The camel4life international is a group of camelists (scientists, academics, farmers, activists, businessmen, student, farmers, etc) advocating camel aspects, especially the milk. We are a major think tank of the camelids’ world. Time to time we have serious and hot debates as the salts requirements and tolerance, camel milk and its therapeutic potential, camel role in ecosystem management, etc. But now we have rather very serious, hot and complicated issue, the CAMEL URINE.
Is Camel Urine has Therapeutic Value?
This debate triggered with a message from Christina Adams sharing the link of an article; “New report on camelid-derived nanobodies being used to attach to skeletal and heart tissue, with their small size as an advantage. This may be beneficial in anesthesia and maybe other drug delivery mechanisms. I’ve written about the camelid advantage before and have discussed it with a few scientists but it was such a niche even for them. So this proof of concept may help shift the dialogue and investigation forward. Let’s hope”. https://www.technologynetworks.com/biopharma/news/targeted-drug-delivery-systems-designed-from-llama-nanobodies-361553
Then Fatima Ramadan from Egypt responded as “This is excellent, there is research we are working on to extract nanoparticles from camel urine to treat cancer..on 🐀“
Then in less than a minute, there were many responses, yes and no. Some were arguing the cultural, the other religious, and research value of the camel urine. The debate turned hot and hotter. In the ensuing bullet paragraphs, I’m sharing the responses;
- Dr. Pierre from France; “In fact they dis not found anything….it is well known that antibodies of camlids look like Fab fragment with quite no constant part of igG. That make this antibodies very useful tools to target tumor marker when associates with chimiotherapic substances… It is not really nanoparticules but it IS classical to call them nanobodies. Normally, without pathology such antibodies do not pass the blood kidney barrier and have not to be present in urine in high concentrations”
- Kehkashan Qureshi India; Wow..in saudi Arabia Dr.khorshid fatan working on camel urine and Camel milk for treating cancer.there is a story i hv heard person suffering from intestinal cancer after surgery, again got intestinal cancer damaged the affected area but after following Camel milk n urine therapy he is fully recovered..but it must have documentation..it’s still not recognised…
- Ilse K.R from Rajasthan India; At Camel Charisma (www.camelcharisma.com), we get frequent requests for camel urine which we send out for free with milk orders. Mostly, they are from Muslim cancer patients, and there has been at least one spectacular recovery. Documentation will be out shortly
- Maurizio Italy; Anecdotal evidence is not scientific evidence
- Ilse reply; Anecdotal evidence eventually adds up. There is also scientific evidence of camel urine impacting cancer cell cultures. She shared this link; https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378874112005235
- Wanyama from Kenya; Quinine was once anecdotal https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1479546/
- Maurizio again; Camel urine seems certainly a good way to get Alkhurma Hemorrhagic Fever .
- Me; Many people believe camel urine is a therapy. The science has to prove. There are some findings and published. Dr Musab from Kuwait was once in group and tried to share his findings and opinion.
- Dr. Afaf, PROF at UAEU; There might be something good in the urine at the same time, urine can be toxic and a source of contamination. Urine is a product of liver metabolism of feed components to make them more water-soluble. This way bioactivity can be increased. So, because urine is “dirty” such onservations should not be dismissed but further researched
- Kehkashan Qureshi India; Yes definitely it is mentioned in Hadith.But it is one Of the treatment .not the only treatment for cancer. When you go through this statement there was some people who came to Madina and fell sick tried every option for the treatment but the environment of Madina not suited to them then we finally they tried camel milk and urine at certain doses for certain days till they fully recovered. Mostly whenever we heard stories they tried camel milk and urine only when there is no hope of treatment left so they tried.so here lot’s of factors matter.Maybe Arabian Camel is different by genetic or maybe they’re healthy camel.A scientist or researcher or an expert can better’explain…
- Dr. Pierre-guy Marrint France; Ok ok please stop this discussion about urine effect mixing cases reports, religions belief and scientific observations. We have heard and red and undestood the different point of views. Urine is, as previously wrote by another coleague a way to purify organismes of toxines or too concentrated compounds. By evidence urine would have different composition according to food quality and quantity and water disponibility. And could also drain toxines, bacteria or viruses and have at least as much beneficial than dangerous effects. We need works, tempting to identifiate bioactive compounds but it is a no end work according to breeds, foods and water quality…. Thé only proof IS to isolate and qualify these compounds after testing on representative models… Do not forgot also the Amazing power of autosuggestion well known on placebo effects. Périple close to death could have spontaneous recovery only due to the Hope to have found the panacea…
- Tumal, Gabarra camel community Kenya; I come from camel keeping Community- Gabbra. Milk/ blood are medicinal to our culture. I was camel milk fed up to age 15. I never heard in Gabbra History of camel Pastoralist taking “Urine” as medicine. It was in 1989, i a came across a visitor from town demanding camel Urine from expectant one, mixed it with milk & drunk. So let it be proved scientifically & it should be Indigenous Knowledge Practice+ Scientific= could be acceptable.
The topic is open for discussion
I wrote this post, composed of the debate. I invite you to take part in discussion. I wish we give our feedback and inputs. We should not go in personal hot argument but discuss with the scientific findings, traditional knowledge, cultural and religious philosophies. Please give your feedback in the comments box below.
