In the arid and semi-arid region of North Eastern Kenya, the camel is visible in extremely hot temperatures with little or no water.
When drought and famine strike, unlike other animals, the camel is strong and survives in the heat longer.
Traditionally, drinking camel urine meant clean bill of health and recently, the desert animal’s product, exclusively the milk, got worldwide acceptance.
Religious background
First and foremost, the foundation of treating sicknesses with camel urine emanate from the hadith of Prophet Mohammad (Peace Be Upon Him), when he advised his visitors in Madina city to try camel urine and milk. They later got healed.
The visitors, according to the hadith, had a protruding belly, yellow colour skin and were underweight. Health experts attribute such signs to liver cirrhosis.
However, it is the camel with leathery lip, eating tough and thorny trees that provide urine, widely accepted to be healthy, unlike the one in the streets, mainly for generating income.
Commonly, all types of urine; animal and human, contain poisonous substance since it leaves the body as a waste product.
Read more: Camel milk has these 13 health benefits in store for you
The camel urine, however, doesn’t contain such toxic substances as ammonia and urea. This is supported by the 1925-Chinese study published in The Journal of Biological Chemistry.
The Somali community commonly keeps camels for milk and meat but for Uganda’s Karamoja residents, the purpose is urine, which they say, cures various diseases.
Personal experience
Mohamed Barow, a Nairobi-based teacher, used the urine and the results, as he elucidates, are incredible.
“Camel, unlike other domestic animals eats different kinds of trees. The best time to have the urine is during the rainy season due to its low concentration”.
He adds that during the dry season the urine is concentrated, worsening the already bitter and acidic taste, and in such cases, water is added.
As much as a doctor can prescribe medication, a female camel aged 3-4 years or the one that gave birth once or twice is preferred for better results.
“Early in the morning, on an empty stomach, one or two weeks, you can drink the urine and if you can get milk, it will be an added advantage”.
According to him, it works best if 30 minutes after drinking the urine you take fresh milk. It is good for the tummy as it improves bowel movement.
As he says, it also reduces malaria-like symptoms and remains the best medicine for the stomach.
Previous researches
The urine of camel contains a unique substance according to a Sudan-based study. In the study, seventeen bioactive organic compounds were detected.
The rest was obtained to verify that female camel urine extracts are extremely valuable for the detection and manufacture of new drugs of natural origin.
The urine has the ability to protect the liver against toxic agents, act against bacterial, fungal, viral, parasitic and carcinogenic.
In a similar sentiment, mzee Adan trusts that urine has unique medicinal value.
“Most ailments if not all, emanate from stomach problems and drinking bitter but healthy female camel urine has been found to be the best remedy”.
According to previous researches, urine is found to contain a substance that fights cancer.
The study published in the US National Library of Medicine, National Institute of Health concludes that ‘camel urine has anti-cancer properties.
Professor Ahmed Abdalla, a lab expert is among professionals who treated people with camel urine.
The Sudan-based author uses urine to treat diseases such as liver cancer.
He authored many books on camel urine treatment and attended numerous health seminars.
After administering the urine to his patients for a period of 4-5 months, he records the result making it easy to confirm its healing property.
Another personality who keenly studied the camel urine is Ahlaam Al-Awadi.
The Saudi-based professor, after researching the health benefit of urine on the skin, manufactured a skin cream, which has been used to treat skin-related diseases including skin cancer.
The cream has since been protected under World Intellectual Property.
Furthermore, the study by Ahlam paved way for successive researchers to produce shampoos and other creams used in hair treatment.
Other diseases
For diabetes, although there are no studies, the revelation points that both the urine and milk of the camel have an insulin-like substance that controls the sugar level.
Interestingly, urine has also been used for the treatment of HIV. In this regard, there is no single study supporting it, only personal unverifiable testimonies.
In connection with the spread of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, the World Health Organization believes urine is the major cause and warns people against it.
On that note, many doctors disapprove of the use of urine, leaving traditionalists to nurture their cultural aspect.
Speaking to Africanews, Simon Eyoki, a kidney specialist, says that science should give the benefit of the doubt considering the traditional remedy of the urine.
“Science should not automatically dismiss claims to alternatives medical care without necessarily giving a benefit of the doubt.
“These are speculative claims which should be subjected to scientific research because these remedies were there before formal science came in place”, he concludes.
