<ref name="Middleton">{{cite news | url = http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/main.jhtml?xml=/health/2003/02/24/hhel24.xml | title = A wee drop of amber nectar | work = ] | date = 2003-02-24 | author = Christopher Middleton | location=London}}</ref><ref name="gardner">{{cite book |author=Gardner, Martin |title=Did Adam and Eve Have Navels?: Debunking Pseudoscience |publisher=W.W. Norton & Company |location=New York |year=2001 |pages=92–101 |isbn=0-393-32238-6 |oclc= |doi= }}</ref><ref name="correx">{{cite web | title = Taking The Piss: Is urine drinking a good idea? | publisher = Correx archives | url = http://www.abc.net.au/science/correx/archives/piss.htm }}</ref><ref name="todd">{{cite book | title = The skeptic's dictionary: a collection of strange beliefs, amusing deceptions, and dangerous delusions | author = ] | edition = illustrated | publisher = ] | year = 2003 | isbn = 0471272426, 9780471272427 | pages = 391–394 | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=6FPqDFx40vYC&pg=PA391&dq=urine+drinking+therapeutic }} (also )</ref><ref name="jeff"/> | |||
In China there is a ''Urine Therapy Association'' which claims thousand of members.<ref name ="UTA1">{{cite news|url=http://shanghaiist.com/2014/06/23/urine-therapy-hyperthyroidism/ |title=Wuhan man claims 'urine therapy' cured his hyperthyroidism |author=Jamincost, Ben|date=5 May 2018|work=]|access-date=5 May 2020}}</ref><ref name="UTA2">{{cite news|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2004627/group-advocates-drinking-urine-still-active-despite-being-ruled |title=Group that advocates drinking urine still active despite being ruled illegal |author=Mu, Natalie|date=16 August 2016|work=]|access-date=5 May 2020}}</ref> | |||
It has been claimed that urine is similar to other body fluids, like ] or even blood, but these claims have no scientific basis.<ref name="todd"/> | |||
According to a BBC report, a Thai doctor promoting urine therapy said that Thai people had been practicing urophagia for a long time, but according to the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine, there was no record of the practice.<ref name=bbc>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3083577.stm|title=BBC NEWS - Asia-Pacific - Thais drink urine as alternative medicine|date=21 July 2003|access-date=26 May 2016}}</ref> In 2022, Thawee Nanra, a self-proclaimed holy man from Thailand, was arrested by police; his followers were observed consuming his urine and feces which they believed to have healing properties.<ref name="cult">{{cite web|url=https://www.insider.com/police-arrest-holy-man-followers-eat-feces-drink-urine-2022-5|title=Police arrested a self-proclaimed 'holy man' whose followers ate his feces and drank his urine in hopes of being cured of illnesses|website=] }}</ref> | |||
Urinating on ] stings is a common ], but has no beneficial effect and may be counterproductive, as it can activate ] remaining at the site of the sting. | |||
Urinating on jellyfish stings is a common "]".<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=20 May 2024 |title=Should You Pee on a Jellyfish Sting? |url=https://health.clevelandclinic.org/pee-jellyfish-sting |access-date=10 July 2024 |website=Cleveland Clinic}}</ref> This does not help with jellyfish stings, and can in fact be counterproductive, activating ] remaining at the site of the sting, making the pain worse.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Curtin |first=Ciara |date=4 January 2007 |title=Fact or Fiction?: Urinating on a Jellyfish Sting is an Effective Treatment |url=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=fact-or-fiction-urinating |journal=Scientific American}}</ref> This is because nematocysts are triggered by the change in the concentration of solutes (e.g. salt), such as when freshwater or similarly-composed urine is applied to the site.<ref name=":1" /> The myth originated from the false idea that ammonia, urea, and other compounds in urine could break down the nematocysts: however, urine is much too low in concentration to have those effects.<ref name=":0" /> | |||
People who use '']'' as an intoxicating drug will sometimes drink their own urine in order to prolong its effects, especially when there are shortages of the fungus.<ref>{{cite book | title = A new and comprehensive system of materia medica and therapeutics: arranged upon a physiologico-pathological basis for the use of practitioners and students of medicine | author = ] | publisher = W. Radde | year = 1859 | page = 1100 | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=d4ZNAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA1100&dq=urine+drinking+therapeutic }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title= unknown title |publisher= Mycological Society of Finland Suomen Sieniseura |journal= ] |author= unknown |volume= 30-39 |year= 1990 }}</ref> | |||
