Traditional References
“The World’s Oldest Medicine : Self Urine”
Urine therapy is the most primitive, original and simple form of medicine. Although this natural healing method is still widely used in India, urine therapy is not only an Eastern tradition. In fact the use of urine as medicine in one form or another can be found in many traditions of people or tribes which are still living in close vicinity of nature. Gypsies and Eskimos still use urine as medicine. Eskimo women often use urine as shampoo; it gives hair extra life and a beautiful shine.
Doctors in ancient Greece reportedly used urine for healing wounds. In book 28 of his Naturalis Historia (Natural History), the Roman author C. Plinius Secundus discusses the medicinal use of urine in the treatment of wounds, dog and snake bites, skin diseases, eye infections, burns and scars.
Urine was used in ancient Rome for washing and dying textiles. Urine was centrally collected by so-called laundries, as it is an excellent detergent and cleanser. Urine has also been used in the textile industry in Northern Europe, particularly as detergent. It is actually quite logical that urine was used in the laundering industry. Chemical research has demonstrated that when urine (particularly the ammonia found in urine) is mixed with fat, a white soap is spontaneously created. This partly explains why urine is so effective in keeping skin and hair clean and healthy, without the use of soap or shampoo.
20th Century Developments of Urine Therapy
Armstrong also quotes an article from a contemporary scholar, Professor Jean Rostand, which discusses the biological importance of hormones and the fact that these can be found in large quantities in human urine. A passage from this article reads as follows:
“A recent discovery regarding the activity of hormones has completely revolutionized their study viz, that certain of them filter through the kidney to pass out in the urine. Multiple hypohysical hormones, the hormones of the adrenal and hormones of the sexual glands, have been found in normal urine The discovery of hormone-urinology has had far-reaching consequences. Urine provides a practically unlimited quantity of basic matter. From the therapeutic point of view it is possible to envisage the use of these human hormones as apparently capable of exercising great power over the human organism”. (From: The Water of life, J.W.Armstrong, Health Science Press, London 1971, P.15.)
Dr. T. Wilson Deachman, another scholar from the beginning of this century, recognized the enormous value of urine and the intelligence of the body as a self-healing organism. Apparently other doctors did not listen to him. This is what he wrote about urine:
“As the urine content varies according to the pathological state of the patient, its use is indicated in all forms of disease except those caused by traumatism (broken limbs) or those that are of a mechanical nature. It saves the physician from the mistake that is made in selecting the indicated remedy from three thousand drugs or more. What cannot be cured by the forces of the body cannot be cured by the forces outside the body” (From: The Water of Life, J.W.Armstrong , Health Science Press, London 1971, P. 156)
Armstrong quotes another fragment, a report from Doctors, Disease and Health by Cyril Scott about a certain Mr. Baxter, who was Armstrong’s patient for a short period of time:
” Mr. Baxter, who lived to a ripe old age, declaring that he had cured himself of a cancerous growth by applying his own urine in the form of compresses, and by drinking his own urine neat. He further declared that he had cured himself of other complaints by these simple means. Mr. Baxter contended that urine is the finest antiseptic that exists, and, having made this discovery, he formed the daily habit of drinking three tumblers full as a prophylatic against disease. He maintained that if autogenous urine is taken in this way, the more innocuous it becomes. He applied it to his eyes as a strengthening lotion, and used it, after shaving for his complexion. He also advocated its external use for wounds, swellings, boils, etc. (From: The Water of life, J.W.Armstrong, Health Science press, London 1971)
Although Armstrong must have been quite pleased with this handful of quotations from scholars, he realized that the powerful medical world entertained other ideas. Even so, he was exceptionally persistent in his conviction and enthusiasm concerning urine therapy, probably because through urine therapy, he cured himself of tuberculosis, which had been declared incurable.
Armstrong began urine therapy after a long and agonizing journey in which doctor after doctor proved unable to cure him of his symptoms. On the contrary, his condition only worsened. He decided to try urine therapy for two reasons. First of all, a quotation from the Bible stimulated his curiosity. Drink water from your own cistern. Flowing water from your own well. (The book of proverbs 5:15) secondly, he had childhood memories of his mother smearing urine on his face which was swollen from a bee sting and of his grandfather treating animals with urine.
Armstrong is unclear as to whether this quotation from the Bible should be interpreted as he has. But he does claim it to be source of inspiration for his beginning a forty-five day fast based exclusively on urine and water. He combined this fast with massaging urine on to his skin, based upon what he found in another passage in the Bible, the Gospel of Matthew 6:17-18: H”But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,..” He found that fasting was much easier and more pleasant if he also massaged himself with (old) urine.
After his own successful experience, Armstrong treated hundreds of people with urine therapy. Only after a number of years, and at the explicit request of those he had treated, did he write a book about his own experiences and knowledge. This is the previously mentioned and praised book “The Water of life”. This book was and continues to be a great source of inspiration for everyone who works with urine therapy, both in the West and in the East.
As mentioned above, Armstrong realized all too. Well that his message was not in keeping with the prevailing scientific dogma. Unfortunately, his worthwhile results did not stimulate other doctors in England to delve into this subject.
Nonetheless, in other countries several attempts have been made by doctors to bring urine treatments to a scientific level. They worked with urine injections, which were first performed with the invention of the hypodermic needle and syringe. This method was applied in Europe as well as in the United states which is apparent from The physiological Memoirs of Surgeon-General Hammond, U.S. Army (1863) in which reference is made to this method. These days few doctors give urine injections. They specifically consider urine injections to be a worthwhile method of treating illnesses related to allergies. This application of urine therapy was recently highlighted on a German commercial television broadcasting station in which several people with allergies were shown injecting themselves with urine.
The medical interest in urine and its components increased around the beginning of this century, particularly in Germany. Experiments were conducted on injecting urine and the results were positive.
