The document provides guidelines for properly collecting and examining a urine sample in order to diagnose diseases based on urine color according to the Unani system of medicine. It describes the various shades of color the urine can take on and the health implications of each color, such as yellow and red hues indicating heat or inflammation and white and green colors signifying coldness. References are provided at the end to sources on the Canon of Medicine by Avicenna and other classical Unani texts.

1. Prepared by:
Mohammad Anas Shakeel
Under the supervision of :
Hakim Qalb-e-saleem
Dedicated to:
Shaheed-e-Pakistan Hakim Muhammad Said
Colors of Urine (Qaroorah) and
diagnosis through it.
(The Unani Tibbi philosophical aspect – according to Bu Ali Sina)

3. PRECAUTIONS NECESSARY IN COLLECTING THE URINE, BEFORE
FORMING AN OPINION AS TO ITS CHARACTER:
• It must be collected in the early morning; it must not have been kept over from the night before (the patient must
have slept through the night).
• The specimen should not be retained for too long (in morning) (but it should be of overnight urine) (BBB)
• The person must not have taken either food or drink before passing it.
• The previous food must have been free from coloring agents.
• Substances having coloring property, such as henna, should not be applied on the face and skin because
sometimes they color the urine. (CCC)
• The patient should not have been given an agent which expels some humor (a cholagogue or phlegamagogue) by
the urine.
• The patient should not have under sever exercise or toil, or be in a praeternatural mental state, or under fasting,
wakefulness, anger, dread, vomiting & diarrhea etc. ; for in each case the color of urine may alter. Coitus also alters
the urine, rendering it oily.
• The urine should not be left standing more than 1-6 hours before examination. (otherwise the significance is
altered)
• The whole of the urine should be collected into one single vessel least anything should be split out of it.
• One should allow it to settle before scrutinizing it.
• The vessel used for the specimen must be clean and washed, and the previous sample must have been rinsed out
of it.
• The vessel should be made up of white glass or crystal.
• The urine must not be exposed to the sun or wind or freezing cold, until the sediment has separated out and the
various characters have properly developed.
• The sample must be inspected in a light place where the rays do not fall directly upon it.
• The specimen should be examined from both near and far. (BBB)
• The specimen should not be transfer from one vessel to another. (DDD)
• The specimen should not be traveled far. (DDD)

4. INSPECTION OF URINE:
• The following are the points to observe in a
sample of urine:
• Color
• Quantity
• Odour
• Foam
• Texture
• Clearness
• Sediment

5. COLOR OF URINE:
• By color is meant the various shades of color perceived by
the sense of sight i.e. whiteness, darkness and the
intermediate shades.
• The color is the result of dissolved particles which pervades
the whole substance of the urine.
• The color of urine is enclosed in 5 degrees (excluding
complex colors), which are as follows:
• The degree of Yellowness
• The degree of Redness
• The degree of Whiteness
• The degree of Darkness or Blackness
• The degree of Green color

6. The degree of Yellowness:

7. Straw-yellow color urine:
(Bol e Asfar Tibni)
• It denotes lower than normal
degree of hotness (or in other
words, donates some degree of
coldness) (DDD)
• If the urine is plentiful also, it shows
that a crude humor is being
excreted by the urine
• If there is also a sediment which is
white, smooth, equable and
plentiful, it shows that the digestion
is good.
• If thicker, and a sediment is present,
it shows that the digestion is not
altogether bad.
• If gritty, scaly, furfuraceous, with
black, livid, green, or fetid
sediment, this shows entire lack of
digestive function.

