Vault: What is Urine Therapy?

Summary

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Podcast Summary: The Bert Show

Episode Title: Vault: What is Urine Therapy?
Original Air Date: June 19, 2026
Featured Voices: Jen, Jeff, Melissa, Josh, Reshma (intern), callers (Sarah/Andrea), Andy

Episode Overview

This episode of The Bert Show dives into the controversial and unusual topic of "urine therapy"—the practice of drinking one's own urine for alleged health benefits. The hosts explore its history, supposed benefits, cultural prevalence, and skepticism surrounding the trend, all while keeping the conversation light-hearted and engaging.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction to Urine Therapy

• [00:59] Jen introduces the topic after hearing about a friend, Selden, investigating urine therapy—a trend believed by some to be beneficial for health.
  • Initially assumed as a skin or hair treatment, it’s quickly clarified that the real trend is about ingesting urine.
• Melissa emphasizes, “I’m not drinking my own pee. Yet. No, I’m not.”
• The team jokes about the mechanics and logistics involved.

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2. Supposed Health Benefits & Practices

• Melissa shares, “Apparently it’s like a vital source for like nutrients, vitamins and hormones and enzymes...kind of an underground hippie secret.” [01:45]
• Practices vary:
  • [02:37] The “first stream in the morning” is considered the most “nutritional.”
  • Some hardcore followers drink it warm, while others recommend mixing it with fruit or even chilling it with ice (but not with vodka).
• [03:46] Claimed benefits range from helping with asthma, to curing acne, fighting cancer, and more, but the team notes the scope seems exceptionally broad.

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3. Biological Skepticism

• Jeff and Josh question the logic, summarizing high school biology:
  • “Isn’t the urine… all the good stuff been sucked out of it?” — Jeff [04:05]
  • Melissa responds: Urine is a “blood derivative,” not a “waste derivative.”
• There’s confusion about the science: do kidneys filter out the bad stuff or keep the good stuff?
• Josh points out, “Urine is something that the body is excreting to get out.” [05:28]

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4. Cultural & Global Perspectives

• Intern Reshma shares its prevalence in Indian culture:
  • “Throughout my life I’ve heard about it, and...it’s like a normal thing, apparently with a bunch of Indian people.” [06:16]
  • She cites her grandmother, who “swears by it,” claiming it can cure “everything from acne to cancer.”
  • References to Indian politicians and relatives doing it regularly “and he doesn’t have a single health issue.” [06:46]-[06:49]
• Andy calls in mentioning the practice’s popularity among Muay Thai fighters in Thailand and UFC fighter Machida:
  • “It’s well known, documented. These guys do it all the time.” [07:51]

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5. Skepticism & Critical Thinking

• Andrea (caller, Registered Nurse) warns,
  • “Anybody who has any type of kidney problems or has had any kidney problems or had a transplant...you don't need to be doing this.” [12:19]-[13:06]
  • For healthy individuals, “it's mostly water and whatever your body didn't keep. So maybe, but I'm not doing it.”
• Josh’s key caution:
  • “Just because it’s herbal and just because it’s natural does not mean it’s good for you.” [14:05]
  • Shares personal experience with dialysis—sometimes natural isn’t safe.

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6. A Firsthand Account

• Caller Sarah (voice disguised for privacy) shares her experience:
  • “The key, really, honestly, is how healthy you eat...If you are someone who eats healthily...your urine is going to look just like water.”
  • She claims benefits such as clearer skin, a good start for metabolism in the morning, and an overall sense of wellness after “doing it for at least two years now.” [09:39]-[10:52]
  • Originated from advice by a natural nutritionist after her grandmother was diagnosed with colon cancer.

