- By Bornika Das
- Fri, 02 May 2025 03:55 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Urine Therapy: Recently, actor-turned-politician Paresh Rawal revealed a stirring controversy on and off social media that he drank his urine to heal a knee injury. In a podcast interview, the 69-year-old said that he was advised to drink the first urine of the day for speedy recovery. Following this revelation, Aashiqui actor Anu Aggarwal claimed that she also drank urine and got health benefits. In an interaction with Instant Bollywood, Anu Aggarwal said, “drinking urine, which is referred to as Aamroli, is actually a mudra (gesture/practice) in Yoga. I've practiced it myself. I have tried it, and it's a very important practice.” She also added, “But one crucial thing to remember is that you don't drink the entire urine. Only a specific part of it is consumed... That portion is considered amrit (elixir).”
Urine Therapy or drinking urine, is a practice that goes back millennia. Also known as urine therapy, urophagia or urotherapy, the medicinal use of urine is still practised in some parts of the world. This therapy dates back to ancient Rome, Greece and Egypt and has been claimed to treat everything from acne to cancer. In 1945, John W. Armstrong, a British naturopath, published a book that alleged the medicinal use of drinking one’s own urine. The book named “The Water of Life: A Treatise on Urine Therapy,” claims that urine can cure all major illnesses. However, weird as it may sound, it is an absolute confusion as to whether drinking urine is good for health. Here’s everything you need to know about the controversial urine therapy.
Claimed Uses Of Drinking Urine
Claims have been made that drinking urine or urine therapy can treat the following conditions:
Allergies
Acne
Cancer
Heart problems
Infections
Wounds
Stuffy nose
Rash and other skin ailments
Stings
Note: There is no specific evidence to support this claim.
Risks Of Urine Therapy (Image Credits: Canva)
Potential Risks Of Drinking Urine
Dehydration
Commonly, it is advised to drink urine in movies and pop media to ward off dehydration. However, it is not really true. The average adult’s urine contains a significant amount of salt, which gets more concentrated if people become dehydrated. Dehydrated individuals have excessive levels of sodium in their urine. According to WebMD, consuming more sodium likely increases thirst. Thus drinking urine, containing high concentration of sodium will likely make you feel thirstier instead of hydrating you during dehydration.
Interference With Medications
Many medications are excreted in urine after your body has processed them. Drinking urine, which contains medications, can introduce them into the body again. If the medicines are already consumed, the dose will be increased by drinking urine-laden medications than prescribed. This can lead to dangerous reactions and serious health complications.
Infections
Urine is not sterile. It contains bacteria like any other bodily excretion. Depending upon the method for gathering urine, it may also contain bacteria introduced from the genitalia of the urine source. Some bacteria can lead to serious infections. Thus, drinking urine can cause serious health problems unless sterilised separately.
Toxins
The urinary system performs the function of removing toxic substances from the body. Urine flushes out toxic substances that build up in the body. As per WebMD, drinking urine means consuming these toxins that the body has 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.
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(Disclaimer: This content, including suggestions and advice, provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information before making any drastic changes in your lifestyle.)