Urine Therapy was practised by sages of old in India as SHIVAMBU-KALPA, literally meaning the water of Shiva’s blessing, or welfare. In such scriptures of the Hindus, as the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, the Damar Tantra, the Rudra Yamal Tantra, etc. Shivambu has been adored as ‘amrita’, or the ‘nectar of life’ (very much similar to Armstrong’s ‘water of life’).
Another manuscript, the ‘Avadhut Vrata’ gives it a place of honour by referring to it as the holy MEANS OF SELF-REALISATION.
Thus, it may be seen that the Urine therapy very well existed in India, though under different names, as Shivambu-kalpa or Amaroli. Their mention in yoga and tantric works of literature confirms this fact.
In ancient times this concept, or science of Shivambu-kalpa even travelled from India to as far as Greece and Asia Minor in the West and to Tibet and Burma in the East.
However, much later, with progress in the field of indigenous medicine of herbal uses and of tasty syrups and extracts and the growing way of easy life in comparison with the therapy’s hard rules of diet discipline, as also the introduction of some rites and ceremonies that discarded the use of urine, the people bade good-bye to the old practice of Shivambu drink, which was left to the care and use of the yogis.
The yogis, too, kept its use as something mystic and secret, not to be divulged to the general public, thus avoiding controversies. The very fact that the use of cow’s urine continued to be treated holy and beneficial medically, goes, in a way, to prove that the use of human urine would have also been a common practice.
To give support to these reasonings, we reproduce below some quotes from such books of ancient wisdoms, which will convince the reader of the antiquity and truth of the use of urine for physical and spiritual well-being. Since these are found in Sanskrit, only their English translations are given here.
There are 107 Sanskrit couplets, in which Lord Shiva converses with Parvati on the use of Shivambu. As a specimen only two are quoted here:
“O PARVATI! one who drinks urine once a day and rubs it over his body for three years, gets a body full of strength and lustre, gets the knowledge of arts and sciences, attains speech with forceful execution and lives long as there are stars and moon in the sky.” — Damar Tantra.
Again, in another couplet Lord Shiva tells:
“O PARVATI! different deities are living in that water from which urine is made, then why is urine said to be contaminated.” — Gyanarnava Tantra.
Some more couplets or quotes from other sources are:
“Human urine is basic, bitter and light. It destroys diseases of the eyes, makes the body strong, improves digestion and destroys cough and cold.” — Harit.
“Human urine destroys poison, properly used it gives new life, purifies blood, clears skin troubles, is sharp in taste and contains many salts.” — Bhava Prakasha.
“Human urine controls bile in blood, destroys worms, cleans intestines, controls cough and calms the nerves. It is sharp in taste, destroys laziness and is an antidote to poisons.” — yoga Ratnakar.
“Human urine is an antidote to poison.” — Shushrut Samhita.
“There exists nothing in this world, which cannot be used as a medicine.” — Vagbhatt.
“In the doctrine of the Kapalikas, amaroli (urine) is the drinking of the mid-stream, leaving the first, for it is too pungent (too much bile) and the last which is useless. He, who drinks ‘amari’, snuffs it daily, and practices Vajroli, is said to be practising amaroli.” — Hathayoga Pradipika.