Does Urine Help A Jellyfish Sting?

Last summer, my family went on vacation to Cancun, Mexico. On the last day, my sister got a minor jellyfish sting. She heard that pee helps ease the pain of the sting, so she asked me to pee on her leg! After much contemplating, we decided it wasn’t worth it if we weren’t completely sure that it was going to work. So, does urine actually help a jellyfish sting?

According to most scientists, the answers is no. In fact, applying urine to a jelly fish sting can actually make the pain worse! Jellyfish stings occur when you touch one of the jellyfish’s many sting cells called cnidocytes. Cnidocytes have organelles called nematocysts that contain venom. Jennifer Ping, a physician at Straub Hospital in Honolulu summarizes that the pH of urine can cause the nematocysts to swell and release more venom, which worsens the sting. She also suggests that only after the nematocysts have been removed may the urine sooth the wound, only because urine is warm. However, urine is not necessary because warm water will do just as well.

                                                 Cnidocyte of a Jellyfish

Dr. T. Glenn Pait, a UAMS Specialist and neurosurgeon agrees with Jennifer Ping. He states, “Despite what anyone tells you, do not apply vinegar, urine or meat tenderizer to the affected area.” So what do we do if we get stung by a jellyfish? Dr. T. Glenn Pait suggests that the best thing to do is to rinse the area with salt water. Do not use freshwater! Salt water will deactivate some of the sting cells, while freshwater may reactivate them. He also suggests to use something like a credit card to remove the cells.

Because there are so many different types of jellyfish, and each person’s urine is at different levels, there is no precise evidence that urine is effective in easing the pain of jellyfish stings. As mentioned by Rob Brouhard, “Depending on the person — and whether he or she is dehydrated, diabetic, on a protein diet, or dealing with myriad other conditions — urine may or may not be about as good as fresh water.” As we already know, fresh water can reactivate the nematocysts and make the sting worse, so urine is just as bad if not worse than freshwater. In fact, Brouhard confirms that “urine contains so much fresh water that stranded folks can drink their own urine to survive.” Essentially, applying urine to a jellyfish just as painful, if not worse, as applying freshwater.

                                     Peeing on a jellyfish sting

Peeing on a jellyfish: myth or fact? Myth. “I think [the myth] gets perpetuated because it’s something that is funny, yet believable,” says Jennifer Ping. So you might ask, why is this so believable and where did this rumor come from? Apparently, it all started out with an episode from Friends! Monica got stung by a jellyfish and Chandler pees on it, which ends up making Monica feel better. Next time you get stung by a jellyfish and your friend volunteers to pee on you, save yourself the embarrassment and don’t do it!

3 thoughts on “Does Urine Help A Jellyfish Sting?

  1. Thomas Curran

    I have never been stung by a jellyfish, but if I am ever stung this is very good to know. This is a very unique topic that not many people would research which makes me want to research it even more. I would definitely like to learn more about what actually would help a jellyfish sting and see experimental results on why these things work. Cool blog that I will definitely remember reading the next time I am in the ocean!

  2. Jensen T Sneeringer

    I was actually watching Friends the other day and this exact episode came on! I had seen it before, so when a friend got stung by a jellyfish while we were at the beach this summer, I was actually THAT girl to suggest urine. This is definitely a quirky but helpful tip; you never know when you might be in this situation!

  3. cmd6021

    This is really good to know! i have been stung by jellyfish multiple times and the advice I always received was to pee on it but to me that just seems unsanitary so now i am happy there is no solid evidence to prove that works. I know there are multiple theories of the best way to treat a jellyfish sting but from experience i found this website (http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/jellyfish-stings/basics/treatment/con-20034045) to be the most effective.

Comments are closed.