Taking piss for health bliss

The number of people consuming urine to boost their health is rising. [Courtesy]

Drinking a glass of wine every day is often said to be good for your health but what if results from scientific experiments would suggest the same about your pee, would you partake?

Various cultures have consumed urine for religious or health reasons for millennia. In the present day, a small number of religious or alternative health organisations also advocate drinking urine.

Urine has been a folk remedy for centuries. The ancient Romans, for example, believed that urine from Portugal could cleanse their mouths and whiten their teeth.

In 1944, British naturopath John Armstrong claimed that drinking urine was the “perfect medicine.”

A group of friends were sharing friendly banter on lifestyle trends and the adoption of alternative health as a solution to the numerous doctor’s strikes, noting that more people are turning to herbs and healthy living habits, consequently saying goodbye to western medicine.

The debate took a grotesque turn with the suggestion that a huge number of people is also taking up urophagia, the practice of consuming your urine, as a more rounded option.

“If someone were to suggest that a glass of urine consumed daily boost your health and keeps the doctor away, you would think they’re crazy, right? posed one.

“Well it’s not, it possibly could be the next frontier,” responded another in support, further spinning the discussion. However, in recent years, some  researchers and health institutions are at an advanced stage to determine whether urotherapy could yield health benefits.

This follows a growing number of individuals globally who are incorporating a range of naturopathy therapies as a means of staying healthy and minimising chances of falling ill.

Despite the fact that people hate urine, the fringe following of people drinking their own urine has picked up steam recently with personal testimonials claiming that consumption resulted in better skin, makes  them feel young by ‘creating an artery scrubbing sensation aiding blood flow’ besides restoring better vision and weight loss.

Whilst there is no scientific evidence that supports the practice of drinking your own urine, the habit has been growing in popularity despite remaining a taboo to a large extent.

Urine is defined as a waste product excreted from the kidney made up of dissolved substances such as water, salt, ammonia and other byproducts extracted from the bloodstream. 

Eunice (not her real name) confessed to picking up the bizarre lifestyle from a family friend after suffering from severe acne.

“My social life was dented and I would prefer sticking indoors than mingling with my peers. However, a childhood friend shared her remedy and encouraged me to give it a try. The results have been amazing,” she says.

Nonetheless, she acknowledges keeping it a secret for fear of being judged and admits that she was almost deterred by early failure.

“When I started, I never even told my boyfriend or colleagues. It sure does need a nerve and a lot of getting used to but consistency and patience is key because it is not an overnight affair,” she encourages.

Mike Owegi, another urine lover, echoes similar sentiments. Individually, he has converted a group of his close clique to urine ingestion. He encourages a step by step approach before you can fully wash down a full glass.

“To start with, I suggest that you take a tablespoon or two in a half glass of water or juice. This helps in curbing the psychological blockage associated with the majority who won’t give it a try. For starters, it literally is a bitter pill to swallow but once you get used to it, you’re good to go,” he emphasizes.

For more than a decade, Owegi gulps the mid-stream of his first-morning urine which he considers the most important drink of the day.

For those in need of a less dramatic treatment, the ‘water treatment’ which includes a little self-wash with pee through water is recommended and helps replenish the skin.

One of the greatest secrets to a beautiful glow is using urine on the skin. She recommends placing a towel soaked in urine and leaving it on your face for some minutes before taking a shower which she claims opens up the pores and penetrates the seven layers of the skin thus regenerating it according to cosmetologist Naomi Mburu.

She, however, is quick to note that not all urine is used for this kind of therapy insisting that urine should reflect our inner body purity.

“Urine may vary in colour and composition based on what we eat but pee with a strong and pungent smell is a sign of dehydration due to consumption of toxic substances such as alcohol and may be too toxic. All you need to do is drink lots of water until it clears up,” she says.  

“It may sound unbelievable but many of us are oblivious to the fact that our first months of life in the womb were actually spent swimming in the amniotic fluid which is made up of at least two glasses whose composition is 80 per cent urine. Urine won’t kill you.”

The craze could perhaps have been driven by social media advocates who go the full length to praise its use. 

Local urologist Wyclif Osoro nevertheless says despite a huge number subscribing to the idea, users ought to be extra cautious while sampling their toxic waste saying it could be detrimental and result in more harm than good. These are waste products from the body that would rather be excreted than retained.

In case they accumulate, then you fall ill. The fact that it is a sterile liquid largely composed of water is still compromised by intake of different chemicals including drugs and alcohol which then eliminates its safety.

Most public restrooms are filled with foul stenches, that’s a clear indication only comparable to a dumping site. Consuming it can have very serious side effects. Various tribes globally have been known to be ingestors of the occasional brownish coloured drink.

Traders from particular one in China are said to be in the lucrative business selling pee from young children and toddlers which is most sought after including online orders which range at several hundred Euros. Others are known to age it like whiskey in urine banks to convert them into neurons or stem cells for therapeutic use at a later date. 

As more and more people are seeing alternative treatments as offering more personal autonomy and control over health care decisions, prominent personalities world over are admitting to be piss partakers.

British actress Sarah Miles is on record but it was former Indian Prime Minister Morarji Desai who stunned the world when he publicly claimed that he took a glass of his own piss every morning to keep his health in check.

So next time you have that call of nature, bottle it up at which point you could save a glass for the wee hours and just remember it is best taken with some ice or a dash of soda to taste.

Try it, would you?