The German physician Dr. Herz was an enthusiastic proponent of this method and, in 1930, he wrote a book reporting his experiences (Die Eigenharnbehandlung, Auto-Urine Treatment)
Although scientists and clinics were initially interested in his work, his research came to a halt, since the German government at the time tightened the reins on scientific research. Even so a number of doctors kept practicing this therapy.
In the 1940’s, doctors in German gave urine-enemas to children exposed to measles or smallpox. Those treated with urine-enemas came down with a milder form of these illnesses. The German physician Dr. Martin Krebs wrote Der menschliche Harnals Heilmittel (Human Urine as Medicine) a book about the application and results of urine therapy with children. Martin Krebs was a fervent follower of Dr. Herz.
In 1965, Dr. Edam from Germany recommended urine therapy as the most effective treatment for morning sickness during pregnancy, and advised the larger university hospitals to try this method instead of the frequent use of medication. He maintained that no side effects had been diagnosed, and he hoped more doctors would take an interest in this therapy.
Scientists also began to research the effectiveness of the separate components of urine. Hundreds of research reports have been published on the component urea, apart from water the main component of urine.
Research has been conducted into the possible medicinal effects of urine’s individual components, such as the hormone specimens obtained from pregnant women’s urine. Under the motto ‘mothers for mother’s, urine is collected from pregnant women and processed into a hormone product for those women who have difficulty getting pregnant. Another preparation is also made as a side product from this urine and is used for slimming cures.
Below are two examples of the results of scientific research on urine substances which have a proven curative effect in the case of cancer. The discovery of these kind of substances in urine helps to bring onto a more scientific level the understanding of the positive effects of urine therapy in treating cancer.
In the 1960s the Nobel Prize winner Albert Szent-Gyorgi (who also discovered vitamin C) isolated a substance in urine called 3-methyl glyoxal. It has subsequently been proven that this substance destroys cancer cells.
A certain Dr. S. Burzynski isolated a peptide component in human urine called Antineoplaston. It is now that this substance selectively combats the growth of cancer cells without fighting the growth of normal cells. (see also the letter of Dr. Burzynski to the urine therapy centre in Ahmedabad, India, in chapter 6)
Many substances with anti-cancer effect have since been discovered in urine, a number of which are listed and briefly discussed in chapter 5. It has been discovered that the substance laetrile (also referred to as vitamin B17) is extremely effective in the treatment of cancer. Although it was initially not known how this substance could be produced it was subsequently discovered that when goats were fed almonds and apricot pips, they produced a usable does of laetrile in their urine. The following fragment states that human beings are also considered capable of producing such doses of laetrile:
“Also we as human beings produce a small amount of laetrile when consuming apricots pips and (almond pits) For thousands of years, in very old traditions of medicine, cancer patients have been treated with urine. For use it might be interesting to see what happens when we would replace salted and roasted peanuts, not at all a healthy source of nutrittion, with the pips from almonds and apricots”
(From: Pleidooi voor Biologische Kankerbestrijding,
P.H.W.A.M. van de Veer, p. 60)
A short time ago it was discovered that foetuses in the women use their amniotic fluid in order to develop their lungs. The foetus literally breathes this fluid into its lungs and without this fluid the lungs cannot develop properly. The foetus’s urine is the most important component of amniotic fluid. It has also been discovered that surgery carried out in the womb does not leave a scar. The amniotic fluid, and specifically the urea in it, in which the foetus floats ensures a perfect healing of every wound within the womb.
In the book The Heart of Healing, the author William poole describes how remarkably well the scars of foetuses which are operated upon are healed: as if nothing had happened, whereas after birth, the same operations would have left big scars that would never completely disappear. Doctors were very surprised to discover this and, according to poole, they are trying to find out the reason behind it as they are looking for a method to help heal post operative scars on adults. Hopefully, some time in the future, they will discover the very simple method of using the patients urine for this purpose! People who are familiar with urine therapy know from their own experience how extremely effective just a cloth soaked in urine and placed on a wound can be in healing this wound.
In spite of all these data, the medical world has not as yet taken the step forward to research urine and its effects as a complete entity, even though the beneficial use of many of the components of urine is already acknowledged and exploited.
For example ‘Enzymes of America’, an American company, has developed a special filter which collects the proteins found in male urine in the 10,000 portable toilets owned by its subsidiary firm, Porta John. Urine contains small amounts of proteins produced by the body, a number of which are medically very important, such as growth hormones and insulin. There is an annual market of 500 million dollars for these types of substances, which are usually produced by extremely complicated and expensive methods, such as cell cloning. The company is working on bringing its first important product, Urokinase, on the market. Urokinase is an enzyme which dissolves blood clots and is used in treating heart attack victim. The company has contracts for supplying this enzyme to several prominent pharmaceutical companies.
This method was more or less copied from the Chinese. In the Shanghai, urine is collected in large basins in the public toilets. The city government then sells the urine to the pharmaceutical companies who extract Urokinase, among other thing from this urine. This is exported and sold as medicine all over the world.
Recent Research, Practice and Literature
In the past few years, some people from within the medicial world have shown an increased interest in urine therapy, particularly doctors who specialize in natural medicine and its principles.
In 1991, Dr. Johann Abele wrote a revised version of the book previously written by Dr. Herz, published under the same title (Die Eigenharnbehandlung: nach Dr. med. Kurt Herz; Erfahurugen and Beobachtungen) Abele’s book however contains only part of the preface from the original book and discusses in a scientific manner the verious applications of urine therapy particularly in the form of urine injections. Dr. Abele realises that there is no scientific proof for the effects of urine therapy, but still seriously recommends this therapy to the medical world.
‘Although a lot of research in the field of Auro-Urine therapy was done before the Second World War and well known researchers were reported to have excellent results with it, it will surprise any unbiased observer that after 1945 this therapy like many other empirical systems of natural medicine- disappeared and was no longer openly subject to research and discussion. It has since only been preserved and developed by those who work outside the field of orthodox medicine.
