Urine is one of the most freely available substances on the planet. Everyone generates some amount of urine over the course of the day. Because of its abundance, plenty of folk remedies have involved urine in one way or another to treat a variety of conditions.
Historically, urine has been used as a folk remedy for conditions such as Asthma, Arthritis, Allergies, Cancer, Indigestion, Migraines, and Infertility.
In ancient times, urine was used as a fertilizer, applied in tanneries, and added to smelling salts, medicines, and mouthwash. In fact, physicians once called it the “divine fluid,” owing to its numerous applications, not the least of which was evaluating the health status of individuals.
Four-weight world boxing champion, Juan Marques drinks his urine after he has had a fight or his daily workout to replenish his system; Alou Moises, a popular American baseball player, believes that pouring his urine on his hands makes them fit for the game. Even some fertility drugs and beauty products are made of this highly potential magic drug.
From the aforementioned, it is quite obvious that drinking urine passes across different personalities and is not for the light-hearted.
Dr Ali Hassan, a neurologist from Karachi in Pakistan, urinalysis can provide valuable insights into the pathology of various conditions. “Urine can reveal the health status of the urinary system, particularly the kidneys. Strict hygienic measures should be maintained when collecting urine samples, and a fresh sample is always preferred.
“The importance of morning urine cannot be downplayed. This anti-viral and anti-bacterial ‘waste’ contains healthy properties: 95% of it is water, and 2.5 % urea, while the remaining 2.5 % contains nutrients such as salt, amino acid, folic acid, iodine, iron, riboflavin, vitamin B6 and B12, magnesium alongside other minerals and enzymes,” he said.
According to him, drinking urine strengthens a person’s immunity and cleanses the system. It detoxifies the system of harmful toxins. However, the process of detoxification varies in humans. It is, rather, largely dependent on how much toxins are in a person’s body.
“A lot of people claim that urine as an exfoliator and facial cleanser helps get rid of acne and eczema. To buttress their claim, Harvard medical researchers including doctors have written in journals that this waste can cure cancer, hepatitis, asthma, migraines, and whooping cough.
“It slows down the aging process. Not many like to age unless gracefully. Urine can help with this process. Urea is sometimes added to creams and beauty products for dry and rough skin. Also, applying urine on your neck and face gets rid of wrinkles and maintains a glowing, youthful look,” he said.
He, however, advises that the first and last stream (few drops) of urine be avoided because they might contain infections. Only the middle stream is good for drinking and is believed to be potent and a potential cure for many ailments. Despite the ongoing debate in the medical world as to the efficacy of this claim, one begins to wonder why urine therapy is quickly catching on.
Many users of urine reported having softer skin after a few weeks.
Using urine as a hair shampoo not only cleans the hair follicles, eliminates dandruff, and promotes hair growth, it does not tangle the hair,” said Jennifer Ani, a hairdresser.
It is important to state that you take caution when drinking your urine because drinking too much of it can cause fatalities because of the presence of nitrogen and potassium.
Despite the wealth of folk treatments, science overwhelmingly agrees that urine is not safe or healthy to consume. Despite what dramatic survival movies suggest, drinking urine isn’t even a good way to hydrate. Here’s the breakdown of why you should never drink urine.
According to Medical Review by Christine Mikstas, RD, LD, and written by WebMD 2022, urine is a potent combination of salts and chemicals that your body is attempting to remove. “These chemicals can cause significant health problems if you consume them. Furthermore, urine provides no health benefits that cannot be found by consuming other foods and beverages.
“Urine is not sterile. It contains bacteria just like any other bodily excretion. Depending on the method for gathering urine, it may also contain bacteria introduced from the genitalia of the urine source. Some of these bacteria can lead to serious infections. Drinking any type of urine can cause serious health problems unless it has been sterilized separately.
“Your urinary system specifically works to remove toxic substances from your body. When dangerous substances start to build up in your body, urine is one of the primary methods used to remove them. Anything your kidneys filter out of your body winds up in your urine to be removed. By drinking urine, you are consuming these toxins that your body explicitly intended to remove. This can lead to kidney damage or disease as these organs need to work harder to handle the increased concentration of toxic substances,” the article stated.
Finally, Urea, a compound in urine, may have benefits when used topically. The toxic effects of drinking urine do not occur when applying it to the skin. Synthetic urea is even found in skincare products.
When it comes to hydration, water, electrolyte beverages, and most other drinks are likely safer to consume than urine.
–Benprince Ezeh