Urine and urea have been claimed by some practitioners to have an ] effect, and urotherapy has been offered along with other forms of alternative therapy in some cancer clinics in Mexico.<ref name="ACS2008"/> No well-controlled studies support this, and available scientific evidence does not support this theory.<ref name="ACS2008" /> | |||
===Use as anti-cancer agent=== | |||
Urine and urea have been claimed by some practitioners to have an ] effect. It has been hypothesized that because some ] cell antigens are transferred through urine, through "oral autourotherapy" these antigens could be introduced to the immune system that might then create antibodies.<ref> Article regarding "oral autourotherapy" published in the unconventional journal ]</ref> However, the ]'s position is that scientific evidence does not support individual claims that urine or urea given in any form is helpful for cancer patients, and that the safety of urine therapy has not been confirmed by scientific studies.<ref>, fact sheet at the ].</ref> | |||
In the ], bottled ] is sold by vendors as ].<ref>{{cite web |author1=JB |title=Drinking Camel Urine in Yemen |url=https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/4w7gvn/drinking-camel-urine-in-yemen-fob-000300-v20n8 |website=] |date=9 August 2013| access-date=6 April 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=The unique medicinal properties of camel products: A review of the scientific evidence |author=Abdel Gader, Abdel Galil|date=2 April 2016 |journal=Journal of Taibah University Medical Sciences|volume=11 |issue=2 |pages=98–103 |doi=10.1016/j.jtumed.2015.12.007 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=Camel urine components display anti-cancer properties in vitro|url=https://www.academia.edu/37157852|date=2012|journal= Journal of Ethnopharmacology|volume = 143|issue = 3|pages = 819–25|doi = 10.1016/j.jep.2012.07.042|pmid = 22922085|last1=Al-Yousef|first1=Nujoud|last2=Gaafar|first2=Ameera|last3=Al-Otaibi|first3=Basem|last4=Al-Jammaz|first4=Ibrahim|last5=Al-Hussein|first5=Khaled|last6=Aboussekhra|first6=Abdelilah}}</ref> In 2015, Saudi police arrested a man for selling supposed "camel urine" that was actually his own.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/16-Aug-2015/saudi-police-arrest-pakistani-man-in-camel-urine-scam |title=Saudi police arrest Pakistani man in camel urine scam |author=Rehman, Dawood|date=16 August 2015|work=]|access-date=6 April 2020}}</ref> | |||
===Public figures=== | |||
In 1978, the former ], ], a longtime practitioner of urine therapy, spoke to ] on '']'' about urine therapy. Desai stated that urine therapy was the perfect medical solution for the millions of Indians who cannot afford medical treatment.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4822621.cms | title=Curative Elixir: Waters Of India | work=] | date=July 27, 2009 | archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5qsj22uyt | archivedate=2009-06-30 | first1=Prasenjit | last1=Chowdhury}}</ref> | |||
In January 2022, Christopher Key, a spreader of ], claimed that urine therapy is the antidote to the ].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mahdawi |first1=Arwa |title=Anti-vaxxers are touting another new Covid 'cure' – drinking urine. But they are not the only obstacles to ending the pandemic {{!}} Arwa Mahdawi |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/11/anti-vaxxers-covid-drinking-urine-misinformation |website=the Guardian |language=en |date=11 January 2022}}</ref> Key also falsely claims that a 9-month research trial on urine therapy has been conducted.<ref>{{cite web |title=Fact Check-No evidence that 'urine therapy' cures COVID-19 |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-urine-covid/fact-check-no-evidence-that-urine-therapy-cures-covid-19-idUSL1N2TS215 |website=Reuters |language=en |date=12 January 2022}}</ref> There is no scientific evidence supporting urine therapy as a cure for ]. | |||
]'s Health Minister Urbain Olanguena Awono warned people against drinking their own urine, believed in some circles to be a tonic and cure for a number of ailments. "Given the risks of toxicity associated with ingesting urine", he wrote, "the health ministry advises against the consumption of urine and invites those who promote the practice to cease doing so or risk prosecution."<ref name="cameroon">, Jane Flanagan, ''Daily Telegraph'', on line, article dated March 15, 2003.</ref> | |||
==Health concerns== | |||
Among other modern celebrities, the British actress ] has drunk her own urine for over thirty years, in claiming the belief that it ]s against ], amongst other health benefits.<ref>, interview with Sarah Miles in ''The Independent'', September 2007</ref> ] player ] urinates on his hands to alleviate calluses, which he claims allows him to bat without using batting gloves.<ref></ref> ] explained to talk show host ] that she urinates on her own feet to help cure her ] problem.<ref></ref> | |||
