Urophagia is the consumption of urine. Urine was used in several ancient cultures for various health, healing, and cosmetic purposes; urine drinking is still practiced today.[1] In extreme cases, people may drink urine if no other fluids are available, although numerous credible sources (including the US Army Field Manual) advise against using it. Urine may also be consumed as a sexual activity.
Reasons for urophagia
As an emergency survival technique
Survival guides such as the US Army Field Manual, the SAS Survival Handbook,[2] and others[3][better source needed] generally advise against drinking urine for survival.[4] 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.[4]
In one incident, Aron Ralston drank urine when trapped for several days with his arm under a boulder.[5] Survivalist television host Bear Grylls drank urine and encouraged others to do so on several episodes on his TV shows.[6]
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.[9]
Health warnings
The World Health Organization 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.[10]
