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Detoxifying Urine
Imagine being trapped in the middle of a high Utahan desert with your lower right
forearm pinned under an 800 lb boulder. Trying to keep the sand out of your eyes as you call for
help, you realize that your canteen is nearly empty. At this moment, the realization that
consuming your own urine may be the last option you have for saving your life in addition to
dully sawing your lower arm off with a pocket knife (Ralston 23).
This is the story of Aron Ralston who, in 2003, set out to enjoy a day at the beautiful
Blue John Canyon in southeastern Utah. What Ralston didn’t plan on, (aside from eventually
amputating his lower arm), was that he would be drinking his urine for the next several days in
order to stay alive (Ralston 190). The captivating aspect of this story is that Ralston, like many
others before him, did not die or get sick from drinking his urine. In many eastern cultures urine
drinking is common, but in the western world most people would have to be pushed to their outer
limits like Ralston was to even entertain the idea of ingesting urine.
The bathroom is a place to freshen up & get clean; a place to exercise ones’ freedom to
practice the art of personal hygiene. In order for the body to become clean, uncleanly particles
must be washed away in the sink or shower using soap & water. The toilet is one of the
milestones of the modern bathroom standing as a symbol for ridding the body of undesired waste
while the water washes it away forever. The message that the toilet is giving us is that urine is
full of toxic substances that the body is flushing out. This, however, is not the case.
Urine is simply a collection of vitamins, minerals, and other elements that the body can’t
use at the moment. After liquid or food consumption, nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream
through the intestinal walls and stomach lining. As blood circulates it collects and carries food
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nutrients, white blood cells, antibodies, plasma, proteins, hormones, and enzymes and utilizes
them for innumerous metabolic processes before entering the liver. The liver is responsible for
removing toxins from the blood which are then excreted in the form of “solid” waste. After this
filtering process is complete, the blood enters the kidneys to be purged of extra salt & water
along with the excess of the non-toxic substances collected on its journey around the circulatory
system—some of which are sent back into the bloodstream (“Your Body’s Own Medicine”). As
it turns out, this incredibly complex chain of events results in a 95% water solution—called
“urine”—that is full of over 100 organic compounds & ions and completely sterile (“Urine and
Urinalysis”).
So it is reasonable for a person to safely drink their urine in times of desperation despite
the fact that it is quite distasteful. Many people are familiar with this type of survival technique
but seldom hear about the practice of daily urine drinking for bodily health. This practice dates
back nearly as far as written historical records reach—around 5000 years ago in ancient Egypt
(“Urine Therapy”). The first evidence of a structured philosophy about using urine in daily life
arises from the ancient Vedic culture in India which has passed down a yogic teaching in the
Damar tantra referring to urine therapy as Shivambu kalpa (“Lesson 319”). The Vedas viewed
Shivambu as only a small part of their health, well-being, and spiritual enlightenment. In a more
recent India, particularly in the first half of the twentieth century, a man named J.W. Armstrong
was rejected from the British army when diagnosed with tuberculosis. After Armstrong
exhausted all other traditional medicines, he turned to auto-urine therapy (AUT)—the practice of
drinking urine from oneself (Alter 151). “For a time period of forty-eight days, Armstrong drank
nothing but urine and tap water, and became completely cured of tuberculosis” (Alter 152).
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Armstrong went on to help thousands of others cure illness and disease with AUT, becoming a
large influence to Indian people (Alter 152).
Apart from ancient Egypt, Vedic cultures, and modern India, similar philosophies about
urine have found their way into the health & diet and religious regimes of Chinese, Aztec &
Mexican, Gallic, Roman, Russian, British, Tibetan, Thai, and Native American cultures. There
were many ways in which people used urine for its medicinal value. The High society of Europe
would use urine to whiten teeth, gargle, and create topical creams for complexion. Some cultures
used urine in religious ceremonies to dispel ingested hallucinogens to themselves and others
(Larson).