There is no ] of a therapeutic use for untreated urine.<ref name="gardner">{{cite book |author=Gardner, Martin |title=Did Adam and Eve Have Navels?: Debunking Pseudoscience |publisher=W.W. Norton & Company |location=New York |year=2001 |pages=92–101 |isbn=0-393-32238-6 }}</ref><ref name="todd">{{cite web |publisher = The skeptic's dictionary: a collection of strange beliefs, amusing deceptions, and dangerous delusions |date=September 12, 2014|access-date=April 5, 2015|title=Urine Therapy|author = Robert Todd Carroll|author-link = Robert Todd Carroll|url=http://skepdic.com/urine.html}}</ref><ref name="Middleton">{{cite news | url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/main.jhtml?xml=/health/2003/02/24/hhel24.xml | archive-url = https://archive.today/20121223191803/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/main.jhtml?xml=/health/2003/02/24/hhel24.xml | url-status = dead | archive-date = 2012-12-23 | title = A wee drop of amber nectar | work = ] | date = 2003-02-24 | author = Christopher Middleton | location=London}}</ref><ref>, Gizmodo, 22 Oct 2014</ref><ref name=Indep>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/urine-the-bodys-own-health-drink-5335496.html |title=Urine: The body's own health drink? |newspaper=The Independent |date=21 February 2006 |author=Maxine Frith |access-date=2016-09-26}}</ref> | |||
According to the ], "available scientific evidence does not support claims that urine or urea given in any form is helpful for cancer patients".<ref name="ACS2008">{{cite web |url=http://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatmentsandsideeffects/complementaryandalternativemedicine/pharmacologicalandbiologicaltreatment/urotherapy |title=Urotherapy|publisher=]|date=November 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140725232444/http://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatmentsandsideeffects/complementaryandalternativemedicine/pharmacologicalandbiologicaltreatment/urotherapy|archive-date=25 July 2014}}</ref> | |||
] fighter ] revealed in an interview that he drinks his own urine.<ref>http://tatame.com.br/2009/03/21/O-segredo-do-sucesso-de-Lyoto-Machida</ref> His father, Yoshizo Machida, admitted he got Lyoto to start doing that after he couldn't get rid of his cough three years ago.<ref>http://www.mmafighting.com/2010/05/05/lyoto-machidas-father-talks-urine-drinking-then-does-it-himsel/</ref> MMA fighter Luke Cummo has been a long-time advocate of the practice. | |||
In 2016 the Chinese Urine Therapy Association was included on a list of illegal organizations by the ]. However, the Municipal Bureau of Civil Affairs in ] said they had no jurisdiction over the association.<ref name="UTA2"/> | |||
Boxer ] drank his own urine during a filmed training session for the HBO series ''24/7'' promoting the Marquez/Mayweather fight, he revealed that he believed the practice was of great nutritional benefit aiding his intensive workouts.<ref>{{Cite web |title= Juan Manuel Marquez's training diary |author= Juan Manuel Márquez<!--the article is in first person--> |date= September 17, 2009 |work= ] |url= http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=4431484 |postscript= <!-- Bot inserted parameter. Either remove it; or change its value to "." for the cite to end in a ".", as necessary. -->{{inconsistent citations}} }}</ref> | |||
==Celebrities who used Urine Therapy== | |||
Urine therapy was used as a plot line in the fifth-season episode "Crow's feet" of the popular television show '']''. | |||
* ], Indian Prime Minister.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://indianexpress.com/article/research/udder-nonsense-or-the-golden-cure-arguments-for-and-against-urine-therapy-7957723/ | title=Golden cure? Arguments for and against urine therapy | date=8 June 2022 }}</ref> | |||
==See also== | |||
Author ] is also said to have been an adherent.<ref> | |||
* ], a hormone therapy medication manufactured by purification from horse urine | |||
</ref> | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ], one of several uses of cow urine in ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ], tests performed on urine for diagnostic purposes | |||
* ], a traditional dish of Dongyang, Zhejiang, China in which eggs are boiled in the urine of young boys | |||
==Notes== | |||
== Auto-urine drinking and meditation == | |||
{{notelist}} | |||
