Urine Therapy—Ultimate Recycling

Most people are disgusted even contemplating drinking their own urine, despite that fact that it could possibly heal them. But when the facts are known, urine therapy may seem a more reasonable, and palatable, option.

Feces are the undigested components of food that have been acted on by intestinal bacteria for several hours or days. They also contain toxins removed from the blood by the liver. Urine, on the other hand, is simply filtered blood. Fresh urine is also sterile. All the components found in urine were circulating throughout the body only minutes or hours before urinating.

The kidneys filter from the blood excess water, sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium that the body does not need, as well as excess proteins, antibodies, hormones, immunizing agents and other elements. The main function of the kidneys is not so much the excretion of wastes as it is maintaining the balance of various elements in blood. Many important elements are removed not because they are toxic or poisonous, but because the body doesn’t need them at the time of excretion.

There is a $500-million market for various elements in urine used for medical and other purposes. For example, the fertility drug Pergonal, produced by the Ares-Serono Group in Geneva, is made from urine collected from 110,000 postmenopausal women volunteers. The drug urokinase, an enzyme used to treat heart attack victims, is also made from urine.

Urea, long considered a waste product found in urine, is now known to help in protein synthesis, and is one of the best natural diuretics. Urea is used in several medical products, but also has cosmetic applications. In contrast to the ubiquitous oil-based skin moisturizers that merely sit on top of the skin, preventing existing moisture from escaping, urea promotes water retention by increasing the water-binding capacity of the skin.

Can we really benefit from drinking our urine? Urine therapy has a long and varied history of medicinal use, from Hippocrates to Chinese medicine, and it has apparently been supported by numerous modern research studies. Urine is used for a variety of ailments, and, in addition to being drunk, is applied in the form of footbaths, enemas, douching, gargling, eye- and eardrops, and nasal douching.

Each person's urine contains ingredients that are specific to his or her body. These antibodies, enzymes, hormones, and other natural chemicals are specifically made by the body to regulate functions, correct imbalances and combat diseases, even problems that may not yet have manifested. According to reports, there are no side effects from urine therapy, but people may sometimes experience a "healing crisis" during the first month.

[Editor: The method of urine therapy is simple, but there are a few important things to know before beginning. For those adventurous souls (unlike me) who would like to try it, do some reading first. A well-known source is Your Own Perfect Medicine, by Martha M. Christy. And, now the usual disclaimer: For those needing medical treatment, consult your physician first.]  Based on information in: Nexus, Feb/Mar 1996; Yoga Journal, Mar/Apr 1996