Urine Therapy Health Article

Definition

Urine therapy is the use of one's urine, internally or externally, to heal wounds or alleviate disease symptoms and/or for overall well-being. It is also called uropathy, auto-urine therapy, amaroli, or shivambu.

Origins

References to the use of urine for medicinal purposes can be traced to ancient Egyptian, Chinese, Aztec, and Hindu histories. Proponents also point to Proverbs 5:15 in the Old Testament of the Bible: "Drink water from thy own cistern, and the streams of thy own well."

As an integral part of the ayurvedic tradition of yoga, urine therapy is known as amaroli. Ayurvedic yogis are encouraged to drink their own urine between 4 and 6 A.M. in the morning in the belief that the hormones ingested will facilitate a meditative state.

The rationale of the therapy is that urine is a byproduct of blood filtration, not excess water from consumed food and liquid. In fact, the medical term for urine is plasma ultrafiltrate. Blood filled with nutrients passes through the liver where toxins are filtered out and excreted as solid waste matter. This purified blood then travels to the kidneys where any excess elements form urine and are then eliminated from the body. As urine passes through the urethra, it is a sterile solution. Ninety-five percent of it is water; the remaining five percent is a combination of urea, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, hormones, proteins, and antibodies. Urine therapy advocates argue that the presence of these nutrients are proof of urine's medicinal powers.

Urea is an antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral agent that forms when the body balances its ratio of sodium chloride to water. Urea is often used to make ointments and lotions for its properties of reducing inflammation and ability to kill bacteria. It can be duplicated under laboratory conditions by dissolving calcium cyanamid in water, and then heated under high pressure to produce a compound of urea and calcium hydroxide.