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Article history: the lack of the continued presence of the carcinogen in the bladder
Received 18 August 2017 [5]. But this explanation does not stand to reason. This is because, as
Received in revised form per the sequence of carcinogenesis, once a tumour is induced the
26 August 2017 presence of the chemical carcinogen is no longer needed. I instead
Accepted 2 September 2017
Available online xxx
proposed, in 1966, that a putative anti-cancer substance (A.C.S.) is
excreted in the urine which has a low renal threshold and is not
reabsorbed by the renal tubules. As a consequence, A.C.S. could
never reach effective and sustained plasma/tissue levels to be
effective against cancer (Fig. 1). But with the urinary diversion into
the colon, A.C.S. could be reabsorbed continuously into the sys-
temic circulation and hence reach adequate levels and precipitate a
“The problem is not what makes the cell divide, but what has cascade of tumour regression [6].
gone wrong with the mechanism so that it cannot stop? A cancer The very next year-in 1967 e I went to the Yale Medical School
cell is comparable to a car on a slope. If it starts running, the as a Merck International Fellow in the Division of Clinical Phar-
question is not what makes it go, but what's wrong with the macology and Cancer Chemotherapy. There I found, in the hospital
brake?” e Albert Szent-Gyorgyi (Nobel Laureate) [1]. archives, a case report of a patient with leiomyosarcoma. After
Cancer, in its diverse forms, continues to be a formidable ther- surgical removal, the tumour did not recur over the years. However
apeutic challenge, notwithstanding significant advances in cancer during the same period, she had developed a postsurgical vesico-
cell biology and molecular oncology. Malignant melanoma is a vaginal fistula, which could not be successfully repaired after
feared tumour due to its invasive nature and a relative resistance to several attempts. Later, when the fistula was finally successfully
chemotherapy. It is surprising to note that well-documented repaired the tumour came back with an aggressive vengeance and
spontaneous regressions have been reported in patients with ma- patient died with widespread metastases. This supported the
lignant melanoma and in other types of cancer [2,3]. Spontaneous argument of a systemic absorption of A.C.S., from the vaginal mu-
regressions of cancer, though rare, are ‘Nature's whispers' which cosa, due to the irreparable fistula, and consequently a long term
compel us to search for the mechanisms which underlie such suppression of tumour. Once the fistula was repaired and there was
phenomena. However, it is well nigh impossible to organize ran- no leakage of urine into vagina the tumour was not suppressed by
domized double blind trials to investigate the veracity of such rare A.C.S., unavailable systemically. I also, then, studied all the exten-
regressions or to identify the responsible mechanisms in individual sive literature on cancer-promotive and regressive substances in
cancer patients. Are there any alternate paths to study this problem tissues and biological fluids [7e10]. I came across the seminal work,
with vignettes, case profiles and qualitative research? by Williams and Waters, on human urinary extracts inducing
In the year 1966, I was reading a review by Everson on case- tumour regression of Twort alveolar carcinoma in rats [11]. The
reports and vignettes of patients with well-documented regres- work done by Albert Szent-Gyorgyi and colleagues, on the anti-
sion of several types of cancer [4]. What impressed me most was cancer-retine- from tissues and human urine, became known
the vignette of 13 patients with cancer of the urinary bladder that [11e14]. But their focus was only on the keto-aldehydes and methyl
had shown a regression, on a follow up cystoscopy, after uretero- glyoxal in urine extracts. The isolated compounds lacked anti-
sigmoidostomy. Everson and Cole proposed that the regression, cancer activity. This led to a general apathy and disinterest in
after diversion of the urinary stream before cystectomy, was due to these remarkable findings by a Nobel Laureate and his colleagues.
I was aware that the book ‘The Water of Life’, by Armstrong, had
inspired many abroad and also in India to pursue auto-urine ther-
* Corresponding author.
apy movement. There were claims of cancer regression with urine
E-mail address: ashokdbv@gmail.com.
Peer review under responsibility of Transdisciplinary University, Bangalore. therapy in the lay press and in many books [15,16]. As a clinical
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaim.2017.09.005
0975-9476/© 2017 Transdisciplinary University, Bangalore and World Ayurveda Foundation. Publishing Services by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC
BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Please cite this article in press as: Vaidya ADB, Urine therapy in Ayurveda: Ancient insights to modern discoveries for cancer regression,
J Ayurveda Integr Med (2017), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaim.2017.09.005
2 A.D.B. Vaidya / Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine xxx (2017) 1e4
pharmacologist, I was quite wary of some of the tall claims and also Arnold Eisenfeld (discoverer of oestrogen in the hypothalamus)
of a heavy endorsement of auto-urine by a freedom fighter and later were quite supportive to let me test the idea in their laboratory.
