Urine Test And Diagnosis In Ayurveda – Taila Bindu Pareeksha

Article by – Dr Renita D’Souza
Ayurveda explains examination of urine for ascertaining diagnosis and prognosis of disease. Ancient urine test is considered as one among the 8 fold test mentioned for the examination of patient by the author Yoga Rathnakar.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Eight fold examination includes –
Nadi – Pulse examination
Mutra – Urine examination
Mala – Stool examination
Jihva – Tongue examination (Read more about tongue examination)
Shabda – Examination based on sounds
Drik – Inspection
Aakriti – Examination of whole body

Importance of urine examination in Ayurveda –

Diagnosis of disease
To assess dosha involved
Prognosis
Symptoms indicating definite signs of death (Arista Lakshana)

Normal urine

Panchabhautika element of urine
Jala – water
Teja – fire

Normal urine
Color – pale yellow
Odor – aromatic
Appearance – clear, transparent
Average volume – 1500 ml/day
pH – 6.0
Specific gravity – 1.001 – 1.003

Normal urine constituents –
Urea, creatinine, uric acid, sodium chloride, potasium chloride, magnesium,calcium, iron etc in normal quantity.
Read: Urine In Ayurveda – Functions, Importance

Abnormal urine

Abnormal constituents of urine

Albumin
Glucose
Bile salts
Bile pigments
Ketone bodies
Red blood cells

Urine collection

Method of collecting urine –
Collected in the early morning around 4 am in a glass jar. Only the middle stream is collected discarding first few drops of urine. Examination of urine is done after sunrise.

Urine test

Urine test is done based on 2 methods –

Physical test
Test by dipping oil in urine sample (Taila bindu pareeksha)

Physical test

Physical test is done through –

Inspection
Examination of odor
Examination by touch
Interrogation

Inspection

Examination by inspection
Dosha assessment by urine test – (Y.R )
Vata – Urine appears whitish
Kapha – Frothy urine
Pitta – Urine appears reddish in color
Three doshas vitiation – Color of urine becomes black
Any two dosha vitiation – Mixed features of dosha involved

Fever
Vata – parusha aruna (rough and dusky red), scanty urine
Pita – peetha (yellow)
Kapha – shwaithya (pale whitish urine)
Sannipathaja – scanty
Read : Lifestyle and Diet For Fever

Jaundice
Vata and pitta (kumbha kamala) – blackish yellow

Anemia (pandu) Ma Ni 798
Vata – krishna aruna (blackish red)
Pitta – peetha (yellow)
Kapha – Shukla (whitish)
Read – Anemia: Ayurvedic Treatment, Medicines, Remedies

Prameha (diabetes)- Ma. ni(11/29) and Ch ni 4, Su Ni 6
Read: Prameha – Ayurvedic Approach To Urinary Disorders
Kaphajameha
Udhakameha

Appearance – clear, slight turbid (kinchith avila),
Quantity – excess
Color – white (sitha)
Odour – odorless (nirgandha)
Other – cold (sheetha), slimy (pichila)

Ikshumeha

Appearance – turbid
Taste – sweet like sugarcane
Ishath pichila – slight slimy

Sandra meha

Appearance – Sandra (dense – viscous urine)
Parushiyham –

Surameha

Appearance is compared to wine (sura), when collected in a vessel it separates into two layer upper layer forms clear portion and lower dense portion.

Pisthameha (Va)/ Suklameha (Cha)

Appearance – excessively white (bahalam sitham) like paste of flour (pishtavath)
Horripilation during micturition (samhrusta roma)

Sukrameha (spermaturia)

Appearnce – like semen (sukrabham)
Sukramishram – mixed with sukra

Sikathameha (graveluria)

Sand like particles appear in urine

Sheethameha

Frequent excretion of urine (bhahusho)
Taste – sweet
cold to touch (bhrusha sheethalam)

Shanairmeha

Passes urine frequently in less quantity
Quantity – less

Aalalameha / lalaameha

Appearance – thready, frothy like saliva
Pichila – slimy

Read related – Prameha: Ayurvedic Approach To Urinary Disorders

Pithajameha
Sharameha

Odour, color, taste, touch like those of alkalies (sharena)

Kaalameha / Amlameha (Su)

Color – black like burnt coal (masinibha)
Excretion of large quantity of urine

Neelameha

Color – blue (neelabha), like blue jay bird(chasha pakshanibha)
Taste – sour

Rakthameha (haematuria)

Color – red (rakthabha)
Odor – like raw flesh (visra)
Taste – salty (slavanam)

