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 excreted from the body through the urethra. Cellular ...

. Urine was used in several ancient cultures for various health, healing, and cosmetic 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 Aron Lee Ralston (born October 27, 1975) is an American mountaineer, mechanical engineer, and motivational speaker, known for surviving a canyoneering accident by cutting off part of his right arm. On April 26, 2003, during a solo descent of Bl ...

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 applications exist of urine from humans, or animals such as

camels A camel (from: la, camelus and grc-gre, κάμηλος (''kamēlos'') from Hebrew or Phoenician: גָמָל ''gāmāl''.) is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. ...

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 ma ...

, 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 ...

has found that the pathogens contained in urine rarely pose a health risk. However, it does caution that in areas where ''

Schistosoma haematobium ''Schistosoma haematobium'' (urinary blood fluke) is a species of digenetic trematode, belonging to a group (genus) of blood flukes (''Schistosoma''). It is found in Africa and the Middle East. It is the major agent of schistosomiasis, the most ...

'' 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