Lack Of Water and In Desperation Drink Urine?

So, I watch Man vs. Wild and a lot of disaster shows and in desperate measures people drank urine. I'm assuming the more yellow it is the more toxic it is. Is this more dangerous than having no water or is it viable maybe if your urine isn't super yellow and dehydrated?

This is probably a dumb question, but I'm just curious...

 

Your question is one that many people have wondered about so it is by no means a 'dumb' question. Urine, although sterile, does contain waste products in it that, in sufficient concentration over time, can cause sickness, respiratory issues and possibly death. Now, to counterbalance this, if a source of drinkable water is not found, recycling your urine once can buy you an extra 12-24 hours from being incapacitated by dehydration but if you are in that condition, the second time it is recycled, it will be very concentrated and not very safe to drink.

 

I don't think it's a good idea to drink your own urine, but it can be a useful solution for the short term. I'm not sure of exactly the effects, or if it's that useful for hydration. Since it contains mostly waste, I can't imagine it'll hydrate you too much, but it might be able to do a bit of something for you. It's always best to have a reliable clean water source, no matter what. I think that's one of the most important things.

 

I have seen some literature to the effect that urine is not the best thing to ingest. The argument goes that it contains materials that have been expelled from the body and taking it again would be toxic since they have come from blood and will go back into circulation. In fact, water is used to extract the mineral component from the blood that is contained in urine and so its safe to assume that it would dehydrate rather than hydrate the system. But then, desperate problems require desperate solutions.

 

Urine actually does have health benefits, I saw a youtube video a while back. It seems that it is great for purifying the body but the Dr who was talking about it did not drink it straight. Like some of the others said if you drink too much of it then you can get sick. The doctor drank a mostly purified water and urine solution I guess.

 

@Keith H.

Keith showed me this one. I assume that you can use your urine with these methods. You are going to smell the aroma baking in the hot sun that's for sure. Just add urine to the mix and collect drinkable condensation.

To be honest, I would rather be thirsty for a day or two before resorting to drinking my own pee.

 

I've always been curious about the drinking urine. It's really gross to me, but I've often heard people talking about it. I would think it's not a good idea because urine is waste leaving your body and a reason your body is expelling it. That being said, I'm no expert and all I heard were stories that suggest to drink or not to drink urine.

 

We previously talked in this forum how backpacker Aaron Ralston resorted to consuming his own urine in order to stay alive. His situation could be considered irregular and pretty much unfavorable, most people that got lost in the wilderness
probably will be luckier in regards of finding resources than some uncommon extreme cases.

 

If need be, I would resort to doing that as well. But it would be a last option. If I don't see a another option in sight, I would do it. But again, last option.

 

Urine actually consist of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium which are critical plant vitamins, minerals, protein, and so forth. Mining is typically the method that is use to gather these minerals from the earth or the air for cultivating. The undertaking means to test human pee as a substitute for synthetic material that makes plants develop better such as fertilizers etc.

 

I would be concerned about the toxic wastes in urine. A standard American diet is literally loaded with toxins, so the urine might be unsafe to drink in light of today's standards. However, if one isn't ill and is eating a natural diet overall (which, who knows what you can access if you're starving), I would think that it would be relatively safe...in any emergency situation, that is.

 

If you're in a place where drinkable water isn't available (i.e. the middle of nowhere, with miles of any visible populated areas...in a third world country) then, I'd say go for it. Try to save it as a last resort and filter it at least minimally through an article of clothing to prevent intoxication. You may get sick if attempted more than twice,. But if being sick and surviving is better than dying for you, that's a way to make it.

 

I am so glad others were curious as well. Thank you all for your great answers and clarifying certain things for me. The thought of drinking urine horrifies me, but desperate times call for desperate measures. @joshposh That is actually super interesting. I don't know why I never thought of recycling it and yes, I bet the smell is awful, but far enough away it wouldn't be too much of an issue.

 

Interesting topic and like the poster mentioned, it's been done on plenty of shows and heard about from plenty of survival stories. So a little background. Celts used it BC to whiten their teeth. Amaroli is Sanskrit for urine therapy. J.D Salinger sipped his own and even a former Indian Prime Minister, Morarji Desai defended his habit on 60 Minutes. But it's also listed on the US Army's Survival "Do not Drink" list. People have done it and will continue to do it. But drinking your own urine doesn't have any real health benefits. Because it is 95% water, most think it's ok. But it's that other 5% that you have to be wary of, especially if you become dehydrated over time. That 5% is the reason we get rid of it; it can contain and release toxins in the forms of acids from your kidney. Too much sodium will dehydrate you even further and too much potassium can potentially cause a heart attack. So in essence, please exhaust all other options before considering drinking your own urine as an option.

 

An interesting conversation going on here. I thought I should also add and expert opinion.

