By Amely Greeven
How far will you go to truly heal thyself? For some intrepid seekers, the answer is golden, and pretty far out. The ancient practice of urine therapy is percolating up from the quiet strata, where it has lived as an overlooked folk medicine. Thousands of years after it was first described in ancient Tantric texts, then used in ancient Egypt, Rome and other cultures worldwide, this fringe therapeutic is losing (some of) its taboo.
The knee-jerk reaction is predictable: disgust. Using your pee as a tonic or a remedy? It takes a significant paradigm shift to even consider. (And if double-blind, placebo-controlled studies are your line in the sand, you might not make the shift.) But push past the gag reflex and the subject turns curious, if not fascinating. Proponents of urine therapy describe urine not as a waste product, but an excess product of sorts, derived from filtered blood plasma and filled with thousands of bioactive compounds that serve different purposes when “upcycled” and used again.
Chief among them are stem cells, which, especially when allowed to proliferate in—gag alert—aged or “evolved” urine, left to sit for months, measure in the hundreds of millions and may be a powerful regenerative agent helping to repair tissues. (Scientists at Wake Forest University used urine-derived stem cells to regenerate injured tissues in the urogenitary system in mice.) Hormones, including melatonin, sex hormones and DHEA may, when reclaimed, increase balance and vitality. Urine contains enzymes (including one called urokinase that helps dissolve blood clots) and electrolytes and minerals, making it the body’s own “structured water,” essential for cellular electrical voltage. The excretion even contains antibodies and antimicrobial peptides that may support the immune system. And as for the basic component, urea, it’s widely accepted as a deeply skin-nourishing agent with antibacterial and antifungal properties; synthetic urea is used in skin care products. Some conjecture that urine’s “rejuvenating” characteristic may come from urea-derived nitric oxide positively interacting with microbiomes all over, and within, the body.
To benefit from these compounds, as well as the less measurable life force or prana that advocates say it carries, users apply the liquid to skin (to treat rashes, dermatological conditions, wounds and burns; healthy urine shouldn’t smell…much) and scalp (to promote hair growth), collect and use it in foot baths (to soften skin and detoxify), swish orally (for sore throats, cavity prevention and whitening) and yes, they sip. (Note: Because urine contains bacteria, traditional medical practitioners warn against drinking urine or applying it to wounds.) Whether using tiny homeopathic amounts under the tongue, daily morning shots, or more complex protocols combined with fasting (called “looping”)—typically used in cases of serious illness to accelerate autophagy—some describe this simple liquid as a “universal therapy” with infinite potential.
Conventional Western medicine has yet to buy in. It largely describes urine therapy as quackery, or even dangerous. Conversely, those tapping their own inner waters see urine therapy as a uniquely personal regenerative medicine—something that ancient seers understood could, in ways either quantum or material, signal to the body exactly what it needs to replenish, regenerate or heal without stimulating rejection, like exogenous substances might. They point out how the original Vedic texts call the practice Shivambu, “Shiva” for God and “ambu” for waters, suggesting it can deepen an intuitive, personal relationship to healing, to one’s inner knowing, and ultimately, to God.
The truth may lie somewhere between both camps—an unorthodox sovereign medicine that also should be used with discernment. Says Ayurvedic-trained doctor Jayant Lokhande, M.D., “There is a long history of using Shivambu in India, but always under a doctor’s guidance; a personalized protocol is given, with certain times and seasons to do it, specific duration of use, rituals including mantras—and even herbs to balance certain health conditions.” It’s not a one-size-fits all approach; a person’s diet and health status matter. “To ensure quality output, you must ensure proper inputs, and that the metabolic machinery is working well.”
Nevertheless, seekers outside of those traditional systems are exploring on their own. When Montana-based clothing designer Love—one name—experienced a brutal bout of edema, she did research, then tried the therapy, keen to avoid prescription drugs after years of medical treatment as a teen. She credits it for her healing and began to study further, using it more regularly at home, for accidents like burns. “My experience of going from miserable to better absolutely hooked me,” she says, noting how much information is now being shared online. “I wanted to learn everything about it.”
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