Introduction Skin irritation is known as the production of reversible damage of the skin following the application of a test substance for up to 4 hours. 1 Pathological characteristics and manifestation of skin irritation such as, erythema and oedema are manifestations of dermal irritation. Irritation is initially manifested by redness (erythema), vesicles, serous exudates, serous scabs (escher) and various degrees of swelling (oedema). Over time, other reactions may also manifest, like small areas of scaling, hyperplasia, hyperkeratosis and alopecia. Histopathology is useful in evaluating responses. In most cases, inflammation is well developed within the first 72 hours of observation. 2 Human urine is used for the bleeding wounds, rashes, inflammations and oedema in the subcontinent. Hakeems and vaydes advise patients to take a bath in the lakes that carry waste, including human urine. Hindu and Chinese literature advises the use of urine as a remedy for many diseases. Urotherapy was also used by ancient Egyptians and indigenous Americans. 3 Urine therapy may have been referenced in the Bible: "Drink waters from thy own cistern, flowing water from thy own well" (Proverbs 5:15 Old Testament). In India, urine therapy is known as Amaroli, Shivambu or Autourine therapy. In yoga, urine is treated as food, medicine and an immunity booster. Urine is said to be effective against the common cold, burns, fever, the flu, broken bones, dry skin, psoriasis, toothaches and several other skin problems. It is said to deter aging and may be helpful against the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), animal bites, allergies, asthma, heart disease, hypertension, fatigue, insomnia, infertility, baldness, gangrene, chicken pox, tuberculosis, and a countless number of other diseases and disorders. 4 Urotherapy is reported to be beneficial for the treatment of cancer. 5 The American Cancer Society recommends urine therapy for the treatment of cancer. 6 It is also known to treat problems related to skin and hair like acne, warts, wrinkles and infections. 7 One of the important uses of human urine is for treatment of burns and wounds. 8 It is believed traditionally in India that applying urine over the wound increases healing. Saharan Bedouins also used urine to cleanse burns and wounds. Urine therapy for treatment of wounds and inflammation also mentioned in the Ebers Papyrus of 1500BC which refers to the oldest surviving documents of Egyptian history. 3 Urine is used for treatment of wounds, burns and irritation since time immemorial. However, there are no pharmacological reports to confirm the effect of urine in such disorders. Modern scientists are aware of the fact that urine is not a waste product, but valuable serum, which is a panacea for several major illnesses, including aging. Urine is flesh, blood and vital tissues Vol. 65, No. 1, January 2015 9 ORIGINAL ARTICLE Dermatological evaluation of counter irritant potential of Human urine in rabbits Imran Ahmad Khan, 1 Abdul Aziz, 2 Shaukat Hussain Munawar, 3 Zahid Manzoor, 4 Muhammad Asif Raza 5 Abstract Objective: To confirm the effect of human urine in the treatment of wounds, burns and irritation. Methods: The study was conducted at Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, in November 2013 and comprised 15 rabbits of either gender. Irritation was induced by clockwise frictional movement of fine sandpaper to the ear of the rabbits. The counter-irritant activity was determined by calculating the mean decrease in redness and erythema. A group of 3 rabbits each was used while experimenting with the main assay every time the concentration of irritants was increased. The ear treated with distilled water was used as a control. Sodium lauryl sulfate irritation model was also applied and the counter-irritant activity was evaluated. One-way analysis of variance followed by Bonferroni test were used for statistical analysis. Results: The mean weight of the 15 rabbits was 1.5+/-SD kg. Urine (50 and 100μl) showed excellent counter-irritant activity when compared with control and standard dexamethasone. Both the doses showed counter-irritant activity, ranging between 76.84% and 95.68% in the sandpaper model, and 68.90% and 93.68% in the sodium lauryl sulfate model. Conclusion: Human urine countered the effect of irritation in experimental animals and can be an alternative way of countering irritation. Keywords: Counter-irritant, Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), Human urine, Rabbit's skin, Dexamethasone. (JPMA 65: 9; 2015) 1,2 Faculty of Pharmacy, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, 3,4 Faculty of Medicine and Allied Medical sciences, Isra university, Islamabad, Pakistan, 5 Animal Husbandry in Tropics and Subtropics, University of Kassel, Germany. Correspondence: Imran Ahmad Khan. Email: imranahmadkhadurrani@gmailcom