Manjistameha

Color – like that of manjista juice (red)
Odor – fleshy
Frequent urination

Haridrameha (urobilinuria)

Taste – pungent (katu)
Color – yellow like turmeric (haridrabham)
Burning sensation during micturition

Vatajameha
Vasameha

Appearnce – like vasa (muscle fat)
Urine mixed with muscle fat (vasamishra)
Urine excreted frequently

Majjameha (Va) / Sarpimeha (Su)

Appears like bone marrow (majja)
Urine mixed with bone marrow
Frequent urination

Hasthimeha

Large quantity of urine excreted continuously like an elephant gone amuck
Urine mixed with lymph (salasikam)
Incurable due to vitiation of vata

Madumeha (Va) /Shaodrameha (Su)

Taste – sweet and astringent
Color – pale (pandu)
Appearnce – dry (ruksha)
Incurable due to vitiation of vata

Shaudrameha – Urine attains taste and color like that of honey.

Odor

Urine attains foul smell in diabetes, urinary tract infection, dehydration etc some diets and medications can also alter the normal smell of urine. Eating vegetable like asparagus can make your urine smell like rotten cabbage.

Change in color of urine –
Change in normal urine color can be suggestive of serious clinical conditions to simple like due to less intake of water or taking diet such as beetroot, blueberries and some medications can also alter the color of urine.

Quantity, frequency

Based on quantity of urine
Less quantity

Aamlameha
Neelameha
Vata orgin Ashmari (renal calculi)
Mutrothsangha (Obstruction for urination)
Vatakundalika
Vata origin mutrakrichra (difficulty urination)
Shanairmeha

Excess quantity

Pravrddha amavatha
Prameha prathyathma lakshana (diabetes)
Shithameha
Udakameha

Increased frequency of urination –

vata origin ashmari (renal calculi)
Pita and vata origin mutrkrichra (Difficulty urination)
shanairmeha

Pain, blood associated

Urination associated with pain –

Ashmari (renal calculi)
Pita origin mutrakrichra
Mutashaya (decrease urine volume)
Mutrothsangha (obstruction of urination)
Vata kundalika

Urine associated with blood –

Renal calculi
Pita origin mutrakrichra
Mutrasadha
mutrasangha
Pitavritha apaanavayu
Rakthameha (diabetes)
Adhogha rakthapitta (Bleeding disorders)
Ushnavata

Symptoms

Symptoms indicating nearing death in patient (Arista lakshana)

When person suffering from dyspnea, low digestive strength and abdominal disorders, passes stools and urine in hard, condensed form.
Patient suffering from horripilation, passes viscous urine, anasarca, cough, fever along with emaciation.
Consumption of excess quantity of food by emaciated person but excretes scanty urine and stools or vice versa.

Taila bindu pareeksha

Taila bindu pareeksha – Test by dropping oil in urine
This test is done by dipping oil in urine sample. It is mainly based on direction of oil spreading in the sample.

Importance –
Indicates dosha involvement in disease, its prognosis and signs of incurability.

Method –
One drop of oil is put in urine sample and examined its action under sunlight.

Analysis

Assessment based on action of oil dropped in sample –
Dosha assessment
Vata – oil attains round shape in urine sample
Pitta – appearance of bubbles
Kapha – pointed appearance of oil
Three doshas vitiation – it sinks in urine sample
Read related – How To Make Prognosis Of Disease According To Ayurveda?

Assessment of prognosis and in-curability of disease

If oil spreads in sample it indicates good prognosis of illness
If doesn’t spread, signifies difficult prognosis.
If it sinks, indicates in-curability of disease.
If it moves towards south direction, it indicates patient suffering from fever and regains health gradually.
North direction assures curability of disease.
Spreading toward west direction signifies upcoming healthy and happier state of patient.
In north east direction it indicates death of patient within one month.
Death of patient is indicated when it spreads towards south – west and south – east and breaking into many pieces.
Spreading towards north – west assures the death of patient even if nectar is given to him.
If the shape of oil attains like that of cow, weapon, head- less body, tortoise,quadrangular, triangular then such patients are not treated as it assures his death.
If attains the shape of lotus, pond, pigeon,elephant, house etc, such patients are treated.
If attains the shape like that of man or appearance of two brains indicates patient suffering from bhutha dosha.

Further reading:
Urinalysis – A detailed patient guide to understand modern methods of urine analysis and inferences.
Clinical urine tests – Wikipedia article on various diagnostic tests done with urine.

Click to Consult Dr Renita D’Souza