8. Lemon-yellow or Citron-yellow color urine:
(Bol e Asfar Utarji)
• This color usually found in
normal healthy urine
(DDD)
• It denotes normal degree
of hotness (DDD)
• This is the color of
NORMAL URINE

9. Clear reddish-yellow color urine:
(Bol e Asfar Ashqar)
• It denotes higher
than normal degree
of hotness (or hot
intemprament),
which is produced as
the result of degree
of amount of
exercise, pain, fasting
and insufficient
fluids. (DDD)

10. Orange-yellow color urine:
(Bol e Asfar Narngi)
• It denotes higher degree of
hotness (or hot
intemprament), which is
present in Clear reddish-
yellow color urine (as
mentioned above), produced
as the result of relatively
higher degree of amount of
exercise, pain, fasting and
insufficient fluids. (DDD)

11. Flame-yellow or Perfect-yellow (CCC) color
urine:
(Bol e Asfar Nari/Asfar Mushabba)
• It denotes higher degree of
hotness (or hot
intemprament), which is
present in Orange-yellow
color urine (as mentioned
above), produced as the
result of relatively higher
degree of amount of exercise,
pain, fasting and insufficient
fluids. (DDD)
• It also denotes the
predominance of the bilious
humor.

12. Saffron-yellow or Bright-red (CCC) color urine:
(Bol e Asfar Zafrani/Ahmar nasie)
• It denotes highest degree of hotness
(or hot intemprament) among all
types of yellow urine, produced as
the result of relatively highest degree
of amount of exercise, pain, fasting
and insufficient fluids. (DDD)
• The urine tends to saffron-yellow and
flame-yellow in acute maladies
described as “burning” ; but if the
urine at all inclined to be clear, it
shows a certain degree of
“digestion,” namely that this process
has actually begun, but its products
have not yet appeared in the
substance of the urine.
• It also denotes the predominance of
the bilious humor.

13. The degree of Redness:

14. Purple red or Pink (BBB) or Brown-red (CCC)
color urine:
(Bol e Ahmar As-hab)
• It denotes dominance of
sanguineous humor.

15. Rose-red or Roseate or Rosy (BBB) color urine:
(Bol e Ahmar Wardi)
• It denotes dominance of
sanguineous humor.

16. Very dark red or Vermillion (BBB) color urine:
(Bol e Ahmar Qani)
• It denotes dominance of sanguineous
humor.
• If it occurs in acute diseases of
hemorrhagic character, it indicates an
excessive plethora.
• If it occurs gradually, associated with a
bad odor, it indicates that there is
hemorrhage proceeding from congested
parts.(the prognosis is still worse if the
urine becomes thinner and more
offensive in odor)
• If it occurs in acute composite fevers, it is
a good sing because it shows that crisis is
about to take place, and recovery will
follow. The only exception is if the urine
becomes suddenly transparent before
the crisis is due. Such phenomenon
would be a forerunner of a relapse. But
thin urine appearing after the crisis may
be equally unfavorable unless the change
has been gradual and progressive.

17. Smoky-red or Dull-red or Blackish-red (CCC) color
urine:
(Bol e Ahmar Aqtam)
• It denotes
dominance of
sanguineous
humor.
• If it occurs in
jaundice, it is a
good sing because
it is an evidence of
expulsion of
diseasing fluid.
(DDD)

18. The degree of Whiteness:

19. Transparent white or colorless (thin) urine:
(Bol e Abyaz Mushaf)
• It denotes the cold
intemprament and
defective
maturation
(digestion).

20. Transparent white or colorless (thick) urine:
(Bol e Abyaz Zulali/Baizi/Mahi)
• It denotes presence
of phlegm or in other
words denotes
Albuminuria(DDD).

21. Mucilaginous urine:
(Bol e Abyaz Mukhati)
• It denotes excess of phlegm and crude phlegm

22. Oily (BBB) or Fat-like (CCC) Urine:
(Bol e Abyaz Dasmi)
• It denotes liquefaction of fat.

23. Greasy or Soapy or Waxy (BBB) Urine:
(Bol e Abyaz Ahali)
• It denotes phlegm
and actual or
latent dissolution
of fat.
• It may denote
diabetes, active or
latent.

24. Musty white or Champagne-like Urine:
(Bol e Abyaz Faqqaei)
• In the presence of pus, it
denotes septic ulceration
of urinary passages.
• Without pus, it denotes
the dominance and
excess of crude, non
mature matter and
sometimes it is owing to
stone in the bladder.