During this modern era when pure physics and mathematics have entered into areas where science and religion -once strong enemies – can meet each other, it can no longer be tolerated that people dismiss such an interesting method of folk medicine bu just saying that it must be a remain of the magical, dirt practise used by uncivilised tribes An ineffective therapy does not survie hundreds of years in the consciousness of people! The astounding results which therapists who work with this auto-urine-method have over and over again should bring them as well as others to use this therapy for otherwise incurable disease even though so far no explanation for its effectiveness has been given. For the most important task of a doctor should be, even when in opposition to public opinion and customs, to use any therapy which promises results in accordance with an old saying
WHO HEALS IS RIGHT
(From : Die Eigenharnbehandlung : nach Dr. med. Kurt Herz; Erfahrungen und Beobachtungen, Sr. med. Johann Abele, 8, verbesserte Auflage, Karl F. Haug Heidelberg, 1991, P. 17-72)
Besides the previously mentioned book by Carmen Thomas, another book was published in 1993 in Germany on urine therapy entitled Die Heilkraft der Eigenharntherapie (The Healing power of urine Therapy) written by Ingeborg Allmann, a former pharmacist. As with many other people who started to work with urine therapy, it was a personal health crisis which brought her into contact with this method of healing. Ingeborg Allmann suffered from severe allergic asthma, and allopathic medicine of fered little relief. After some time, she developed an aversion to all chemical products, the former source of her income. In a complete turnaround, she turned to natural medicine, including urine therapy. Ultimately, Allmann wrote a book about her experiences in which she discusses urine therapy as well as a number of general principles of holistic therapies.
“More than any other method, urine therapy represents the principles of natural medicine, according to which one should not passively depend on being healed, but should instead heal oneself actively.
One’s own urine is a specific medicine for anyone who is ill- it is made for him or her personally and is just right for what he or she needs at the present moment-because it changes its composition all the time.
It is not only something that cures, but it also sustains health when taken as a preventative.
Taken energetically, one could consider urine to be an exact hologram of both healthy as well as diseased body fluids. All information from the body fluids is collected and stored in the urine.
Since everyone has to learn to take responsibility for their own health over and over again – do you normally give your highest good so easily in the hands of others? Anyway, urine therapy will help you in a very simple way to take that responsibility with your own hands.
(From: Die Heilkraft der Eigenharn-Therapie, Ingeborg Allmann, Verlag Dr. Karl Hohn KC, Biberach 1993, P.5-6)
Allmann emphasises the importance of fasting particularly during chronic illnesses. She also explains how urine can be injected, and describes another method in which urine and blood are mixed. A few drops of this mixture should then be ingested orally on a regular basis. This shows the versatility of the different methods of application of urine therapy, although, according to Allmann drinking and specifically fasting is the most simple and effective way.
Allmann discusses the kidneys as a source of primal energy which is essential for the body. The kidneys are vital organs which play an extremely important role in the balance of the whole organism and the functioning of other organs. According to Allmann, urine therapy is an excellent way to restore and stimulate this primal energy.
“Since one’s own urine is the best medicine for the kidneys that we could imagine, all diseases which are caused by under -or non-functioning of this organ can be cured in this way, i.e. via the kidneys.
It is clear for any holistic health practitioner that all cycles within the body are interconnected, and this means that the healing of one of those cycles will have a positive effect on the others”
(From: Die Heilkraft der Eigenharn-Therapie, Ingeborg Allmann, Verlag Dr. Karl Hohn KC,Biberach 1993, P.24.)
Allmann extensively describes the role of the pH- value and how important the acid-alkaline percentage is for our body and health. She also gives an overview of the diversity of illnesses on which urine therapy has had positive results. Both Allmann and Abele state that candidiasis (a frequently occurring stubborn fungal infection) can be completely cured by a three-week urine fast. Allmann (a pharmacist) also outlines the chemical composition of urine.
In his book Die Apotheke in uns; Behandlung mit Eigenharn -eine bewahrte Naturheilmethode (The pharmacy Within Ourselves; Treatment with Auto-Urine -A Proven Natural Healing Method) the Swiss physician, Dr. U.E. Hasler, discusses the substance found in urine even more extensively. Hasler tells how shortly after World War II, he first heard of urine therapy. Urine was often used at the front, for lack of other medication and as disinfectant for surgery instruments. His interest was rekindled much later when he heard the story of a doctor from Russia Apparently, this doctor treated many people from far and wide, and was able to alleviate or completely cure illnesses with nothing else than urine therapy, while other methods up untill then had failed
Hasler wanted to know more about urine therapy, and asked Mantak Chia, an Eastern teacher in the field of holistic health and spirituality who is also well-known in the West, for more information:
“I went to the teacher of the course, Mantak Chia, and asked him if he had ever heard of this reculiar method. Immediately his face turned into a big smile, and he pointed at himself and said “I use it myself. You Western doctors make a big mistake in thinking that the kidneys only discard poisonous substance Just look at the dung of lants. A human being is also such a plant and can benefit enormously from it”
(From: Die Apotheke in uns; Behadlung mitt Eigenharneine bewahrte Naturheilmethode, Dr. med. U.E.
Hasler, Karl F. Haug Verlag, Heidelberg 1994,P.9)
Hasler ascribes the effect of urine therapy in part to the many effective substances found in urine. He illustrates this with an overview of these substances (almost twenty pages!) and their possible effects But Hasler does not limit himself to the medical aspects of these substance; he also discusses the ‘life energy’ found in urine.
“Looking at the surprising diversity of substances found in urine makes us understand its positive effect. A.L. (auto-liquidum= urine, tr.) represents a living substance. This fluid is full of life and contains the life energy which is so important.
