Urophagia is the consumption of

urine Urine is a liquid by-product of metabolism in humans and in many other animals. Urine flows from the kidneys through the ureters to the urinary bladder. Urination results in urine being excretion, excreted from the body through the urethra. Cel ...

. Urine was used in several ancient cultures for various health, healing, and

cosmetic Cosmetic may refer to: *Cosmetics, or make-up, substances to enhance the beauty of the human body, apart from simple cleaning *Cosmetic, an adjective describing beauty, aesthetics, or appearance, especially concerning the human body *Cosmetic, a t ...

purposes; urine drinking is still practiced today. In extreme cases, people may drink urine if no other fluids are available, although numerous credible sources (including the ''

US Army Field Manual United States Army Field Manuals are published by the United States Army's Army Publishing Directorate. As of 27 July 2007, some 542 field manuals were in use. They contain detailed information and how-tos for procedures important to soldiers ser ...

'') advise against using it. Urine is either consumed as a remedy to heal yourself or topically for external health.

Reasons for urophagia

As an emergency survival technique

Survival guides such as the ''

'', the '' SAS Survival Handbook'', and others generally advise ''against'' drinking urine for survival. These guides state that drinking urine tends to worsen rather than relieve dehydration due to the salts in it, and that urine should not be consumed in a survival situation, even when no other fluid is available. While some people in dire straits have drunk their urine, whether this actually helped or hindered their situation is unclear. In one incident, Aron Ralston drank urine when trapped for several days with his arm under a boulder. Survivalist television host Bear Grylls drank urine and encouraged others to do so on several episodes on his TV shows.

Folk medicine

In various cultures,

alternative medicine Alternative medicine is any practice that aims to achieve the healing effects of medicine despite lacking biological plausibility, testability, repeatability, or evidence from clinical trials. Complementary medicine (CM), complementary and alt ...

applications exist of urine from humans, or animals such as camels or

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult mal ...

, for medicinal or cosmetic purposes, including drinking of one's own urine, but no evidence supports their use.Why You Definitely Shouldn't Drink Your Own Pee
Gizmodo, 22 Oct 2014

Sexual practice

Some people are sexually aroused by urine, which can include the drinking of their own or other people's urine.

Health warnings

The

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...

has found that the pathogens contained in urine rarely pose a health risk. However, it does caution that in areas where '' Schistosoma haematobium'' is prevalent, it can be transmitted from person to person.

References

{{Reflist, 2

External links

Urine Therapy explained by Boulder resident Brother Sage
Alternative medicine Biologically-based therapies Pica (disorder) Sexual acts Paraphilias Survival skills Urine