Although it seems virtually a taboo subject in the West, traditional medical practitioners in India and China give a lot of importance to the colour and smell of urine in diagnosis. And the great 11lth-century Arabian physician Avicenna discovered diabetes by urine analysis. I have also met people who drink their urine regularly, either to keep themselves healthy or cure themselves of their ills. One of the things that such people have told me is that the taste and smell of their (fresh) urine varies with what they eat and drink.
Some foodstuffs are likely to make your urine smell strongly; these include excess garlic, asparagus, supplements containing vitamin B complex and certain herbal supplements.
Stale urine smells bad (think of public lavatories), as the urine is decomposed by bacteria. In the same way, your urine will smell strongly if you have a kidney or bladder infection. Strong body odour is often partnered by odorous urine; chronic dehydration (that is, drinking only one or two glasses of water daily also provokes the problem, as does constipation.
Serious medical conditions affect the smell of urine, including high blood sugar, particularly if there is ketosis (a complication of diabetes where the stored fats don’t break down properly). Kidney failure provokes a high concentration of urea, a nitrogen-containing compound, which may cause odour. Hepatitis, chronic liver disorder and chemotherapy also produce a peculiar smell.
Since you say you have had your urine analysed, I suggest the following simple treatments:
Change your eating habits for at least six months: people who practise urine therapy say that a raw food diet can drastically change the taste and smell of urine within days. Initially, though, be warned that things get worse, perhaps because more toxins are thrown out of the body. A raw diet consists of salads, raw vegetables, fruit and vegetable juices, beans, sprouts, soaked nuts, honey (try manuka), yoghurt, cottage cheese, freshly brewed mint, ginger or rose petal tea.
Here are some ideas for meals; use organic ingredients wherever possible:
- Breakfasts: Sprouts such as alfalfa, fruit, gluten-free cereals (oats, millet, rice, etc), porridge, cottage cheese, natural live yoghurt, whole almonds (soaked in ‘water at room temperature for 24 hours).
- Lunches: Vegetables stir-fried in olive oil, salads with yoghurt or olive oil dressing, brown rice, whole-wheat pasta, couscous, hummus with rice cakes or soda bread.
- Evening Meals: Vegetable soup, vegetables stir-fried in olive oil, brown rice, lentils, tofu, paneer (Indian mozzarella-type cheese), goat’s cheese, cottage cheese, fruit salad.
You should also:
- Drink freshly juiced carrot and celery daily for one month.
- Drink one cup of Gokhru tea daily for three months to clear the urinary tract, as any latent infection can cause the urine to smell.
- Take one tablet daily of Chandraprabha Vati or Bangshil; these Ayuruedic supplements help clear the urinary tract.
- Take Kadu infusion daily for two months: soak two Kadu twigs in a cup of hot (boiled) water at night in the morning strain and drink to help detoxify the body. Nettle tea, which you can buy at health-food stores, will also help.
- Make sure you’re not constipated because this can cause the body, breath and urine to smell. Drink 1.5 to 2 litres of water daily; eat papaya, prunes, figs, spinach and beetroot if you have any difficulty take Herbolax : two at night for two months.
- Rose-water, orris-water and orange-blossom water are traditional Indian and Middle Eastern flower treatments to help eradicate body odours of all kinds, including urine (you can buy these in some chemists and in Oriental supermarkets). Add one teaspoonful of either to a glass of water and drink it on an empty stomach daily for one month.
