In a hadith reported by Muslim and al-Bukhari, the Prophet ﷺ ordered [them] to follow his camels and drink their milk and their urine. This order was given while the companions were sick, and afterward this brought about their healing. This is therefore proof that camel urine is permitted for consumption since it is pure, and today many medications are made from camel urine.
Camel urine has healing properties in the treatment of cancer, and it is gastroprotective. Indeed, it has physicochemical compositions very different from those of many mammals, since it contains little to no ammonia, thanks to desert plants. In addition, it contains ten times more mineral salts than human urine.
It is hepatoprotective, antiparasitic, and produces cytokines, recognized for their anticancer properties.
Today, camel urine is found in several forms. It can be used pure; however, as a precaution, people with cancer should use it only once during the winter period, and during the summer period, it may be used four times.
It should not be used every day as some people do, but once a week, for example on Friday morning on an empty stomach, for a month. Note that a seriously ill person must seek their doctor's advice, provided the doctor does not deny this sunnah.
In the Arabian Peninsula, camel urine is found today in the form of capsules, but also in the form of cream, shampoo, or oil.
Finally, camel urine can very well be mixed with camel milk for even greater effectiveness.
The hadith and its context
Anas ibn Malik reported that some people from the tribe of 'Ukl or 'Urayna came to Medina and fell ill, as the climate did not agree with them. The Prophet ﷺ ordered them to join the camels of charity and to drink their milk and their urine. They did so and regained their health (al-Bukhari 233, Muslim 1671). The rest of the account is well known: these men killed the shepherd and stole the herd, and were punished. It is this hadith that the professor cites.
What the scholars draw from it: the urine of animals whose meat is lawful is pure, unlike human urine; this is the position of the Hanbali school and of many scholars, including Ibn Taymiyyah, who rely on this text. Ibn al-Qayyim, in Prophetic Medicine, lists camel urine among the remedies for dropsy (fluid buildup in the abdomen), particularly for people accustomed to desert life. It is therefore neither an invention nor an obligation: it is a reported remedy, whose use is weighed like any other remedy.
What is done with it today in the Arabian Peninsula
The professor describes a practice that is still alive: fresh urine mixed with camel milk, once a week on an empty stomach, or in the form of capsules, creams and shampoos sold in the Gulf. He sets clear limits: not every day, a one-month course, a single dose in winter for someone with cancer, and the doctor's opinion for anyone seriously ill. These reservations are not mere formal caution: they align with what public health authorities say.
What laboratories have found, and what they haven't found
- Components of camel urine have shown, on cultured human cancer cell lines, selective toxicity and the triggering of cell death, with little effect on healthy cells (J Ethnopharmacol, 2012).
- On mouse breast cancer cells, camel urine slowed the growth and migration of cells, both in vitro and in animals (Integr Cancer Ther, 2017).
These studies are real, and it is to them that the professor refers when he speaks of cytokines and anticancer properties. But it must be said what they are: results in vitro and in animals. To date, no clinical trial in cancer patients has been published. Many substances kill cancer cells in a culture dish without curing anyone. Camel urine is therefore, at best, a research lead, not a proven treatment.
The risk to be aware of: MERS coronavirus
- The dromedary is the only animal for which there is proof that it hosts MERS coronavirus (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome), a serious infection, fatal in about one third of reported cases. Raw milk and camel urine used medicinally are among the suspected routes of transmission (Zoonoses Public Health, 2016).
- Since 2014, the World Health Organization has recommended avoiding drinking camel urine and unpasteurized camel milk, especially for people who are diabetic, immunocompromised or living with a chronic illness (Pathog Glob Health, 2015).
In other words, the person most tempted by this remedy—someone with cancer, and therefore weakened defenses—is also the one for whom the risk is greatest. The Sunnah never commands putting oneself in danger: "there should be neither harming nor reciprocating harm" (Ibn Majah). Following the hadith today requires a reliable source, a healthy and controlled animal, and an informed doctor.
Contraindications and precautions
No raw camel urine for pregnant women, children, people undergoing chemotherapy or who are immunocompromised, nor for diabetics or those with kidney failure: these are the groups the WHO is targeting. This remedy—like any other—should never replace cancer treatment. Camel milk itself is a food of great value, but it should be drunk pasteurized or boiled. A fever, cough or shortness of breath within two weeks of contact with camels or consumption of their raw products should be reported to a doctor, mentioning the exposure.
Frequently asked questions
Is the hadith about camel urine authentic?
Yes. It is reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim from Anas ibn Malik. What scholars debate is not its authenticity but what is deduced from it regarding the purity of animal urine.
Does camel urine cure cancer?
Studies in vitro and in animals show an effect on cancer cells. No trial exists in humans. It therefore cannot be called a treatment, and chemotherapy or surgery should never be given up for this remedy.
Is it dangerous to drink it?
The main risk is MERS coronavirus, for which the dromedary is the reservoir. The WHO advises against raw camel urine and unpasteurized milk, especially for people who are ill. The risk is low with a controlled animal, but it is not zero.
Where can it be found?
In the Arabian Peninsula, fresh from herders or in capsules and cosmetics. In France, it is not sold as a food. Be wary of online products with no traceability.
Does the same caution apply to camel milk?
Raw milk, yes, because of MERS. Pasteurized or boiled, camel milk is an excellent food, studied notably in diabetes and autism. See camel milk.