In complementary medicine we already deal with the principle of life energy. We have inside our human bodies an inner healing principle it is what I call “the Healer Within” This inner doctor is very intelligent and wants to keep the organism healthy whenever possible -whether it is a plant 0animal or human being. Independently and from within areas we are normally not aware of, he is always busy, never sleeps does not know Sundays nor holidays and is always there as long as the organism is alive”
(From : Die Apotheke in uns; Behandlung mit Eigenharn eine bewahrte Naturheilmethode, Dr. med. U.E. Hasler, Karl F. Haug Verlag, Heidelberge 1994, P.48)
A few brief examples of the use of urine therapy in a number of other contries follow below.
Various schools and clinic in the United States which work with natural medicine also work with urine therapy. The Water of Life Institute in Florida (now Lifestyle Institute, Ruidoso NM, see address list in the back of this book) has contributed much to the promotion of the therapy. In New York City, a support group currently exists for those who use urine therapy, with some 700 members, many of whom are suffering from AIDS. Recently I heard about a similar support group existing in West Hollywood, California. Some people with AIDS have already benefited greatly from this therapy.
In 1994 the book Your Own perfect Medicine, written by Martha Christy, was published in the United States. This gives a very complete and good overview of scientific material concerning the medical value of urine and its substances.
Urine therapy is also used extensively in an institute in England. This institute is directed by Arthur Lincoln Pauls, a specialist in bio-orthonomy and author of the book on urine therapy, Shivambu Kalpa. A Juicier example of the use of urine therapy in Engalnd is the British actress Sarah Miles. She drinks a glass of her own life water daily and swears that this keeps her healthy and beautiful. Urine is terrific for skin care, a fact already well known by the ancient Egyptians. The present-day cosmetic industry is also aware of this fact: if you study the ingredients of a number of skin creams and various brands of toothpaste, you will regularly come across urea as a significant component.
Two books have recently been published in France on urine therapy. The book Amaroli suggests a list of names for urine therapy, including the playfyl name pipi-therapie. Besides an extensive summary of its practical application, Amaroli also places urine therapy within the broader perspective of modern holistic medicine and health concepts. One chapter discusses the transformative and (self) regenerative effect of drinking urine. From this perspective urine therapy is a modern way of sanctifying the body, as it revitalises the genetic structure on the deepest level. We see here a link to the sacred character of urine therapy as described by ancient traditions.
As a conclusion to this section, I would like to focus on a number of facts related to drinking urine in emergency situations.
Drinking urine is a good alternative wherever water is scarce. It not only satisfies the need for liquid, but also actually keeps the body healthy. Some time ago there was an earthquake in Egypt. A survivor was pulled out of the rubble in Cairoafter being trapped for three days. The man had kept himself alive by, among other thing drinking his own urine and he was in excellent condition. I heard another story about a man who kept himself alive with his own urine for a week in a collapsed mine. At the time of his rescue, he looked fine and was in extraordinary health. I also recently read an article about an Italian athlete who was lost in the Sahara for ten days. Upon returning to the civilised world he told how he had drunk his own urine for lack of other liquids. He had kept himself alive by eating desert plants and insects and drinking his own urine.
Shipwrecked people can drink their own urine to survive, although one should not wait until the body is almost dehyrated before doing so. Drinking urine is also a smart way to survive in situations in which water is unsafe to drink.
During earthquakes and floods, water is often infected with pathogens while urine is always sterile. Drinking polluted water can cause serious often fatal, illnesses. Urine is a perfect alternative if drunk fresh, it quenches thirst without presenting any danger and is always available – any time anywhere Moreover it will help combat possible disease.
Soldiers have survived long periods in the wilderness by drinking their own urine and soldiers in the Foreign Legion are sometimes instructed to rub their own urine into their skin in order to build up resistance to illness. Soldiers sometimes also urinate into their shoes before starting on a march, as urine apparently helps prevent blisters. The method of using urine for (new) shoes was often applied in the past and even today I sometimes meet people from the older generation who still know how to get their shoes fitting by using this versatile fluid.
Urine Therapy: The simple use of ones own urine
Urine therapy is very effective, and it is always available and quite inexpensive, to say the least, which is absolutely wonderful in a world which sees itself confronted with increasing health- as well as financial problems.
But what is this urine therapy? How does it work? What are its roots? What has the medical world to say about it? And, not the least important, how do you go about it?
Coen van der Kroon covers almost all questions concerning urine therapy and its history in his book The Golden Fountain; The Complete Guide to Urine Therapy. (The book recently appeared at Amethyst Books/Gateway Books; ISBN 0-944256-73-2; 152 pages; illustrated; £8.95 or $14,95).
In the following article connections of urine therapy with the yoga traditions are explored.
Also practical tips are given for the application of urine therapy in daily life.
You will find more detailed application programs here. Meanwhile, the below is a reasonable starting point.
If you haven’t done it yet, you might be convinced, after reading this article or The Golden Fountain book, to take a sip from your own golden nectar… If not, it’s definitely worth reading anyway!
What is urine therapy? How does it work?
Urine therapy means using (your own) urine externally or internally as a way to promote or maintain your health.
The first question that probably comes to mind is whether urine is not a toxic substance and how a toxic waste product could ever be of any benefit for your health.
Well, urine is NOT a toxic waste product and this has been scientifically proven.
95% of urine is water, 2.5% consists of urea and the remaining 2.5% is a mixture of minerals, salt, hormones and enzymes. Toxic substances are being removed from the body through the liver and intestines, through the skin and through the outbreath.
The main function of the kidneys is to keep the composition of the blood in optimal balance. When there is to much water, the kidneys will remove it. But that doesn’t make water into a toxic waste product.