Today, many cultures around the world are starting to recognize AUT as a valid
medicinal practice. AUT is self-prescribed and dosage is determined by the individual (“Lesson
319”). The successes of AUT in places like India and China have influenced its migration to
North America where it is advocated by some naturopathic doctors. During the drug revolution
of the 1960’s many celebrities caught on to the benefits of AUT and even today there are many
reported cases of celebrities and athletes like singer Amy Winehouse and MMA fighter Lyoto
Machida (Cleeve; Cofield). A multi-billion dollar industry is currently being established by some
of the elements extracted from urine and sold as medicines or beauty products. Annual sales of
PREMARIN—a fertility drug derived from mare urine—alone were over $2 billion in 2001
(Christy). Big medical companies like Microbix Biosystems and Angiogen are treating certain
types of cancer, with urine derived urokinase, which has recently brought urine into the $40
billion cancer drug industry (“News Release: Microbix”).
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One of the possible factors contributing to the relatively low number of people practicing
AUT in western culture is the culture itself. Taking prescription drugs, drinking alcoholic
beverages, eating meat, junk or fried foods, excess salt, sugar, and spices are all a big part of
modern western culture and are highly advised against in AUT. In this light, the disciplinary
aspects of diet in AUT parallel the same dedication and philosophy of other health regimes such
as raw food or macrobiotic diets—where the more you do for your body; the more your body
does for you. Of course, the very critical difference is that these more popular and equally
challenging diets don’t require drinking urine.
The stigma behind AUT in the west lies in a cradle next to God(s), global conspiracy,
ufology, magnetic bracelets, clairvoyance, veganism, crystal healing, and many other types of
ostracized beliefs and behaviors. But the fact remains that there are countless testimonies from
people using AUT to cure everything from the common cold & baldness to AIDS & cancer.
Googling “urine therapy testimonials” gives almost 50,000 results and “urine therapy” gives over
1.5 million. Though, like intensive surgery or cannibalism, most people wait for all of their other
options to evaporate before drinking the golden elixir. As repulsive as drinking thy own brine
may seem, remember that no arms have been twisted in its name, and history has shown that
many decommissioned and seemingly primitive ancient practices can hold their own water. The
practice of urine therapy remains as a hypothesis awaiting refutation. And though it may seem
out of the ordinary, consider the common garden—where a statuette gracefully micturates into a
pond, and all life blooms in perfect harmony.
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Works Cited*
"Urine and Urinalysis (The Composition of Urine)." Ivy Rose Holistic. 2009. Ivy Rose
Ltd., Web. 10 Oct 2009.
Christy, Martha. "Your Own Perfect Medicine."Natural Health and Longevity
Resource Center. Web. 09 Oct 2009.
Ralston, Aron. Between a Rock and a Hard Place. New York: Atria Books, 2004.
Google Books. Web. 08 Oct 2009.
"Your Body's Own Medicine." Urine Therapy. BIOMEDX, Web. 08 Oct 2009.
Alter, Joseph S. Gandhi's Body. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press , 2000.
Print.
Tortora, Gerard J., Berdell R. Funke, and Christine L. Case. Microbiology: an
Introduction. 9th ed. San Francisco: Pearson Benjamin Cummings, 2007. Print.
"Lesson 319- Amaroli- Urine Therapy." Avanced Yoga Practices. 03 20 2009. AYP,
Web. 16 Oct 2009.
"Urine Therapy." Natural Standard: The Authority on Integrative Medicine . 2009.
Natural Standard Inc., Web. 12 Oct 2009.
Cleeve, Dan. "Amy to use urine therapy." Handbag. 25 Mar 2008. Handbag, Web. 30
Oct 2009.
Cofield, Steve. "Machida: 'I drink my urine every morning'." Yahoo! Sports. 24 Mar 2009. Yahoo! Inc.,
Web. 30 Oct 2009.
“News Release: Microbix enters agreement with Angiogen to commercialize a proprietary
technology that uses urokinase product for treating cancer." 04 04 2006. Microbix
Biosystems Inc., Web. 11 Oct 2009.