Drinking one's morning urine ('amaroli') was an ancient ] practise designed to promote meditation. The ancient ] and ] texts that mention auto-urine drinking, require it be done before sunrise and that only the mid-stream sample be used.<ref name="MMHF">{{cite journal |doi= 10.1016/0306-9877(91)90129-M |author= Mills MH and Faunce TA |title= Melatonin supplementation from early morning auto-urine drinking |journal= ] |year= 1991 |month= November |volume= 36 |issue= 3 |pages= 195–9 |pmid= 1787809}}</ref> The ] ] ] and its conjugated ] are present in morning urine in significant quantities, the pineal gland secreting melatonin maximally at about 2 am, this secretion being shut off by the eyes' exposure to bright sunlight.<ref name="MMHF"/> Melatonin, when ingested or given intravenously, amongst other effects, provokes tranquility and heightened visualisation.<ref name="MMHF"/> There are high concentrations of melatonin in the first morning urine, but not in a physiologically active form.<ref name="MMHF"/> Mills and Faunce at Newcastle University Australia in 1991 developed the hypothesis that ingestion of morning urine into low ] ] would cause deconjugation of its esters back to the active form of melatonin. This, they suggested, might restore ] night-time melatonin levels. Thus, they argued, oral pre-dawn consumption of auto-exogenous melatonin, by either re-setting of the ] or enhancement of the physiological prerequisites for ] (decreased body awareness (i.e. analgesia) and claimed slowed brain wave activity, as well as heightened visualization ability), may be the mechanism behind the alleged benefits ascribed to 'amaroli' or auto-urine drinking by ancient texts of the yogic religion.<ref name="MMHF"/> Obvious experimental difficulties (particularly in constructing a ] ]) mean that this is a difficult hypothesis to reliably test to any requisite ] standard. | |||
==See also== | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] - which incorporates the belief of some ]s that the urine of cows has healing properties | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
{{Reflist}} | {{Reflist|colwidth=30em}} | ||
== |
==Further reading== | ||
*, Martin Gardner, ''Skeptical Inquirer'', May–June 1999. | * , Martin Gardner, ''Skeptical Inquirer'', May–June 1999. | ||
* | |||
{{Alternative medicine}} | |||
*, fact sheet at the ] | |||
{{Ayurveda}} | |||
*, J. Eldor, MD; originally published in ''Medical Hypotheses'' '''48''' (#4, April 1997), pp. 309–315. | |||
{{Authority control}} | |||
*, Exploration into Urine Therapy | |||
{{Unproven and disproven cancer treatments}} | |||
{{DEFAULTSORT:Urine Therapy}} | {{DEFAULTSORT:Urine Therapy}} | ||
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Latest revision as of 16:22, 6 November 2024
Various applications of human urine for medicinal or cosmetic purposes "Amaroli" redirects here. For the practice in Hatha yoga, see Amaroli mudra.Alternative medicine | |
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A sample of human urine | |
Claims | Various therapeutic uses of urine. |
Related fields | Naturopathy |
Urine therapy or urotherapy, (also urinotherapy, Shivambu, uropathy, or auto-urine therapy) in alternative medicine is the application of human urine for medicinal or cosmetic purposes, including drinking of one's own urine and massaging one's skin, or gums, with one's own urine. No scientific evidence exists to support any beneficial health claims of urine therapy.
History
Though urine has been believed useful for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes in several traditional systems, and mentioned in some medical texts, auto-urine therapy as a system of alternative medicine was popularized by British naturopath John W. Armstrong in the early 20th century. Armstrong was inspired by his family's practice of using urine to treat minor stings and toothaches, by a metaphorical misreading of the Hebrew Biblical Proverb 5:15 "Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well", and his own experience with ill-health that he treated with a 45-day fast "on nothing but urine and tap water". Starting in 1918, Armstrong prescribed urine-therapy regimens that he devised to many thousands of patients, and in 1944 he published The Water of Life: A treatise on urine therapy, which became a founding document of the field.
Armstrong's book sold widely, and in India inspired the writing of Manav mootra (Gujarati: Urine therapy; 1959) by Gandhian social reformer Raojibhai Manibhai Patel, and many later works. These works often reference Shivambu Kalpa, a treatise on the pharmaceutical value of urine, as a source of the practice in the East. They also cite passing references to properties and uses of urine in Yogic-texts such as Vayavaharasutra by Bhadrabahu and Hatha Yoga Pradapika by Svatmarama; and Ayurvedic texts such as Sushruta Samhita, Bhava Prakasha and Harit. However, according to medical anthropologist Joseph Atler, the practices of sivambu (drinking one's own urine) and amaroli recommended by modern Indian practitioners of urine therapy are closer to the ones propounded by Armstrong than traditional ayurveda or yoga, or even the practices described in Shivambu Kalpa.