Only the substance urea can be poisonous when present in very large amounts in the blood. However, this is irrelevant in the practice of drinking urine, as urine is not immediately put back in the bloodstream. In the small amounts urea gets back into the body, it is purifying, clears up excess mucus and has a number of specific, very useful effects. Moreover, it has a wonderful healing and tonifying effect when applied to the skin.
You can find urea in many skin products as one of the main components- specifically in many woman cosmetics.
Furthermore, urine is entirely sterile after secretion and has an antiseptic effect. We are talking here about urine from the point of view of somebody who follows a reasonably healthy diet, and who does not use chemical drugs or allopathic medicines. Urine therapy is a method based upon the principle of ‘natural cycles’.
As long as we do not interfere chemically with the body’s natural cycle, the body produces urine which is perfectly suitable for re-cycling. If you ingest a great deal of chemical substances – and these days all kinds of processed food contain chemicals – part of this will end up in the urine, in which case the composition of the urine changes. Normally, however, urine is a healthy substance which contains healthy, harmless and nourishing components.
Some natural cycles take place more quickly than others, but the cycle in general is the foundation of all life. If we let nature run her course, there will be no waste, and a disturbed equilibrium will always come back into balance. Just as we are capable of disturbing a natural equilibrium, we can also do our part in helping nature recover her balance. In order to support such a recovering of balance, we are equipped with a wonderful, natural ‘house pharmacy’: our own urine provides us with a swift and safe method for using the powers of the natural cycle.
What exactly are the effects of urine therapy?
Briefly, if urine is ingested and/or rubbed into the skin, it purifies blood and tissues, provides useful nutrients and sends the body a signal about what is in or out of balance. This last effect is called (oral) auto-immunization. This brings us to a last important feature of urine. Urine itself is, as said, not a toxic waste product. It does contain however minute particles connected with possible disease processes in the body. These minute particles are mainly antibodies, which upon re-ingesting can help the body to react on specific pathological situations.
Urine therapy has proven helpful in a great number of various diseases, ranging from a simple cold and a throat-ache, to tuberculosis and asthma, from minor skin problems such as itching, to more serious skin diseases such as eczema, psoriasis and even skin cancer.
Urine therapy in the East: therapy or way of living?
Urine therapy has been practiced for thousands of years and has merely fallen a bit into obscurity in the last century.
However much urine therapy may seem to be unorthodox and perhaps revolutionary, it does not introduce anything new or original. It has been known throughout the centuries both in the West and in the East. Especially within yoga and tantra tradition the use of urine has been kept alive. It served partially as a real ‘therapy’, a method to cleanse the physical body of impurities, but also as a way to further spiritual growth. As such it should be considered more as a spiritual practice or lifestyle.Very illustrative in this sense are the following remarks:
Swami Satyananda Saraswati states in ‘Amaroli – The Way of the Yogi’, the preface to the book Amaroli (Amaroli is the practice of ingesting ones own urine):
“I am fully acquainted with the topic of amaroli and have had personal experience with its use. Of course, I did not use it for therapy but in
order to perfect vajroli kriya, and I am convinced that those who want to perfect vajroli will have to go through the process of amaroli.
Since 1943, right up to 1978 (date of publication of the book Amaroli), I have never seen bad results from the use of amaroli, either in therapy or for vajroli. Just recently a very ill gentleman approached me and asked me my opinion on amaroli. I suggested that he try it for himself and see what happens. Now, two months later, he has recovered completely.
From the healing point of view, if amaroli proves to be less dangerous than the therapeutic use of drugs, synthetic hormones and various other assorted chemical substances, if it proves less corrosive and nutritionally harmful than Coca Cola and 7-Up, if it is less dependence-producing and intoxicating than alcohol, less distasteful than eating gelatin, manufactured from the hooves and tendons of animals, then I am sure it will be a boon to humanity.
I personally feel that we must state the facts on amaroli in as straightforward, clear and direct a manner as possible. Then mankind may just possibly find that there are many other benefits hidden in the science of amaroli than originally believed.” (From: Amaroli, S. S. Saraswati, Bihar School of Yoga, Bihar 1978, out of print)
Some time ago, my attention was drawn to an article in the reputable English weekly journal The New Scientist. It was about the research done by two Australian scientists into drinking morning urine by Indian yogi’s and its possible positive effect on meditation practice. The hypothesis is that this might be due to a hormone found in morning urine called melatonin.
Urine therapy in the West
Apart from these effects within meditation context, the use of urine is very practical as far as curing all kind of ailments and diseases is concerned. This practice has been known all over the world and in many cultures. The Greeks and Romans were acquainted with the use of urine as a medicine. But also later in history there are many references to urine as being helpful to combat illnesses.A good example can be found in a major German encyclopedia (Johann Heinrich Zedler’s Grossen Vollständigen Universallexikon, 1747), in which the author offers the following tips concerning the use of urine as medicine:
“Useful substances can be found in human as well as animal urine… Human urine has strengthening and curative characteristics concerning many deficiencies:
“For example, a mixture of potato- and sulphur-powder, mixed with heated, old urine helps against hair loss. One should rub this mixture into the scalp; this slows down loss of hair (calf’s gall can be added if necessary).
“One can best heal injuries to the eyes with honey dissolved in the lightly boiled urine from a young man. One should wash the eyes as often as possible with this fluid.
“All kinds of throat inflammation can be helped by gargling with urine to which a bit of saffron has been added.
“Trembling hands and knees can be helped by washing and rubbing one’s own warm urine into the skin directly after one has urinated.
“In the beginning stages of dropsy, one should drink one’s own morning urine on an empty stomach for a prolonged period of time. This also helps against jaundice.”
In this century it was the Englishman John Armstrong who was the urine therapy pioneer with his work and with his book The Water of Life, famous both in West and East. Armstrong realized that the powerful medical world entertained other ideas about the usefulness of urine.
Even so, he was exceptionally persistent in his conviction and enthusiasm concerning urine therapy, probably because through urine therapy, he cured himself of tuberculosis which had been declared ‘incurable’.
