Urine Therapy: Gross... I Know. That Was My First Reaction Too.

Let's just get it out of the way.

Yes... we're talking about drinking urine.

Gross.

I know.

That was exactly my reaction the first time I heard about it.

After more than thirty years studying healing traditions from around the world, I've learned something surprising: many therapies that are now accepted once sounded absolutely ridiculous.

Leeches are used in modern microsurgery.

Fecal microbiome transplants are saving lives.

Medicinal maggots clean infected wounds better than scalpels.

Acupuncture was once dismissed as superstition and is now practiced in hospitals worldwide.

So when someone suggested urine therapy, I laughed.

Then I started reading.

Then, eventually, I tried it myself.

Urine Therapy

An Ancient Practice Called Shivambu

What surprised me most was discovering that urine therapy isn't a modern wellness trend at all.

In India, the practice is known as Shivambu ("The Water of Shiva") or Amaroli, a yogic purification practice described in the Shivambu Kalpa Vidhi, a section of the ancient Damar Tantra. Rather than presenting urine as a waste product, these ancient texts describe it as part of a broader system of rejuvenation (rasayana), vitality, and spiritual development.

Traditional Ayurvedic philosophy teaches that the body possesses an innate intelligence that is always striving toward balance. Health depends on maintaining strong digestion (agni), abundant life force (prana), and healthy vitality (ojas). Shivambu was never presented as a miracle cure, but as one practice among many—including yoga, meditation, breathwork, fasting, and a clean, disciplined lifestyle—that could help restore harmony within the body.

"But Isn't Urine Just Waste?"

That's probably the first question everyone asks.

Modern physiology tells us that urine is approximately 95% water. The remainder contains urea, minerals, hormones, enzymes, amino acids, metabolites, electrolytes, and many other compounds filtered from the bloodstream.

Traditional practitioners don't simply view urine as waste.

Instead, they see it as carrying a unique biochemical "snapshot" of the body's current state—a reflection of the body's own internal communication.

The Philosophy Behind Urine Therapy

This is the part I find fascinating.

Within the Shivambu tradition, drinking a small amount of one's own morning urine is believed to reintroduce information already produced by the body. Rather than acting as a drug, the practice is thought to expose the body to its own biological signals.

Some practitioners describe it as reminding the body of its original blueprint.

Others compare it to providing feedback that helps restore balance.

This philosophy reminds me of homeopathy—not because the two practices are identical, but because both are based on the idea that very small amounts of biological information may stimulate the body's own self-regulating abilities rather than forcing change from the outside.

Whether this is truly how urine therapy works has not been established by modern clinical research. However, it remains one of the central ideas preserved within the Ayurvedic tradition.

What Changed My Mind

What fascinated me wasn't actually the urine therapy.

It was what happened after people changed their diets.

Every person I met who practiced Shivambu seriously first transformed the way they ate. Most followed an extremely clean, simple diet inspired by macrobiotic or traditional Ayurvedic principles.

Processed foods disappeared.

Alcohol disappeared.

Refined sugar disappeared.

Artificial additives disappeared.

Then something remarkable happened.

Their morning urine gradually became almost completely clear.

It lost its strong odour.

It had virtually no taste.

The first time someone told me this, I honestly didn't believe it.

Then I experienced it myself.

It completely changed the way I thought about urine.

While there is little scientific research specifically examining this observation, we do know that hydration, medications, metabolism, and diet all influence the colour, concentration, and odour of urine. My own experience—and that of many others I've spoken with—is that as the body becomes cleaner, the urine changes dramatically as well.

How Is It Traditionally Practiced?

Traditional Shivambu teachings recommend using only the middle portion of the first morning urine, discarding the beginning and end of the stream. Many practitioners begin with approximately one ounce (30 mL), taken on an empty stomach.

The emphasis is not on drinking large quantities.

The emphasis is on consistency, simplicity, and combining the practice with healthy living.

My Own Perspective

Over the years, I've met several people who chose to include urine therapy as part of their healing journey, often alongside profound dietary and lifestyle changes. Some experienced recoveries that they personally attributed, at least in part, to this practice. Those stories sparked my curiosity and encouraged me to learn more.

At the same time, it's important to acknowledge where the evidence stands today. Modern Western medicine has conducted very little high-quality clinical research on auto-urine therapy, and it is not recognized as an evidence-based treatment for cancer or other serious diseases. Most of what we know comes from ancient texts, individual experiences, case reports, and theoretical research rather than large clinical trials.

That doesn't automatically mean the practice is ineffective.

It means there are still many unanswered questions.

History has shown us that some ancient healing traditions were eventually supported by scientific research, while others were not. The only way to know the difference is through careful, rigorous investigation.

Why I Think It's Worth Talking About

I don't expect everyone reading this to rush out and try urine therapy.

In fact, many people will stop reading long before they reach this paragraph.

That's okay.

My goal isn't to convince anyone.

My goal is to encourage curiosity.

For thousands of years, Ayurvedic physicians and yogis preserved this practice because they believed it supported vitality and self-healing.

Perhaps they were completely wrong.

Perhaps they were partly right.

Or perhaps there are aspects of human biology that we simply haven't taken the time to study.

After three decades studying healing in many different forms, I've learned that some of the greatest discoveries begin with a simple question:

What if we've dismissed something simply because it sounds strange?

Sometimes the most unusual ideas deserve not blind belief—but an open mind, thoughtful questions, and honest scientific investigation.