Urine-therapy has also been combined with other forms of alternative medicine.
It was used by ancient Roman dentists to whiten teeth.
Modern claims and findings
An exhaustive description of the composition of human urine was prepared for NASA in 1971. Urine is an aqueous solution of greater than 95% water. The remaining constituents are, in order of decreasing concentration: urea 9.3 g/L, chloride 1.87 g/L, sodium 1.17 g/L, potassium 0.750 g/L, creatinine 0.670 g/L and other dissolved ions, inorganic and organic compounds.
In China there is a Urine Therapy Association which claims thousand of members.
According to a BBC report, a Thai doctor promoting urine therapy said that Thai people had been practicing urophagia for a long time, but according to the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine, there was no record of the practice. In 2022, Thawee Nanra, a self-proclaimed holy man from Thailand, was arrested by police; his followers were observed consuming his urine and feces which they believed to have healing properties.
Urinating on jellyfish stings is a common "folk remedy". This does not help with jellyfish stings, and can in fact be counterproductive, activating nematocysts remaining at the site of the sting, making the pain worse. This is because nematocysts are triggered by the change in the concentration of solutes (e.g. salt), such as when freshwater or similarly-composed urine is applied to the site. The myth originated from the false idea that ammonia, urea, and other compounds in urine could break down the nematocysts: however, urine is much too low in concentration to have those effects.
Urine and urea have been claimed by some practitioners to have an anti-cancer effect, and urotherapy has been offered along with other forms of alternative therapy in some cancer clinics in Mexico. No well-controlled studies support this, and available scientific evidence does not support this theory.
In the Arabian Peninsula, bottled camel urine is sold by vendors as prophetic medicine. In 2015, Saudi police arrested a man for selling supposed "camel urine" that was actually his own.
In January 2022, Christopher Key, a spreader of COVID-19 misinformation, claimed that urine therapy is the antidote to the COVID-19 pandemic. Key also falsely claims that a 9-month research trial on urine therapy has been conducted. There is no scientific evidence supporting urine therapy as a cure for COVID-19.
Health concerns
There is no scientific evidence of a therapeutic use for untreated urine.
According to the American Cancer Society, "available scientific evidence does not support claims that urine or urea given in any form is helpful for cancer patients".
In 2016 the Chinese Urine Therapy Association was included on a list of illegal organizations by the Ministry of Civil Affairs. However, the Municipal Bureau of Civil Affairs in Wuhan said they had no jurisdiction over the association.
Celebrities who used Urine Therapy
- Morarji Desai, Indian Prime Minister.
See also
- Conjugated estrogens, a hormone therapy medication manufactured by purification from horse urine
- Fecal microbiota transplant
- List of topics characterized as pseudoscience
- List of unproven and disproven cancer treatments
- Panchgavya, one of several uses of cow urine in Ayurveda
- Urea-containing cream
- Urinalysis, tests performed on urine for diagnostic purposes
- Virgin boy egg, a traditional dish of Dongyang, Zhejiang, China in which eggs are boiled in the urine of young boys
Notes
- Sanskrit: शिवाम्बु, romanized: Śivambu
- Urine was recommended for whitening teeth in ancient Rome. Islamic legist Abu Yusuf allowed for use of camel urine for medicinal purposes. It has also been used in some traditional remedies in Mexico and in Nigeria.
- Such as Solomon's English Physician published in 1665, One thousand notable remedies published in early-nineteenth century, and A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica published in 1902.
- Shivambu Kalpa (lit. "water of Shiva") is said to be a section of the larger work Ḍamara Tantra, which is described by practitioners of urine therapy as "belong to the Puranic age". According to Joseph Atler the 107-shloka Kalpa is not well attested or in wide circulation, and is most easily accessible through modern Indian books on urine therapy, where it is often attached as an appendix.
References
- J.S. Alter (19 September 2004). Yoga in modern India: The body between science and philosophy. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0691118744.
- Marc Geissberger (19 April 2010). Esthetic Dentistry in Clinical Practice. John Wiley & Sons. p. 6. ISBN 978-0-8138-2825-1. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
- Williams, John Alden (1994). The Word of Islam. University of Texas Press. p. 98. ISBN 9780292790766.