Armstrong began urine therapy after a long and agonizing journey in which doctor after doctor proved unable to cure him of his TB symptoms. On the contrary, his condition only worsened. He decided to try urine therapy for two reasons. First of all, a quotation from the Bible stimulated his curiosity: “Drink water from your own cistern, flowing water from your own well.” (The Book of Proverbs 5:15) Secondly, he had childhood memories of his mother smearing urine on his face which was swollen from a bee sting, and of his grandfather treating animals with urine. Recently, a lot of books have been published on urine therapy, especially in Germany, and some of those books have been written by regular doctors. This shows that there is a development towards a little bit more understanding and acceptance from people working within the regular medical field.
The authors of these books show, just like Armstrong did, how versatile the application possibilities of urine are. It works wonders in many minor problems and diseases such as ear- and eye infections, burns and bruises, allergic conditions (hay fever), fungus infections of the skin, warts, etc.. But it also can help the immune system to cope with more serious conditions such as chronic colds, flu, stomach problems, bronchitis, etc.. Furthermore it has proven very helpful in the treatment of a number of very serious, immune related diseases, such as chronic and severe allergies, asthma, cancer, M.E. and AIDS. In these cases it did definitely not always lead to long term healing results, but it often alleviated symptoms to considerable extent and sometimes indeed resulted into remarkable improvement of the dis-eased condition.
Urine therapy and yoga tradition
Let’s go back to the Indian history, where even much older texts describing the practice of urine therapy are available. A presumably 5,000-year-old document has been found which describes the practice of urine therapy in different respects. In this document, there are many references to herbs and medicines still used in present day Ayurveda. This document consists of 107 verses (slokas), is called Shivambu Kalpa Vidhi (‘the method of drinking urine in order to rejuvenate’), and is part of a document called Damar Tantra. (The entire text can be found in Chapter 7 of The Golden Fountain) Shivambu literally means the water of Shiva, the highest god in the Indian pantheon. The name Shiva means auspiciousness. In India, at least among urine therapists, one often speaks of drinking Shivambu, which simply means drinking the water of auspiciousness. They also sometimes jokingly refer to it as ‘Morarji Cola’, as India’s former prime minister Morarji Desai used to practice urine therapy. He openly advocated this therapy and said India would be well off when more people would use this extremely inexpensive and effective way of treatment. These are the opening verses of the Damar Tantra text, in which the god Shiva begins to speak with his wife Parvati:
Verses 1 – 4:
“Oh Parvati! (The God Shiva speaks to his wife Parvati.) Those who practice this method can enjoy the fruits of their meditation and this method. For this, certain actions have been recommended along with certain types of utensils. The Shivambu is to be drunk from pots made of gold, silver, copper, brass, iron, tin, glass, earth, bamboo, bones, leather, or a bowl made of plantain leaves. The urine should be collected in any one of the above mentioned utensils and should be drunk. However, earthen pots are the best for use.”
Practical instructions are given on how to collect and ingest urine, and advice on what is best to eat if you drink your own urine. It has to be kept in mind, however, that this document was written for those who practice yoga, work intensively with their body and soul and adapt their food to this lifestyle. Nevertheless, the following verse contains some helpful general guidelines for everyone who uses urine therapy.
Verse 5:
“The follower of the therapy should avoid pungent, salty ingredients in his meals. He should not over-exert himself. He should follow a balanced and light diet…”
Urine was equated with a divine drink which had the power to exterminate all kinds of illnesses and ailments. The following verse suggests that physical purification is connected with a life of meditation.
Verse 9:
“Shivambu is a divine nectar! It is capable of abolishing old age and various types of diseases and ailments. The follower should first ingest his urine and then start his meditation.”
As said before, drinking urine is not the only way to apply urine therapy. A number of verses discuss the importance of massaging with urine. For example:
Verse 48:
“Shivambu should be applied to the whole body. It is exceptionally nourishing, and can relieve all ailments.”
Verse 87:
“Oh Parvati! If he massages his body thrice a day and night with Shivambu, his countenance will be shining and his heart will be strong. His body and muscles will be strong. He will float in pleasure.”
This last text is special because it connects physical purification with purity of spirit and state of mind. Verse 87 is an especially good example of this belief. The hormonal component seems to have a positive effect on the state of mind. Various people with whom I have spoken felt noticeably more emotionally stable, high-spirited and vital after they started urine therapy. Probably this partly has something to do with the aforementioned hormone melatonin.
Other ancient texts which are part of the religious and spiritual heritage of India also contain fragments about and refer either to urine therapy or to ‘amaroli’ (‘nectar of immortality’). A few examples:
Hatha Yoga Pradipika 3;96-97:
“In the doctrine of the Kapalikas, amaroli is the drinking of the midstream, leaving the first for it is too pungent (too much bile) and the last, which is useless. He who drinks amari, snuffs it daily, and practices vajroli, is said to be practicing amaroli.”
Gyanarnava Tantra, Chapter 22:
“After realizing the exact knowledge of dharma and adharma,every aspect of the world becomes holy – stool, urine, ovum, nails, bones, are all holy things in the sight of that person who has explored mantra. O Parvati, different deities are living in that water from which urine is made, then why is urine said to be contaminated?”
Harit, Chapter 1 on Urine:
“Human urine is basic, bitter and light. It destroys diseases of the eyes, makes the body strong, improves digestion and destroys coughs and colds.”
Bhawa Prakasha, Verse 7, Chapter on Urine:
“Human urine destroys poison, properly used it gives new life, purifies blood, clears skin troubles, is sharp in taste and contains many salts.”
Yoga Ratnakar, Mutrashtakam Verse 11:
“Human urine controls bile in the blood, destroys worms, cleans intestines, controls cough and calms nerves. It is sharp in taste, destroys laziness and is an antidote to poisons.”