the prime minister of India-Sri Morarji Desai. He ascribed his being Black male mice C57 BL/10 (n ¼ 23) were received from the Jackson
in pink of health, in his eighties and nineties, to his long practice of Laboratories, Bar Harbor, Maine. These were housed and taken care
auto-urine consumption [17]. There were also several meetings and of with good laboratory practice. The mice were transplanted with
conferences on auto-urine therapy in India. uniform pieces of B-16 melanoma (circa 3 mm in diameter) sub-
There are references in the classical texts of Ayurveda on urines cutaneously, with a trocar and cannula. The control group (n ¼ 11)
from eight animals, including from humans [18,19]. Their proper- and the treatment group (n ¼ 12) were housed in metabolic cages
ties and activities are different based on the source. A very inter- (3 mice/cage, except in the last control group-2/cage). The access to
esting reference to human urine as a treatment of cancer is food was kept overnight only. The collection of urine, cleaning of
described in a manuscript e Bhrigu Samhita. The shlokas run like cages and weighing of mice were as per standard procedures. The
this: “After going to the urinal, one should collect one's midstream urine was collected for 6 h in centrifuge tubes, covered with
urine in a clean vessel. One should take 1 to 2 tola of urine on a aluminium foil. The tubes were kept on ice in glass beakers. In the
fasting stomach for the duration of one mandal (circa 42 days). The treatment group, 0.5 ml of pooled urine (from the same cage) was
regimen of pathya diet and healthy life style has to be followed” injected intraperitoneally with a sterile syringe. The control group
[20]. There is also a chapter on auto-urine therapy in an ancient received 0.5 ml of normal saline i.p. The tumour size on the marked
manuscript of Yoga eDamar Tantra, published by Athavale in an animals was measured with a calliper for the diameters, carefully,
Ayurvedic journal (1960) [21]. The instructions are similar to those basally and every three days,. The animals were observed for
given by Bhrigu. However, the verses numbered 22 and 23 are morbidity and mortality. The statistical analysis of the data on body
relevant in view of a case described (vide infra). Therein it is stated weights and tumour size was carried out with Student's ‘t’ test.
that if auto-urine is taken for six months continuously with Amruta The increase in the mean body weights of the control group and
(Tinospora cordifolia nee glabra) mixed in urine, it will make the treated group were not significantly different. Fig. 2 shows the
person free of serious diseases and s/he will be healthy and happy. values of the mean tumour volumes of melanoma. These were
There is also a documented centuries-long and current usage of 12.87 ± 1-61 (S.E.) cm3 in the control group and 8.56 ± 0.69 cm3 in
auto-urine drinking in Buddhist and Yogic traditions. This is said to
improve resistance to diseases and a sense of well-being.
There are thousands of small molecules in urine. As a conse-
quence, it is not easy to isolate and identify the specific anti-cancer
bioactive. The variability of these ingredients, based on diet, exer-
cise and life-style, is an added challenge to research. In addition,
there is a repugnance to urine therapy for aesthetic reasons and due
to its smell and taste. This has naturally prevented a serious interest
in the domain. But I felt that there is a need to at least to study this
further. This can be first done experimentally and then in case re-
ports/vignettes. To neglect all the aforesaid hits/leads by reputed
scientists and shastras would not be fair. We should miss out any
chance to understand the host mechanisms for cancer control
which may help patient care.
At Yale, I learnt from Dr van Woert (a pioneer in l-dopa therapy
of Parkinson's disease) and Dr Sartorelli (a leading onco-
pharmacologist) how to transplant melanoma in mice. Then I car-
ried out a preliminary experiment, which I love to share after many Fig. 2. The difference in melanoma volumes between the control and auto-urine
years. My mentor Dr Robert Levine (medical ethics guru) and Dr treated groups (*p < 0.05).
Please cite this article in press as: Vaidya ADB, Urine therapy in Ayurveda: Ancient insights to modern discoveries for cancer regression,
J Ayurveda Integr Med (2017), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaim.2017.09.005
A.D.B. Vaidya / Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine xxx (2017) 1e4 3
Please cite this article in press as: Vaidya ADB, Urine therapy in Ayurveda: Ancient insights to modern discoveries for cancer regression,
J Ayurveda Integr Med (2017), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaim.2017.09.005
4 A.D.B. Vaidya / Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine xxx (2017) 1e4
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Please cite this article in press as: Vaidya ADB, Urine therapy in Ayurveda: Ancient insights to modern discoveries for cancer regression,
J Ayurveda Integr Med (2017), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaim.2017.09.005