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7. Humorous Moments & Notable Quotes

• Jeff: “It’s an amazing woman who can pee on her own head, by the way.” [01:34]
• Josh: “Can I put it on my cereal?” [05:07]
• Melissa: “I think just like a...shot.” [05:54]
• Jeff, joking about boyfriend-kissing: “If you ever wanna kiss a boy, don’t ever tell him that.” [14:51]
• Melissa: “Maybe I’ll swish and gargle...first and then kiss the boy.” [14:55]
• Reshma’s grandma’s perspective:
  • “When people didn’t know what the disease was...it’s like your own medication. Your body’s telling you what the antibodies you need.” [14:25]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:59 – Initial discussion: what is urine therapy?
• 02:37 – “First stream of the morning” practice explained
• 04:05 – Hosts question the biology
• 06:16 – Reshma enters: Indian cultural perspective
• 07:51 – Andy calls about Muay Thai fighters
• 09:39 – Sarah’s firsthand account, talk about diet, experience, and benefits
• 12:19 – Andrea the RN gives a medical disclaimer
• 14:05 – Josh’s caution: natural does not always mean safe
• 14:25 – Reshma on the origin/logic of the tradition

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Conclusion

The episode offers a humorous yet genuinely curious look at urine therapy, discussing its emergence as a trend, historical and cultural roots, and health claims with both open minds and a healthy dose of skepticism. Firsthand experiences and medical perspectives round out the debate, leaving listeners informed (and amused) on a peculiar wellness fad.

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Summary crafted in the lively, inquisitive, and irreverent tone characteristic of The Bert Show.

Transcript

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[Jeff]

to save the Burt Show. So Jen, this is your friend. So you talk about her drinking her pee.

[Jen]

She's not. This is my friend Selden.

[Melissa]

Hi, Selden. Hi, Jen. How are you?

[Andy]

Good.

[Jen]

All right. So we were talking about this when we were out last week and she had heard about this sort of growing trend called urine therapy. And I thought that it was a hair treatment. When you first brought it up to

[Josh]

me, I was like, oh, it's a skin treatment.

[Jen]

Like you put it in your hair. What is this? What do you do with it? Like what? What is it? And so she'd been doing some of her own research on it and kind of like finding out about this thing

[Jeff]

because it's an amazing woman who can pee on her own head, by the way.

[Jen]

No, apparently people are doing this. But it's not a hair treatment at all.

[Melissa]

No, it's not. What is it? By the way, just for the record, I'm not drinking my own pee.

[Jeff]

Okay.

[Melissa]

Yet. No, I'm not. I guess. Yeah, it is definitely a growing trend and apparently it's like a vital source for like nutrients, vitamins and hormones and enzymes. And I think it's kind of an underground hippie secret that's been going on for a long time. So I don't know.

[Jen]

People do.

[Melissa]

There's so many websites about it. Doctors, scientists have been studying it for years.

[Jeff]

Do you think maybe the reason the hippies do it is because they're tripping on acid and they think it's a strike?

[Melissa]

Big possibility.

[Jeff]

For sure.

[Josh]

I need to pee and Boy, that's a waste of urine. I could drink this.

[Melissa]

It's really odd. I met a couple people who are doing it. They swear by it.

[Jeff]

Where did you meet?

[Melissa]

At a job. Yeah.

[Jen]

That's so fascinating.

[Melissa]

Weird. Yeah. They're from New York and they're models. So do they pee in.

[Josh]

Do they pee in a car?

[Melissa]

Apparently it's the first stream in the morning. That's the most nutritional stream in the morning.

[Jeff]

I'm sorry.

[Melissa]

Yes, you let yourself.

[Jeff]

I'm sorry to anybody who's listening right now. And I'm sorry to my mom and dad who paid for college.

[Jen]

No, I think it's fascinating. Okay, so you wake up in the morning.

[Melissa]

You wake up in the morning, you, I guess yearn for like, you know, second or two. And then the midstream is like the most nutritional. So you clear according to.

[Jeff]

So you clear the pipes.

[Melissa]

Science. Exactly.

[Jeff]

So it's just like a shower.

[Jen]

Let go of a little bit, one little sprinkle and then you go.

[Melissa]

The midstream is. Yeah, I guess.

[Jeff]

And what is it?

[Josh]

And you drink it while it's warm.

[Reshma]

Well, you can.

[Melissa]

Hold on. There's one set website that says you can drink it straight while it's warm if you're hardcore. Or you can like pour it of a fruit.

[Jen]

Oh my gosh.

[Josh]

Oh my gosh.

[Melissa]

And that is a quote. Oh yeah.

[Commercial Voice]

Or Melissa, you could put an ice cube in it.

[Jen]

Seriously?

[Melissa]

Yeah, but they say don't put vodka in it because I guess it's like.