How to apply urine therapy?
Below you will find internal and external applications. Please also review our practice programs page for more information.
Internal application
Drinking – Morning urine is best. Take the middle stream. You can start with a few drops, building up to one glass a day. Good as a tonic, as a preventative and in minor illnesses.
Fasting – Drink all the urine you pass, except for the evenings, otherwise you won’t get any sleep. You can also take some extra water. The urine will quickly change its taste into almost neutral. Fasting on urine and water cleanses the blood. Toxins are removed through liver, skin and outbreath.
Gargle – Gargling with urine works wonders when having a throat-ache. Also good for toothache and generally when having a cold.
Enemas – Urine colenemas and enemas work very well in cleansing the colon and in providing a direct immune stimulant.
Vaginal douche – Helpful in e.g. yeast problems, white discharge, etc..
Ear- and eyedrops – Ear infections; conjunctivitis, glaucoma. For the eyes, dilute the urine with some water.
Sniffing urine/Neti – Sinusitis and other nose problems. Very good preventative for colds and to clean the subtle channels in the head.
External application
Massaging/Rubbing – You can use either fresh or old urine. Old urine (4 to 8 days) is generally more effective, but it has a strong to very strong smell. Massaging the whole body is a very important complementary treatment when fasting. It nourishes the body through the skin and helps against increased heartbeat. You can leave the urine on or wash it off after an hour or so, just with water or with a mild, natural soap. Fresh urine as an after shave gives you a beautiful soft skin. But it is also very helpful and healing in all kind of skin problems: itching, sunburns, eczema, psoriasis, acne, etc..
Gentle rubbing of urine into acupressure points (e.g. on the ears) – very useful when reactions are otherwise too strong, e.g. with very heavy allergic reaction.
Footbaths – Any skin and nail problems of the feet (athletes foot, ringworm, etc.)
Compress – When rubbing is not appropriate, this is another way of applying urine on the skin.
Hair- and scalp massage – Renders the hair soft and clean. Sometimes stimulates new hair growth.
Some guidelines and warnings:
It is generally not recommended to combine urine therapy with the use of (prescribed) chemical, allopathic medicines or recreational drugs. The combination may be dangerous to your health. If you are taking any form of allopathic medicine, begin with the external application (urine massage) until you are free of all medication, if possible.
If it is not possible or safe to stop the use of certain medicines, start with taking a few drops of urine internally or use a homeopathic tincture or gently rub fresh urine into the acupressure points of your ears. Keep looking and feeling very carefully how you and your body are reacting on the treatment. When suffering from a serious illness or, generally, when in doubt, consult a good natural doctor.
Transmutation and the healer within [By Coen Van der Koon]
“It has always been a kind of vocation for me to connect East and West, ancient and modern, spiritual heritage and science. So with urine therapy: it has a rich history, certainly here in the East. It is connected with spiritual practice as well as with modern scientific research. A good example is the research project at the University of Newcastle, England, into the effect of drinking morning urine by Indian yogis on their meditation practice. This paper is meant to make another such a small connection.
Over the years, urine therapy has proved to be an effective tool for healing. Most urine therapists, some of whom have been practicing urine therapy for decades, have never sought an explanation for why it works: their own experiences were sufficient proof. For some time now, however, there has been increasing interest in the search for a scientific explanation. This is because urine therapists believe it is important for urine therapy to be acknowledged as a valid method of treatment: doctors should be well-informed about the effects of this therapy so that as many people as possible can benefit from it. Since members of the medical world demand an explanation, the interest in scientific research has grown.
Another reason for this growing interest is that a number of ‘mainstream’ doctors have also had positive experiences with urine therapy, which is reason enough for them to investigate how and why it works. This is not a recent development: in the 1930’s, for example, the German pediatrician Martin Krebs successfully treated many patients with urine therapy, and subsequently published the results
As a physician, he was convinced that urine therapy was an effective method of treatment, but he also realized that other doctors would not readily accept this fact since it conflicted with the scientific dogma which formed the foundation of their profession.
A good deal of research has already been conducted within the medical world into the composition of urine and its separate components. The researchers Free and Free published a report listing two hundred substances found in urine. They point out that these are only the most significant substances, and that urine probably contains thousands of components.
Several substances found in urine seem to be of value as medication, some of which have already been processed and used as such. The fact that certain individual components of urine are effective does not prove that urine therapy is effective. Conversely, however, it can be assumed that the components which have a particular effect as an individual substance, have the same effect when taken as a component of urine. In certain cases it could be imagined that the combination of these substances with other components of urine reduces or cancels out the effectiveness, but this is not the most obvious conclusion. We can, therefore, reasonably assume that if an individual substance displays a certain characteristic, it will also have this characteristic as a component of urine. The more individually effective substances found in urine, the stronger the argument that urine as a total entity has a therapeutic effect. A condition of this argument is that urine as a total entity does not contain substances with an obviously harmful effect: as yet there is no evidence to suggest that such substances have been found in urine. The small amounts of possibly toxic substances which can be found in urine largely seem to have a positive effect on the immune system. If urine did contain extremely harmful substances, it would be difficult to explain how many people (myself included) who drink their own urine every day for years could still be in exceptionally good health. So research has not yet been conducted on urine as a total entity which can be therapeutically applied. Still unanswered are questions regarding how and why urine therapy works, since urine is used here as a total entity.
A number of hypotheses have, however, been suggested which can serve as the basis for further scientific research. One of those hypotheses I would like to propose here. This hypothesis deals with the immunological effect of urine therapy and its deeper energetical dynamics. It deals with the so called ‘healer within’. Urine therapy has often been associated with spiritual practice which might make it seem a bit magic. But, as science is discovering today, ancient spiritual ideas come very close to today’s most recent discoveries in the field of quantum mechanics and vibrational healing methods.
