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Urine therapy through the centuries

Article  in  Journal of nephrology · May 2011

DOI: 10.5301/JN.2011.6463 · Source: PubMed

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Vincenzo Savica Lorenzo Calò

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 ORIGINS OF NEPHROLOGY
Urine therapy through the centuries
Vincenzo Savica 1, 2, Lorenzo A. Calò 3,
Domenico Santoro 1, Paolo Monardo 2,
Agostino Mallamace 1, Guido Bellinghieri 1
ABSTRACT
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Urine has always interested and attracted the atten-
tion of people. It was in fact never considered a waste
product of the body but rather as a distilled product
selected from the blood and containing useful sub-
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stances for the care of the body. It was referred to as
the “gold of the blood” and “elixir of long life,” indicat-
ing its therapeutic potential. This paper reports on the
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practice of urine therapy since its origin attributed to
the Indian culture, and briefly reviews its use through
the centuries and different cultures and traditions. Re-
cords from the Egyptians to Jews, Greeks, Romans
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and from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance testify
to the practice of urine therapy – a practice that con-
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tinues to be found in more recent times, from the 18th
century to the present. Experiences with the practice
of urine therapy have even been discussed and shared
recently in 2 different conferences: in 1996 in India
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and in 1999 in Germany, where people from different
countries shared and presented their own research on
urine therapy.
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Key words: Damar Tantra, Elixir of long life, Fellones,
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Pompei, Urine therapy
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INTRODUCTION
Interest in urine and its medical (1), physiological, thera-
peutic, philosophic, esoteric and alchemic properties has
© 2011 Società Italiana di Nefrologia - ISSN 1121-8428
JNEPHROL 2011; 24 (S17):S123- S125
DOI:10.5301/JN.2011.6463
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1
Department of Nephrology, University of Messina,
Messina - Italy
2
Nephrology and Dialysis Unit, Papardo Hospital,
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Messina - Italy
3
Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine,
Clinica Medica 4, University of Padova, Padova - Italy
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Department of Nephrology, University of Messina, Messina - Italy
Nephrology and Dialysis Unit, Papardo Hospital, Messina - Italy
Department of Nephrology, University of Messina, Messina - Italy
Department of Nephrology, University of Messina, Messina - Italy
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a long history. It has had many semantic meanings that
have distinguished different medical aspects, sometimes
contrasting with each other. The ancient meanings given
to the word urine, indicate the interest and attraction that
urine has had in the life of people who considered it a sa-
cred element related to religious Hindu ceremonies and
a part of the Tantric religious traditions. Urine was not
considered a waste product of the body but a distilled
product selected from the blood and containing useful
substances for the care of the body. Urine has had the
following meanings in various cultures: drink, strength,
light, energy, information, distillation of the body, a sub-
stance able to induce transmutation and the passage
from disease to health, and in ancient Jewish “the be-
ing.” Considering the urine as distilled from the blood, it
was referred to as the “gold of the blood” and the “elixir
of long life,” reflecting its therapeutic aspect.
ORIGIN OF URINE THERAPY
The origin of urine therapy has to be attributed to the Indian
culture. In fact the ancient Damar Tantra in Shivanbu Kahe
Vidhi, a 5,000-year-old Hindu sacred text (Fig. 1), records
perhaps for the first time, the diagnostic and therapeutic ap-
proach to the urine (2). In the Susruta Samhita, and other
ancient traditions from Tibet and Hunza in India, as well as
of the Hulcos in Mexico and from natives of Australia, there
are descriptions of 10 different types of urine, based on dif-
ference from normality (2, 3).
In China and India, urine was poured on the ground and
watched for the coming of ants that would testify to the
S123
 Savica et al: Urine therapy
Fig. 1 - Shivambù Kalpa Vidhi in Sanskrit.
presence of sugar (2, 3). The Egyptians used to water
seeds with urine from women, as a test of pregnancy: if
the seeds sprouted indicating the supposed presence in
the urine of growth factors, the test was considered posi-
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tive (2, 3). Early Jewish and Christian traditions report the
practice of urine therapy. A relationship was noted be-
tween urine and the Holy Grail as a container of the wa-
ter of the life, citing the Bible (Proverbs 5:15-19): “Drink
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waters of your tank (bladder), the water coming from
your well.…” The citation of Jesus (Isaiah 36:16) “to drink
water from the own source,” interpreted as an image of
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peace and prosperity, referred to the urine. In the Apoca-
lypse, the sentence “in the new Sky and new Hearth the
inhabitants will drink in the river of the life on whose shore
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there is the tree of the life” is interpreted in relation to
urine therapy. Galen and other Greek physicians recom-
mended the therapeutic use of urine as did Pliny, who
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recommended the use of urine to cure burns, inflamma-
tion and skin diseases. Hippocrates and the Hippocratic
school diagnosed gonorrhea and tuberculosis based on
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the color of the urine and whether “in the urine floated
fat deposits like spider’s web” (3). Theophilus, famous in
Byzantium, reported in the seventh century on urine modi-
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fications coupled with different pathological states. Also
Paracelsus underlined the diagnostic importance of the
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urine and recommended that on their initial visit, patients
bring to their doctor the first urine of the morning. Diodo-
rus of Sicily in his Bibliotheca historica, reported that at
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his time the therapeutic use of urine was common, as well
as its use as a toothpaste for brushing and preserving the
health of teeth (4). In Rome, there were people, the “fel-
lones,” who collected urine from house to house for its
various uses. In Rome, urine was recommended for the
S124 © 2011 Società Italiana di Nefrologia - ISSN 1121-8428
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Fig. 2 - Public convenience in ancient Pompei.
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treatment of ulcers by wetting the body of patients with
their own urine. In ancient Pompei, an important public
officer appointed by the emperor, the “latrinaro,” obliged
men to urinate in public conveniences; if they did not, the
latrinaro squeezed their testicles until they screamed with
pain (Fig. 2).
In Medieval times, it was common for urine to be tasted for
the presence of sugar. In the Renaissance, the German bi-
ologist Burk reported recovery of patients from skin cancer
using the urine of people who ate cabbage. In Japan, urine
therapy was known from the 14th century and used for the
treatment of asthma, diabetes, hypertension and, more re-
cently, cancer and AIDS (3).
In Paris at the beginning of the 18th century, dentists used to
prescribe the use of urine for the treatment of several dental
diseases; in addition in Europe, people used to drink their
own urine as a defense against the plague. In the English-
man’s Treasure, published in 1841, a method to clean inju-
ries with urine was described. Finally, it is known that people
escaped dehydration in the desert drinking their own urine.
Drinking one’s own urine was in fact common among Ameri-
can Indians, among the Tuareg in the Sahara, the native
population of Australia, the lama in Tibet and others. In the
United States, urine was considered the best medicine for
ear pain. Nowadays, the use of urine therapy is suggested
as a remedy for several diseases, from flu to pneumonia, to
Parkinson’s disease. The rationale for its use is based on
the fact that urine is not considered a waste product of the
body but one containing active metabolic degradation prod-
ucts that have therapeutic effects. It seems that today urine
therapy is practiced by millions of people in the world, taken
orally, by injection, inhalation or gargled for the treatment of
many pathological conditions (2-4).
 JNEPHROL 2011; 24 (S17):S123- S125