On Topic.
YES, you can drink your urine in extreme survival cases (where death is immanent because of non availability of water). That is because it contains almost 95% of water and 5% of waste material. However once you drink your urine, the next urine which you will pass will have roughly 50% of water and almost 50% of waste material. Once you consume this urine (2nd time) it will contain almost 20-25% water and 75% waste which is NOT for drinking.

Once you drink your urine for the first time, it will effect you kidneys a little, next time it will make a considerable effect on your kidneys and if you drink it for the 3rd time, be rest assure that you are going to die soon because of renal failure (because of excess amount of waste material in your kidneys and bloodstream). However to further remove the waste from your urine you can consider using a LifeStraw water filter. I've written an article here which explains in detail about the issue in hand.

 

People dying from thirst with no water available have ingested urine and survived.
They survived IN SPITE OF IT; NOT BECAUSE OF IT.
Human urine is a WASTE PRODUCT.
Get it?
Waste, ka-ka, bad fer ya.
This is a prepper site. PREPARE.
Cheesh I carry a gallon of distilled drinking water in my S.U.V. for an emergency in N.E. Ohio
where water abounds.
Dose the water freeze in cold mid-winter in Oh.? NO! Very seldom does in get that cold that
long, too freeze a gallon of water solid.
Remember it's in the vehicle where it's warmer most of the time.
It's be stupid to drink water from a ditch and die of dysentery now wouldn't it?
Renal failure is an issue. Nasty.
Prepping to drink pee-pee is negative prepping. The idea is to prepare so drinking pee
and eating excrement ain't a possibility.
One can "what if" ones self into madness.
Mental health IS survival prepping.
Attitude in everything!
So drink pee-pee if ya want.

 

If you are on medications and running short you can recycle some of that medication by drinking your urine!
Not ideal but if that medication keeps you alive it is your own personal secondhand pharmacy, means you maybe able to stretch out that medication
long enough to reach more supplies!
If you are on essential medication maybe do some research on how it is expelled from the body and in what form! Some can be recycled!

 

Thanks. I STILL ain't doin' it.

 

Despite what you saw on TV, pee is even more full of salts and minerals than seawater, and drinking it will suck the life out of you faster than a bayou full of leeches. And a regular backpacking filter will do you no good. Your only hope is to evaporate the water out of the urine, then collect it.

^^^There ya go.
DON'T!

Prep and you won't need too.
Rebuttal?
Please do.
In N.E. Ohio there is water everywhere. It may not come from a faucet but it's everywhere.
I don't know about everyone's location so if potable water is hard to find carry water with ya.
It's easy to pay 59 cents for a gallon of distilled water at the grocery store.
Or a buck or whatever, or fill an empty plastic milk jug from the tap and carry it in the car.

 

After reading through the comments, the safest thing to do is to always ensure you have a bottle of water with you. You never know when stuff will happen. Im not sure if I can drink my pee though. Its like one of those survival questions where there is no food and you have the dead body of your team member or family member. Would you cook this to eat rather than starve to death?

 

O.K. I'll be blunt.
Don't drink piss.
Period.
Those that did and survived did so in spite of it, not because if it.
Like being marooned on the salt water seas without fresh water.
Drink it and die.

Despite what you saw on TV, pee is even more full of salts and minerals than seawater, and drinking it will suck the life out of you faster than a bayou full of leeches. And a regular backpacking filter will do you no good. Your only hope is to evaporate the water out of the urine, then collect it.

https://www.backpacker.com/survival/survival-mom-is-drinking-urine-
dangerous#!

I hope that settles the sophomoric question about drinking pee pee.

If one lives in some area where fresh water is scarce then carry some bottled
water where ever you go.
Isn't this a survival forum?
Aren't we here to learn to be prepared for an unlikely but possible shtf
situation?
Be prepared then.
Drink piss! humph, really!
Kind of like the stories of people getting bitten by a rattlesnake then shooting
themselves in the bite mark to "blow out the venom".
Old western movie folk lore is what that is.
Stupid.
Most UNTREATED snake bites are survivable for cryin' out loud.
Everyone knows that if you spill salt and throw a pinch over your shoulder
you will have good luck for life!
Cheesh!

And when that Biblical hero died and came out of the tomb 3 days
later and saw his shadow there will be 6 more weeks of winter!
Count on that one.

 

I have seen where it had been recommend that under dire cicumstances where water is not availabe, the best case scenario is to drink one's own urine to prevent dehydration. Frankly, I would find it very difficult to absorb pee because I would be ever aware that it's bodily wase that could contain unwholesome contaminants.

 

I said that those who drank urine survived in SPITE of it not
BECAUSE OF IT.

Any questions?
Case closed.
Do not drink piss.
It's worse than drinking sea water.

Don't take my word for it; google it for your own edification.
Being prepared means you should never be in a position to
drink piss.
If you need to drink piss you weren't prepared.
This is a forum for survival meaning being prepared to survive.