[Josh]

Don't put vodka.

[Melissa]

It's like taking a. Yeah, because it's like taking like a flu shot. So like you're giving yourself, you're. You're intaking what you can you drink a lot of.

[Jeff]

How much vodka can you drink before you do it?

[Melissa]

Exactly.

[Jen]

Apparently I would need a lot. Okay, so these are models that are doing it and what do they say the benefits are?

[Melissa]

Nutrition, health. Like I guess it's a fight against like everything from asthma to cancer. Now if I'm mistaken, wide range things.

[Jen]

That is a lot of things to cure with just some pee.

[Announcer]

It is.

[Jeff]

And I'm going back to health biology like in 10th grade. Isn't like urine, Is it biology that

[Josh]

made you do that? When do you.

[Commercial Voice]

I don't do well with medicals.

[Jeff]

The going back, like isn't the urine. Hasn't all the good stuff been sucked out of it?

[Melissa]

I guess the kidneys regulates. Actually urine is a blood derivative and not a waste derivative or whatever.

[Jeff]

You said the word kidney and the first thing I thought of was that if Melissa did it, she would technically be drinking Pam's urine.

[Josh]

That's right. I'd be drinking my own.

[Jeff]

Your cousin who donated her kidney to her.

[Josh]

That's right.

[Jeff]

You'd be drinking Pam's pee.

[Josh]

And then I would call Pam just to hear her reaction. Hey, Pam, I just drank a pee.

[Jeff]

Pam's pee sounds like something that you would buy at Trader Joe's.

[Melissa]

But you're not supposed to drink other people's pee.

[Jeff]

Okay, I know. All right, go ahead.

[Melissa]

All right, so the liver filters out all the bad stuff and the kidneys keeps all the good stuff. The nutrients, the vitamins, the hormones, the enzymes.

[Jeff]

Real quick, a question. Hey, Jack.

[Andy]

Yeah.

[Jeff]

What's your question?

[Andy]

Well, I just want to know. I'm about to go right now. Can I put it on my cereal?

[Jeff]

Can you just go in his caption?

[Announcer]

Crunch.

[Josh]

You interrupted her for that.

[Jeff]

Just getting the hard hitting questions.

[Josh]

I'm sorry for. Go ahead. Now, you were talking about the liver takes the bad stuff out, supposedly.

[Melissa]

Yeah, it takes the bad stuff out and the kidneys keep it.

[Josh]

So the kidney keeps it and puts it back in your system because urine is something that the body is excreting to get out.

[Melissa]

Exactly. And that's what I thought, but I guess, I don't know. They say that water salts, vitamins, minerals, enzymes are kept in your urine and

[Jen]

that's meant to be good for you.

[Melissa]

And then you pee it out.

[Commercial Voice 2]

Yeah.

[Commercial Voice]

So how much of this are you supposed to drink? Is it like a little bit or is it like a full glass?

[Melissa]

I don't know. I think just like a. I don't

[Jeff]

know, like a shot.

[Melissa]

Oh, I think somebody knows you're supposed to.

[Reshma]

According to like Reshma.

[Jen]

Okay, okay. We brought this up in one of our meetings and I was like, all right, My friend is like investigating this stuff. And this is intern Reshma. And she was the one who responded to one of the emails saying that she had heard of this urine therapy too, where you drink your own urine and. And it's supposed to be good for you, Reshma.

[Reshma]

Yeah, it's one of those things where throughout my life I've heard about it and it's not like something abnormal. Like I've heard multiple conversations. My grandma will convince me. Like it just comes up in conversation all the time and it's like a normal thing, apparently with a bunch of Indian people.

[Commercial Voice]

A bunch of Indians.

[Jen]

But your grandmother does that.

[Reshma]

Doesn't do it. But she swears by it and says like that if you do this, it will Literally cure, like she said, everything from, like, acne to cancer. Like, she knows people that will drink it and solve their kidney problems. People that'll be on treatment for years and do it, and it'll, like, change their life.

[Jeff]

I tell her to call me when she's 130 years old.