doctors from all over the world reporting on their prac-

RECENT CONTRIBUTIONS

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tice of urine therapy and mentions medical publications
reporting the efficacy of urine therapy in the treatment of

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Recently, experiences of the practice of urine therapy different disease. On the basis of these previous consid-

have been discussed and shared in 2 different conferenc-
es: the first held in Goa, India, in 1996, and the second
in Gersfeld, Germany, in 1999. In these 2 conferences,
people from more than 50 countries shared their experi-
on
erations, we can conclude that urine therapy represents
a treatment followed by a great number of people who
thus treat themselves with a natural element.

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ences, reported their own research and their personal re- Financial support: No financial support.
covery from a disease or that of their patients using urine
therapy. In both conferences, in fact, attendees were not

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Conflict of interest statement: None declared.
only researchers interested in understanding why urine
often has positive therapeutic effects but also physicians Address for correspondence:

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who use urine therapy in their practice, former patients Lorenzo A. Calò, MD, PhD
who have recovered from a disease thanks to the “water Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine

on
Clinica Medica 4
of the life” built by their own body. An important con-
University of Padova
tribution to the diffusion of knowledge on urine therapy Via Giustiniani, 2
has been provided by Martha Christy in her book Your 35128 Padova, Italy
Own Perfect Medicine (5). In this book, the author cites
rs renzcalo@unipd.it
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3. Tal-Schaller C. Amaroli o l’acqua della vita. Geneva: Blu Inter-

REFERENCES national Edition; 1993.
1. Consolo F, Savica V, Bellinghieri G. L’esame delle urine-signif- 4. Pschek-Bohmer F. Urinoterapia. Rome: Mediterranee Edi-
ra

icato fisiopatologico. Cosenza, Italy: Bios Editor; 1986. tor; 2002.

2. Tal-Schaller C. L’ultimo degli Amaroli. Thanex, Switzerland: 5. Christy M. Your own perfect medicine. FutureMed, Inc.,
Blu International Studio, Vivez-Soleil Edition; 2002. Scottsdale, AZ, USA: SelfHealing Press; 1994.
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