Yemenis gulp up camel urine for health and beauty benefits, experts remain sceptical.

Small shops selling plant-based oils are found throughout the micro-neighborhoods of Sana`a`s Old City. Bab Al-Hara has earned its fame as one of these shops, with a wide range of oil offerings from castor to almond. Much to the chagrin of animal rights` activists, the shop is well-known for its production of sesame oil using a camel to power a mill. But, the people who crowd around the shop on a typical morning are not after the fruits of the camel`s labor, but rather its urine, bottled at the source in recycled containers. It`s a hot seller, says shop owner Saleem Al-Qarmani, and people come from all over to get it. Bottled urine from the desert animal can be found throughout the Old City, with at least five shops selling the item for an average of YR300 ($1.40) per 750 ml. bottle.

Rumored, but not scientifically proven, to offer health benefits for a number of ailments, Yemenis as well as those across Gulf have been consuming the animal urine for centuries. “I drink a cup of camel urine every morning,” said 67-year-old Um Aziz, an Old City resident. Many attribute the act of consuming animal urine for medicinal purposes to an interpretation of one of the Prophet Mohammed`s hadiths (narrations), in which he is believed to have directed followers to drink the liquid. Other historians believe the practice predates Islam, when desert nomads, who were know for their reliance on camel`s milk, likely also drank its urine. Very little globally recognized research has emerged on the study of the benefits of camels` urine. However, there are several online reports of researchers who advocate for the use of the animal by-product. According to an online report, The King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia recently awarded Dr. Ahlam Al-Awadhi for her research using camel`s urine to treat skin diseases and scars, which has not be published.

However, other health experts argue that advertisements or advise from health professionals that link the urine to treatments for serious diseases is misleading and dangerous. Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Sanhani, a kidney specialist at the government-run Al-Jamhouri Hospital in Sana`a, says humans should not be drinking the substance because of the toxins it can contain. He told the Yemen Times that repeated consumption of the liquid could lead to kidney stones.

There are those who do not consume the urine but rave of its external use. Commonly, it is used as a beauty product for hair. Taqia Hassan, a housewife in the Old City, said both her sons` fiancees` hair is now healthier after using camel`s urine on it in preparation for their weddings. She explained the application process.

“The hair is rubbed [with the urine] and then covered with a plastic bag for three hours. After this, it is washed.” Hassn said the key is repetition.

© Copyright 2013 Yemen Times. All Rights Reserved.

Residents Use Camel Urine for Typhoid `Cure` in Borno
by Sunny Nwankwo
April 09, 2012

Apr 09, 2012 (Leadership/All Africa Global Media) — Camels are desert species with long necks and two humps on their backs. They are used mainly for riding and carrying goods in desert countries. The average life expectancy of a camel, according to experts is 40 to 50 years.

In Borno State for instance, apart from eating the camel`s meat in large quantity, many people also drink its urine because they believe it is medicinal and cures different types of diseases in human body.

Just recently, our reporter went to the Abattoir Market in Gamboru area of the Maiduguri metropolis of the state, where some youths were seen milking out the camel`s urine for medicinal purposes.

One of the urine sellers at Abattoir, Walli Idrissa told LEADERSHIP SUNDAY that the camel urine has medicinal values as it cures many deadly diseases which include kidney failure, hypertension, typhoid fever, erectile dysfunction, Sexually Transmitted Disease (STDs) and many others.

According to him, “people from other parts of the country come to this place to buy the camel urine for drinking. A lot of people had confessed to the fact that, since they started drinking the urine of this animal, their ailments have been cured”.

Mallam Idrisa who claimed to have been in the business of selling camel urinefrom the tender age of 15, said that its price ranges from N200 and M500 per bottle.

He further explained that, most times, a patient is advised to mix the urine with honey before taking it in the morning and evening and in a case whereby the disease becomes critical, then it should be taken thrice daily.

“We are making a lot money through this business, because many people are buying this urine and it is from this urine selling business that I train my self in school, Allamdillahi” Idrisa said.

Surprisingly, when our reporter was still interacting with the urine seller, three buyers came to the place looking for some to buy. One of them who spoke on behalf of the rest whose name was given as Ibrahim Kaura, said they were there to buy the camel urine because it is medicinal and we have been coming here to buy it. We have tasted it and found out that actually, cures many it illness.”.

