Urine has appeared in the medical writing of several old cultures, almost always for external use — on skin, wounds and stings — rather than as a drink. This page is a short, factual list of where the tradition turns up historically, not an argument for or against the practice.
Egyptian medical papyri, among the oldest surviving medical documents, include urine among a wide range of substances used topically for wound care — consistent with a broader ancient practice of using bodily fluids in first aid, long before germ theory existed to explain why some worked and others didn't.
Roman writers, including Pliny the Elder in his Natural History, recorded urine's use for a range of skin complaints, and it is known that Roman launderers used stale urine as a source of ammonia — a genuine chemical property, separate from any claimed medicinal one.
Traditional Tibetan medicine includes urine analysis — examining colour, smell and other properties — as a diagnostic tool, a practice with some parallel in early Western medicine's own long history of urine-gazing before laboratory testing existed.
India has the longest continuous record, under the name Shivambu. It appears in the Damar Tantra, and the practice continued into the modern era, drawing renewed public attention when former Prime Minister Morarji Desai spoke openly about drinking his own urine daily, which he credited for his long life.
Everything on this site is a personal account and a record of traditional practice. It is shared for information and reflection. It is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not a treatment for any disease.
If you are unwell — and particularly if you have a serious illness such as cancer, diabetes or heart disease — please stay under the care of a qualified doctor. Nothing here should replace that care or delay it. Talk to your physician before changing anything about how you eat, fast or treat yourself.