Some weeks ago, a Facebook page shared posts from a closed group of people who believed in urine therapy or urotherapy.
One member had posted that his new eatery was about to open and was wondering whether he could add urine to the food he would serve customers in order to make it healthier. Another had replied with a photo of a noodle bowl, claiming he ran a noodle shop where urine was added to the soup. He said he did so because most of his customers were manual labourers who often complained about muscle pains. He claimed that his customers told him the noodles helped relieve their muscle aches.
The controversial posts were reported on by several news outlets, provoking horror and outrage from the public. However, as reporters went on to discover, a surprising number of people believe in urine therapy, including some in the medical profession.
According to one report, a male nurse added urine (which he had put through a refinement process) to a cleaning agent, which he then used to clean the wound of a diabetic patient. The wound allegedly healed after two weeks. The nurse in question claims that he explained the situation to the patient and asked permission beforehand. The case is currently being investigated by the Thailand Nursing and Midwifery Council.
The Buddhist Medicine Foundation (BMF) has attracted media attention because of its support for alternative medicines and urine therapy. Members of the foundation claim to have recorded cases of patients undergoing urine therapy and recovering from illnesses such as gout, scrub typhus, tuberculosis and even cancer. Not only do members drink urine, some use it as eye drops and shampoo.
The BMF is led by Jaipetch Klajon, who also goes by the name Doctor Keaw, despite not actually being a medical doctor. He claims that urine therapy is clearly supported by the Tripitaka and that Lord Buddha himself stated that urine was medicine. Jaipetch insists that urine contains elements that are beneficial for our bodies, even comparing it to a vaccine, helping us develop immunity against disease.
Jaipetch's claims have been decried by many monks and Buddhist scholars, who say he has misinterpreted the Tripitaka. One monk, Phra Maha Praiwan, in an effort to clear up any misunderstanding of the scriptures, explained that, in the Tripitaka, Lord Buddha mentions terminalia chebula, a kind of herb fermented in cow's urine in order to make medicine. This was used as an alternative medicine for any monk with mild symptoms who lived far away from a village or a doctor. Phra Maha Praiwan insisted that when Lord Buddha himself was sick, he sought a doctor for a medical treatment and did not drink urine.
Unfortunately, the BMF refuse to accept this interpretation. To them, urine is a magical cure all. There may not be any substantive evidence to back up their claims. But what's the harm?
Medical technologist Pakphum Dechhassadin, who operates the Mor Lab Panda page on Facebook, explained that urine consists of 95% water, 2.5% urea and 2.5% other elements (sodium, potassium, magnesium, etc). Drinking even uncontaminated urine is a lot less beneficial than eating just a spoonful of rice. In his lab, he looks at urine samples through a microscope every day and what he sees is often contaminated with blood, bacteria, parasites and other potentially harmful elements. He urged people to refrain from using urine to clean wounds or as eye drops.
Assoc Prof Weerachai Phutdhawong from the Chemistry Division at Kasetsart University recently appeared on the talk show Tang Khon, Tang Kid (People Think Differently) and addressed the claims of the BMF. Cases where patients recovered from their symptoms after drinking urine, he said, were most likely down to the placebo effect. He also warned that drinking other people's urine is particularly dangerous because it increases exposure to diseases such as hepatitis B.
There are a lot questionable beliefs in Thailand. Although I strongly disagree with the idea of urine therapy, I believe it is a personal choice. If you want to drink your own pee, go ahead. But it is completely and utterly wrong to add urine to food served to members of the public. Even if you think you're doing something that benefits others, it's unethical. Not to mention, it violates food safety regulations. Those eateries should be shut down.
As Pakphum says, if you believe in urine therapy, subject it to the proper scrutiny: do proper research in a lab and conduct proper tests on animals and human beings. If evidence can be found for the health benefits of urine, then maybe we'll be prepared to swallow it.
Suwitcha Chaiyong is a feature writer for the Life section of the Bangkok Post.