Also, in the course of further inquiry, leadership Sunday was told that apart from the camel urine, other parts of the animal that are highly medicinal are the camel`s milk and stool. The milk, according to the sellers is mainly for nutritional values, while the stool are for medicinal purposes.

It was observed that, most of the people who engaged in the sale of thecamel urine are youth between the ages of 20 and 28.

Another interesting aspect of it is that, it has provided employment opportunities to the youths, who would have roaming the streets without jobs.

It was also discovered that the camel urine sellers get more customers during the hot season, because that`s when many diseases usually spring up. “We sell more during the hot season because that`s when buyers patronize us very well”, Musa Tela stated.

Another buyer, Tijani Muhammed who spoke with leadership Sunday came in contact with at the market said he has been drinking camel urine for the last25 years and he has never regretted taking it because it helps him a lot. “I drink the urine of camel almost on daily basis; even the milk is also nutritional”, he said. A butcher at the Abattoir Market, Bukar Modu, told the leadership Sunday that most of the camels are being brought from Chad and Niger Republics.

Commenting on the scientific potency of the camel urine, a Maiduguri-based Veterinary Doctor, Dr. Emmanuel Ayoola, opined that it has not been scientifically proved that the urine of a camel can cure diseases, but may be because people believe that it can cure their sicknesses, that`s why they are drinking it and it is working for them.

“I think drinking of camel urine is based on one`s belief that since camel is a desert animal that can resist all kinds of hurdles, people drink its urine to treat their diseases and it works for them,” the veterinary doctor said.

© 2012 AllAfrica, All Rights Reserved

Camel Urine, Milk in High Demand in Bihar Cattle Fair
The Pioneer
November 17, 2008

Patna, Nov. 17 — Believe it or not: Camel milk and urine are selling like hot potatoes in the world famous cattle fair at Sonepur. About three-dozen camels have reached the famous cattle fair till Sunday and their owners are doing brisk business.

A large number of visitors were seen buying the camel urine and milk at the fair. “Yes, both the items are selling like hot cakes and we`re happy that people are purchasing it without any inhabitations,” said Mohd Rashid, owner of a camel.

Rashid, who has come from neighbouring Utter Pradesh, said that they were selling the camel milk at Rs 150-200 per litre and the urine at the Rs 50 to 100 per bottle. According to people, camel urine and milk are believed to have medicinal values. Recently, a doctor in Rajasthan has claimed to have treated people with diabetes successfully with camel milk.

Head of Diabetes Care and Research Centre of Bikaner SP Medical College RP Agarwal had claimed that the camel milk help in curing the disease caused due to high level of sugar in the blood.

Agarwal, who has been doing research for the last seven years, recently teamed up with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), and found out that the camel milk helps in reducing the blood sugar level.

In Rajasthan, people believe that consuming camel milk is good for diabetic patients. The world`s first camel-milk chocolate by the name – Al Nassma, which in Arabic means desert breeze – was launched in Dubai. The camel milk industry in the UAE is hopeful that this would enhance the demand for camel milk.

© Copyright 2008. CMYK Printech Ltd. All rights reserved.

Miracle cure from Mideast
Centralian Advocate
July 17, 2009

WITH all the talk in Central Australia of the upcoming camel culls and how best to make use of the meat and associated products, an interesting option has surfaced in Saudi Arabia.

A “miracle cure” from the kingdom is based on a mix of some of the most common liquids known in the desert — camel milk and urine.

Research at the Tissues Culture Unit in the King Fahd Centre for Medical Research found derivatives of camel urine could reduce the size of cancer tumours by half.

An article in the online English-language newspaper, the Saudi Gazette, said the idea came from Islamic holy books.

Tissue Culture Unit chief Dr Faten Abdel-Rahman Khorshid, said: “This treatment is not an invention, it is from our Prophet`s legacy.”

She said the ancient books told stories of people with bloated abdomens in Medina who were cured by the Prophet Mohammed, who gave them camel urine and milk to drink.

The story sparked seven years of research into nano-particles found in camel urine.

The medicine has been tested on volunteers with cancer. Early results showed a mixture of camel urine and milk could be used to treat eczema and psoriasis as well as various cancers.

The Saudi Gazette quoted Dr Khorshid as saying: “We will provide ointments, capsules, syrup, shampoo, soap and gels to combat a number of the illnesses.”

© Copyright 2009 News Ltd. All Rights Reserved