Uses for Urine
The Remarkable Properties and Practical Applications of Human Urine
Urine stains and odor can be big problems, especially for people with children or pets. But urine emerges from the body in a sterile and nearly odorless condition; urine smell occurs over time through contamination with ammonia-producing bacteria. The kidneys filter blood and produce urine to maintain the body's balance of fluid, vitamins, electrolytes, amino acids, urea, and antibodies. Another name for urine in medical terms is "plasma ultrafiltrate."
Urine as an Emergency Survival Tool
According to Dr. A.H. Free, in his 1977 book Urinalysis in Clinical Laboratory Practice, urine contains zinc, vitamins B12, B6, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, inositol, folic acid, biotin, ascorbic acid, potassium, iron, calcium, iodine, manganese, magnesium, nitrogen, lysine, arginine, allantoin, bicarbonate, creatinine, cystine, dopamine, epinephrine, glucose, glutamic acid, glycine, lysine, methionine, orinthine, phenylalanine, phosphorus, tryptophan, tyrosine and water. While far from a "superfood," it can sustain life in circumstances of deprivation. Numerous instances of people found alive after several days without food or water have been attributed to their willingness to drink their own urine.
Because urine has antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial properties it has been used to treat wounds on the battlefield and to treat athlete's foot in the shower. Urine soaks for poisonous bites and stings as well as fungal rashes can be effective, though most people prefer other remedies.
Urine has Pharmaceutical Applications
Probably the first hormonal birth control was made in ancient China from urine. Urea, a major compound of urine, was used in the early 19th century against polio and tuberculosis. Currently, it is the basis for glicazide, a drug that treats diabetes. Cosmetics often contain urea. Over-the-counter eyedrops such as Murine are made from synthetic urine. Diuretics made from urea are useful when excess fluid accumulates in the body. The hormone replacement drug Premarin, a treatment for menopausal women, is manufactured from the urine of pregnant horses. The fertility drug Pergonal is made from human urine. Urokinase is a drug based on urine ingredients that dissolves blood clots in clogged arteries.
According to an article in Hippocrates Magazine, Urokinase is harvested by special filters installed in portable urinals for collection of medically valuable proteins such as insulin and growth hormones. It takes seven million gallons of urine to extract two and a quarter pounds of urokinase.
The next time a urine specimen is delivered to a lab for urinalysis, the technician may not appreciate the value contained in the sample to treat, as well as diagnose, disease. With varied components that can serve a vital necessity or be turned into life-saving drugs, this product of healthy kidney functions might deserve more respect.
References:
Free AH, M.D., Urinalysis in Clinical Laboratory Practice, Cleveland, CRC Press; 1977
John Kelley, "The Urine Cure and Other Curious Medical Treatments," Hippocrates Magazine, May/June 1988
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