Beijing - More than three million Chinese drink their own urine in order to live healthier and longer lives, state media reported on Friday.
One of them is Zhu Jinfu, a 71-year-old senior engineer from the eastern city of Nanjing, who has been drinking his own urine since he was 13, the Xinhua news agency said.
Zhu told 300 participants at an academic seminar held this week in northeastern Liaoning province that he got the idea from his ancestors, who had enjoyed great longevity due to their drinking habits.
Yang Liansheng, a professor from the Liaoning Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, was quoted by Xinhua as trying to give a scientific explanation of the alleged benefits of drinking urine.
"Urine is turned into something like blood serum after it is filtered by the kidney," he said. "Therefore, urine contains no bacteria and is more sanitary than blood."
The tradition of urine drinking has roots all the way back to ancient China, according to a website that promotes urine as "the fountain of youth".
An ancient pharmaceutical dictionary, "Shang Han Lun," recommends mixing medical herbs with urine in order to enhance the impact of the medication. - Sapa-AFP
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