But back to the basics: Urine therapy (using self-produced urine) can be considered to be an extension of the methods of Jenner and Pasteur.
An important task of the immune system is to rid the human body of diseased or unusable substances that have developed during the course of an illness. When these substances reach healthy tissue, the serum or blood becomes stronger, the activity of leukocytes (white blood cells) increases, and the patient probably recovers. This phenomenon is known as auto-inoculation or self-vaccination and can be seen as mother nature’s method of healing an illness without external intervention. Urine therapy can be seen as a form of self-vaccination: certain bodily substances which have been removed from the body, some of which may have been produced as a result of illness, are re-introduced into the body in small amounts. These substances are re-absorbed into the blood through either the intestines or the skin. According to this hypothesis, the immune system is then given the chance to react appropriately. The doctors Remington, Merler and Uhr have demonstrated that a particular part of urine-protein is able to eliminate certain pathogens.
This discovery supports the assumption that urine therapy can be used to treat or prevent certain illnesses. In the early nineteenth century, Dr. Charles Duncan conducted research into therapies with self-produced substances, including urine therapy.
He demonstrated that patients suffering from gonorrhoeic urethritis (infection of the urinary tube as a result of the venereal disease gonorrhea) produce their own medication in the form of their own discharge. Auto-therapy was applied here by placing a drop of a patient’s discharge directly on the tongue, in order to stimulate the body’s natural powers. This method had a strong healing effect at every stage of the illness: if applied at an early stage, it could cause the gonorrhea to disappear. Auto-therapy is based on the principle that the body can use all fresh, self-produced, unaltered diseased tissue substances which originate from the micro-organisms causing the illness. Seen in this light, patients have their own medication in exactly the form constructed by nature to heal their condition. The results of Dr. William D. Linscott’s research suggest that auto-therapy strengthens and stimulates the immune system, in particular with regard to the T-cells. The T-cell population of several patients who initially displayed a low T-cell count increased after treatment with urine therapy.
The Transmutation theory
Most of what has been said here will be valid from a strictly mechanistic point of view. The transmutation theory, though, needs a new, holistic paradigm which is based more on the dynamics of energies.
In recent scientific research, a shift is visible from reductionism to holism. It is beyond the scope of this paper to go into this matter. I nevertheless want to take the new paradigm fully into account here in trying to find explanations for the effectiveness of urine therapy. Urine can be considered to contain an exact holographic picture of the body fluids and tissues. The biofeedback of this holographic information by re-ingesting the urine may well inform the energy system in a way which helps restoring a disturbed balance. The medical doctor and urine therapist Abele cautiously discusses the possible effect of urine as holographic feedback: “The question rises as to whether urine could possibly be considered to be a sort of liquid-hologram. Once the body has been made conscious of urine in an unconventional way (such as it being reintroduced into the body by intramuscular injection) the whole organism evaluates it and subsequently updates its own regulating mechanisms (at least in specific cases).”
The theory of transmutation implies that the body is capable, through energetic exchange within the body itself, to transmute certain substances or molecules into other ones. ‘Short-circuiting’ the system by ingesting one’s own secreted body fluids might stimulate the transmutational forces within and challenge the body to transform unusable substances into usable ones without being constantly disturbed by new external input. It could possibly go as deep as to restructure disturbed DNA. This would specifically apply to fasting on urine.
An important aspect here is the theory of structured water. The body consists for the biggest part of water and so does urine. Not all water is the same though. The molecular structure of water can be less or more organized and in the latter case one speaks of structured water. The more it is organized, the better all kind of enzymatic processes can do their job. These enzymatic processes, in their turn, are responsible and necessary for the digestion, absorption and transmutation of all nutrients.
It is scientifically proven how water in biological systems becomes more organized. Water also becomes more organized through exposure to sunlight and through close contact with crystals. The body is both a receptor of sunlight and it contains a high amount of solid and liquid cristallinelike substances. Also body fluids themselves form fluid crystals.
Urine is thus a cristallinelike substance containing a high amount of structured water. This structured water, when taken in again, promotes better enzymatic functioning and it has a higher solubility for minerals. A higher amount of structured water in the body system is correlated with better health and more energy.
The fact that urine is a liquid crystal substance, particularly because of the various salts in it, implies that it contains crystalline vibrations completely in tune with the vibrational condition of the body. Re-ingestion might give the body valuable vibrational information needed for two things. Healthy vibrations will strengthen the already existing, healthy body resonance. ‘Diseased’ or stress-vibrations will counteract any unhealthy resonance in the body. It is known that disturbing sounds of any sort can be counteracted best by confronting it with the same sounds. The vibratory patterns of the body, both in the bones (solid crystals) and in the tissues and fluids (liquid crystals), play an important role in the process of transmutation. The resonance field of a crystal can make a protein, for example, change its form into one that is more useful for the body, or easier adaptable by it.
Seeing urine as a liquid crystalline like substance containing a high amount of structured water may help understanding its healing qualities on the more subtle levels.
This is just one little step in trying to explain the energetical effect of urine therapy on the human organism. This way of thinking should be considered as a kind of scientific, modern ‘alchemy’.
There is nothing wrong or scary about this terminology and the way of thinking that goes with it. It is nothing new and at the same time highly modern. It provides a chance to scientifically explain urine therapy in its fullest potential, while at the same time taking into account its rich, spiritually associated, history.
Urine therapy confronts us with a very concrete ‘healer within’ which works both on a mechanistic and on an energetic level. The latter implies that urine, as a holographic substance, can affect all levels of being, from the physical, through the electromagnetical fields of the emotions and the mind, up to the subtler genetic vibrational information of the soul. In this sense urine therapy can be verily seen as one of the divine manifestations of cosmic intelligence.
Thus the ancient name Shivambu Kalpa, a name and a therapy to be treated with appropriate respect.