[Reshma]

She doesn't do it. She doesn't do it. But, like, there's thousands of people. One of her brothers does it, and he is, I think, 82, and he doesn't have a single health issue. And, like, it originated from, like, the prime minister in India who lived till, like, 99 and did it. But according to Indian tradition, you're supposed to drink, like, let the first little couple seconds go and then drink your entire first stream of the morning. And that's like your personal blend of, like, vitamins and minerals.

[Commercial Voice]

The entire thing.

[Reshma]

The entire thing.

[Josh]

I mean, let me just go back to that.

[Jeff]

Drink a lot of water.

[Josh]

I'm going back to Jeff's 10th grade biology because I was in the back of the class. The way your body is set up, let's just take it back to nature. It's set up for it to be excreted. And if we were meant to drink it, our body would be positioned in a different way for guys.

[Jeff]

If you were meant to drink it, that apparatus would be bigger, longer.

[Josh]

But you know what I'm saying, naturally, your body's not. Is not built to do that.

[Jeff]

Hey, Andy. Welcome to the bird show.

[Andy]

Hey, what's going on? Good morning.

[Jeff]

How are you?

[Andy]

Well, I'm pretty good. I just want to let you know that the Muay Thai fighters, fighters from Thailand, they've been drinking this stuff for centuries. It's well known, documented. These guys do it all the time. Machida from ufc, he does it all the time and talks about it.

[Jeff]

Really? Who are these people?

[Andy]

This is not something that's new. It's been going on for a long time.

[Jeff]

Are you Selden? Are you a Thai fighter, like a ninja or anything weird?

[Jen]

You didn't know that?

[Josh]

I'll be Josh.

[Andy]

I'm just saying, you know, I just know about the fighters and I know about the fight scene. And this is just one of the things that they do.

[Jeff]

You know what I would do if I was a fighter? I would drink my own urine, but hold it in my mouth and then spit it on my opponent. Because what would be a better.

[Josh]

Spray it? Like, not just a stray.

[Commercial Voice]

Be like.

[Jeff]

That would be my maneuver. Like, I'd be known as Jeff the Pee Sprayer.

[Jen]

I am fascinated by this. That. It's been going on for so long.

[Josh]

But.

[Jen]

No, but all of a sudden, we think it's, like, a new thing for, like, the New York models that you were talking to. We think they invented it or something.

[Jeff]

Do you think perhaps the New York models are doing it because they're so hungry?

[Melissa]

That's a possibility.

[Jeff]

That they're just looking for something to consume.

[Melissa]

Their nutritionists and doctors have been telling them to do it for years.

[Josh]

I want to talk to somebody that does it, because everybody we've talked to so far has been a friend of somebody.

[Melissa]

Exactly. And that's actually kind of my whole little quest is to find somebody. I want firsthand experience, like, somebody who is actually doing it and the difference in the process of, like, how they felt before they were doing it and then while they were doing it and

[Josh]

how they got it down the road.

[Melissa]

The tag reflex, you know, and then how they feel now.

[Jeff]

Hey, Wendy, you're gonna have to uncover your face long enough to activate the voice disguiser.

[Josh]

Oh, Wendy's about to pass away.

[Jeff]

Wendy's not doing well with this at all.

[Jen]

Is this somebody who does it?

[Commercial Voice 2]

Yep.

[Jen]

Awesome.

[Melissa]

See, it really is happening.

[Jeff]

Hey, Sarah.

[Andrea]

Hi.

[Jeff]

You're in the voice disguise room.

[Andrea]

All right. No, it's not that I'm embarrassed about doing it. It's just that, you know, because it is strange. But the key, really, honestly, is how healthy you eat. I would not, you know, suggest that anybody does this who, you know, doesn't drink water or drinks a lot of coke or, you know, just eats a lot of junk food. But if you are someone who eats healthily, has a really healthy diet, drinks lots and lots of water, your typical urine is going to look just like water. And you're right. I don't know who it was that said, drinking the first dream in the morning, but that's what I do. Originally. When I first started, I would put it in my shakes in the morning. Now, because my urine is very clear, it doesn't have an odor like you would. And, I mean, my skin is clear. It's great for, I think, starting off your metabolism in the morning. I mean, I just. I feel better. It's wonderful. I love it. I've been doing it for at least two years now.

[Jen]

Sarah, let me ask you this. Have you ever talked to a doctor about this?

