Actor Paresh Rawal recently gave an unconventional and unscientific health advice. In an interview he claimed to drink his own urine in order to recuperate faster after a knee injury he suffered during the shooting of Rajkumar Santoshi’s Ghatak (1996).

In an interview with The Lallantop, Paresh said he was rushed to Nanavati hospital by actors Tinnu Anand and Danny Denzongpa after he was injured on the film’s set. The doctors said it would take him three months to get well.

This is when Ajay Devgn’s father, action-choreographer Veeru Devgan visited him and advised him to drink his own first urine of the day to speed-up recovery. “Veeru Devgan had come to visit when I was in Nanavati (hospital). When he got to know I was there, he came up to me and asked what happened to me? I told him about my leg injury…. He told me to drink my own urine first thing in the morning,” Paresh said. He added that Veeru told him that “all action fighters” do that.

Paresh added that Veeru told him to avoid alcohol, red meat, and smoking during the healing process. The Hera Pheri actor also described how he went about the process. “I had decided if I had to drink my own urine, I’ll not have it at one go; I’ll sip it like beer. Because I want to do it properly,” he said.

He added, “I did this for 15 days. Fifteen days later, when the doctor took my x-ray, he was shocked. The doctor asked me, ‘How did this cementing happen?’ He could see a white line forming.” Paresh said, “I was supposed to be discharged in 2-2.5 months, but I was discharged in 1.5 months. It was like magic.”

Although many have claimed (including former prime minister Morarji Desai) that drinking your own first urine of the day has various health benefits, there is no scientific evidence to back that claim. Infact, scientists state that since urinating is the process of cleansing the body of harmful and unnecessary substances, drinking it back can prove to be hazardous and can lead to health problems in the long term.