- ^ Gardner, Martin (2001). Did Adam and Eve Have Navels?: Debunking Pseudoscience. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. pp. 92–101. ISBN 0-393-32238-6.
- Ogunshe AA, Fawole AO, Ajayi VA (2010). "Microbial evaluation and public health implications of urine as alternative therapy in clinical pediatric cases: health implication of urine therapy". Pan Afr Med J. 5: 12. doi:10.4314/pamj.v5i1.56181. PMC 3032614. PMID 21293739.
- ^ Atler, Joseph S. (2004). Yoga in Modern India: The Body Between Science and Philosophy. Princeton University Press. pp. 181–210. ISBN 0691118744.
- A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica, John Henry Clarke, London: Homoeopathic Pub. Co., 1900–1902. See Médi-T online version
- Armstrong, John W. (2011). The Water Of Life: A Treatise on Urine Therapy. Random House. ISBN 978-1446489925.
- Lenkeit, Roberta Edwards (2018-10-23). High Heels and Bound Feet: And Other Essays on Everyday Anthropology, Second Edition. Waveland Press. p. 72. ISBN 978-1-4786-3841-4.
- Perdigão, Jorge (2016-08-03). Tooth Whitening: An Evidence-Based Perspective. Springer. p. 170. ISBN 978-3-319-38849-6.
- Bonitz, Michael; Lopez, Jose; Becker, Kurt; Thomsen, Hauke (2014-04-09). Complex Plasmas: Scientific Challenges and Technological Opportunities. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 465. ISBN 978-3-319-05437-7.
- David F. Putnam Composition and Concentrative Properties of Human Urine. NASA Contractor Report. July 1971
- Dan Nosowitz for Popular Science. September 5, 2013 What's in your Pee?
- Jamincost, Ben (5 May 2018). "Wuhan man claims 'urine therapy' cured his hyperthyroidism". Shanghaiist. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
- ^ Mu, Natalie (16 August 2016). "Group that advocates drinking urine still active despite being ruled illegal". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
- "BBC NEWS - Asia-Pacific - Thais drink urine as alternative medicine". 21 July 2003. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
- "Police arrested a self-proclaimed 'holy man' whose followers ate his feces and drank his urine in hopes of being cured of illnesses". Insider.com.
- ^ "Should You Pee on a Jellyfish Sting?". Cleveland Clinic. 20 May 2024. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
- ^ Curtin, Ciara (4 January 2007). "Fact or Fiction?: Urinating on a Jellyfish Sting is an Effective Treatment". Scientific American.
- ^ "Urotherapy". American Cancer Society. November 2008. Archived from the original on 25 July 2014.
- JB (9 August 2013). "Drinking Camel Urine in Yemen". VICE News. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
- Abdel Gader, Abdel Galil (2 April 2016). "The unique medicinal properties of camel products: A review of the scientific evidence". Journal of Taibah University Medical Sciences. 11 (2): 98–103. doi:10.1016/j.jtumed.2015.12.007.
- Al-Yousef, Nujoud; Gaafar, Ameera; Al-Otaibi, Basem; Al-Jammaz, Ibrahim; Al-Hussein, Khaled; Aboussekhra, Abdelilah (2012). "Camel urine components display anti-cancer properties in vitro". Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 143 (3): 819–25. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2012.07.042. PMID 22922085.
- Rehman, Dawood (16 August 2015). "Saudi police arrest Pakistani man in camel urine scam". Daily Pakistan. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
- Mahdawi, Arwa (11 January 2022). "Anti-vaxxers are touting another new Covid 'cure' – drinking urine. But they are not the only obstacles to ending the pandemic | Arwa Mahdawi". the Guardian.
- "Fact Check-No evidence that 'urine therapy' cures COVID-19". Reuters. 12 January 2022.
- Robert Todd Carroll (September 12, 2014). "Urine Therapy". The skeptic's dictionary: a collection of strange beliefs, amusing deceptions, and dangerous delusions. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
- Christopher Middleton (2003-02-24). "A wee drop of amber nectar". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 2012-12-23.
- Why You Definitely Shouldn't Drink Your Own Pee, Gizmodo, 22 Oct 2014
- Maxine Frith (21 February 2006). "Urine: The body's own health drink?". The Independent. Retrieved 2016-09-26.
- "Golden cure? Arguments for and against urine therapy". 8 June 2022.
Further reading
- "Urine therapy", Martin Gardner, Skeptical Inquirer, May–June 1999.
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