[Andrea]

That's where I got it. Originally. I went to a natural nutritionist. My grandmother had colon cancer, and so I was really, you know, just getting concerned about, like, cancers and all of the toxins in my Body. And I just kind of went through this period in my life where I just was. I think I did it out of fear. I was scared of dying and all of those different things. And so I was going to all the natural remedy doctors, and that's where I learned about it.

[Jen]

Wow. Fascinating.

[Jeff]

I'm just.

[Melissa]

I'm telling you, the first time that I heard about it, I was disgusted and couldn't. I was like, I have to figure out more about this. So I googled it. And pretty much all the websites that I saw are advocates. I didn't really see. There was one skeptic.

[Jeff]

Because you know why it's not on the Internet? Because it's obvious not to drink your own pee. Like they own. There's something.

[Melissa]

You might be right.

[Jen]

Obvious. I mean, it sounds like a lot of people are actually doing this.

[Josh]

Well, I mean. And I will put the argument out of there about the nutrients and everything in your pee. I mean, like, your body can only needs so much, and so that's the extra your body doesn't need.

[Melissa]

Right.

[Josh]

So by re. Ingesting it. I don't know, I'm just. Yeah, I'm definitely a skeptic.

[Jeff]

Is it Andrea or the fancier Andrea?

[Andrea]

It's Andrea.

[Jeff]

Hi, Andrea.

[Josh]

Yeah, she's. She's humble.

[Andrea]

I just wanted to say that I love you guys. First of all, you're fabulous.

[Jeff]

Thank you.

[Andrea]

And I'm an rn and I just wanted to offer maybe a little bit of a medical disclaimer out there to anybody who has any type of kidney problems or has had any kidney problems or has had a transplant, like Melissa. You don't need to be doing this. If your kidneys aren't functioning properly, those toxins that you're not supposed to get back, like the creatine and things like that, you're going to put an overabundance into your body. If you take regular medications for anything that are in that waste that's being excreted from your kidneys that your liver doesn't process and doesn't get all those parts, it's just gonna build up and it's gonna cause a lot more problems, particularly things like your blood pressure medicine and stuff like that, you're getting rid of what your body didn't use.

[Jen]

So for a healthy person, though, do you think it's okay to do.

[Andrea]

Um, I'm not gonna do it, but I guess, I mean, like the lady that was just talking before me, who's real healthy and into all of that and you know, her urine's Real clear. It doesn't have an odor. There's no sign of infection or anything like that. It's mostly water. I mean, it's mostly water and whatever your body didn't keep. So maybe, but I'm not doing it. This nurse is not drinking anybody's urine or her own, for that matter.

[Josh]

You know, my only caution is with anything. And it doesn't have to do it doesn't matter about this or anything is like people assume if it's natural, then it's healthy and your body's gonna be okay with it. And I go back to what Jen said. Like, talk to a doctor first. Because most people don't go get a checkup. And most people don't go and know what's wrong going on with their body. But like, when I was, you know, like, I even told a listener an email yesterday when I was on dialysis and my kidneys were failing. Food was poisonous. Bananas was poisonous. That's a natural fruit.

[Jeff]

You should have drank your own pee. I would have cured your kidney.

[Josh]

Exactly. But I mean, there are some things that your body does not need excessive amounts of because excessive amounts of vitamin C is bad for your body. So, I mean. So I always am just so cautious of people thinking that just because it's herbal and just because it's natural does not mean it's good for you. You know? So I go to a doctor for us.

[Reshma]

The argument I got from my grandma, because I need like an explanation, was she, like, back in the day, the way it originated is when people didn't know what the disease was or didn't know different diseases. That it's like your own medication. Your body's telling you what the antibodies you need. So for people who couldn't figure out what was wrong with their body, it would help to cure those diseases. So that's like the origin of it.

[Jen]

Fascinating.

[Jeff]

I would caution you, Selden, if this is something that you're gonna do.

[Melissa]

I'm not gonna do it. I'm just.

[Jeff]

And you ever wanna kiss a boy, don't ever tell him that.

[Melissa]

Maybe I'll swish and gargle with who you're in first and then kiss the boy.

[Jeff]

And if you. I will sneak asparagus into every meal you eat.

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[Jeff]

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