Urophagia is the consumption of
urine
Urine is a liquid by-product of metabolism in humans and many other animals. In placental mammals, urine flows from the Kidney (vertebrates), kidneys through the ureters to the urinary bladder and exits the urethra through the penile meatus (mal ...
.
Urine was consumed in several ancient cultures for various health, healing, and
cosmetic purposes
. People have been known to drink urine in extreme cases of
water scarcity, however numerous sources, including the ''
US Army Field Manual'', advise against it.
Urine may also be consumed as a
sexual activity.
Human health warnings
The
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...
has found that the pathogens contained in urine rarely pose a health risk. However, it does caution that in areas where ''
Schistosoma haematobium'', a parasitic flatworm, is prevalent, it can be transmitted from person to person.
Human consumption of urine
As food
Emergency survival techniques
Survival guides such as the ''
US Army Field Manual'', 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.
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.
Medicine
Historically, doctors would taste patients' urine to detect
hyperglycemia.
Sexual activity
Folk medicine
In various cultures,
alternative medicine
Alternative medicine refers to practices that aim to achieve the healing effects of conventional medicine, but that typically lack biological plausibility, testability, repeatability, or supporting evidence of effectiveness. Such practices are ...
can advocate the consumption of urine from various animals such as humans,
camels, or
cattle for medicinal or cosmetic purposes, but no evidence supports their use.
[Why You Definitely Shouldn't Drink Your Own Pee](_blank)
Gizmodo, 22 Oct 2014
Forced
People may be forced to drink urine as a form of torture or humiliation, as in the case of a
Dalit boy in
Jaunpur, India, who in 2023 was accused by local youths of sexually harassing a girl.
Consumption of urine by non-human animals
Livestock
Giraffes
Male giraffes taste the urine of females in order to detect fertility.
References
{{Reflist, 2
External links
Urine Therapy explained by Boulder resident Brother Sage Shivambhu, non profit organization
Alternative medicine
Biologically based therapies
Pica (disorder)
Sexual acts
Paraphilias
Survival skills
Urine