25. Semen-like Urine:
(Bol e Abyaz Manwi)
• It passes during crisis of
phlegmatic
swellings,looseness of
visceras and crisis of
the diseases arising
from vitrious phlegm.
• May be denotes
apoplexy and paralysis.
• If urine remains white
throughout the fever, it
is likely to change over
the quartan type.

26. Lead-white Urine:
(Bol e Abyaz Rasasi)
• This type without sediment is very
bad.

27. Milky Urine:
(Bol e Abyaz Labni)
• During acute diseases
it is fatal sign.

28. The degree of Green color:

29. Pistachios-green color urine:
(Bol e Akhzar Fistaqi)
• It denotes a cold
intemprament.

30. Rainbow-green or Sky-green (BBB) color urine:
(Bol e Akhzar Asmanjuni)
• It denotes an extremely
cold intemprament.
• It may also shows that
poison was present in
the fluid taken as drink,
and that if there be
sediment present there
is a hope of recovery; if
no sediment, death is
likely to take place.

31. Emerald-green color urine:
(Bol e Akhzar Nilji)
• It denotes a cold
intemprament.

32. Leek-green color urine:
(Bol e Akhzar Karasi)
• It denotes extreme
combustion.
• It is not as unhealthy or
dangerous as Verdigris-
green color urine.

33. Verdigris-green color urine:
(Bol e Akhzar Zanjari / Zangari)
• It denotes extreme
combustion.
• It is more unhealthy or
dangerous then Leek-
green color urine.
• It forewarns of death
(destruction of innate
heat).
• If it should be met with
after physical labour it
denotes “spasm”.

34. The degree of Darkness or
Blackness :

35. Black Urine :
(Bol e Aswad)
Due to Coldness
(It is thick comparatively)
Due to Hotness
(It is thin comparatively)

36. Dark Saffron-yellow color urine :
• It denotes
denseness and
oxidation of the
bilious humor.
• It denotes
atrabilious humor
derived from
bilious humor.
• It denotes jaundice.

37. Deep-brown black or Dark-red (BBB)
color urine:
• It shows the
presence of
sanguineous
atrabilious
humor (which
results from the
combustion of
sanguineous
humor (BBB)).

38. Greenish-black color urine :
• It shows the
dominance
of pure
atrabilious
humor.

39. The Compound colors:

40. Raw Meat-washing color urine:
(Bol e Ghusali)
• If it occurs with the weakness of
digestion and dispersion of
vitality, it denotes the hepatic
insufficiency.
• If various faculties are
sufficiently strong, this type of
urine results from the plenty of
blood; even to great excess.

41. Olive-oil color urine or oleaginous urine:
(Bol e Zaiti)
• It shows the fat of
the body is being
destroyed
• If such urine be also
fetid and scanty in
amount, it is a very
ominous sign.
• If it replaces a black
urine, it is a good
sign.

42. Purple color urine:
(Bol e Arghawani/Arjawani)
• This is a very
bad and fatal
sign.
• It denotes
oxidation of
both bilious
and
atrabilious
humor.

43. Ruddy color urine:
(Bol e Jumri)
• This occurs in
composite fevers
and in fevers
arising from gross
superfluities.
• If urine of this
type is clarifies,
and the darkness
settles down from
the surface, it
denotes pleurisy.

44. REFRENCES:
1. (AAA) Gruner, O. Cameron, A Treatise on the Canon of
Medicine, Luzac & Co London, 1930.
2. (BBB) Mazhar H. Shah, The General Principles of
Avicenna’s Canon of Medicine, Naveed Clinic, Karachi,
Pakistan, 1966.
3. (CCC) Hakeem Abdul Hameed, Al-Qanun Fi’l Tibb -
English translation of critical Arabic text, Jamia
Hamdard, New Dehli, India, 1993.
4. (DDD) Hakim Kabiruddin Dehlvi, Tarjuma wa Sharah
Kulyat e Qanun, Usman Publications, Lahore, Pakistan,
1930.
5. (EEE) Hakim Khwaja Rizwan Ahmed, Tarjuma wa
Sharah Kulyat e Qanun, 3rd edition, Darul taleefat,
Karachi, Pakistan, 1971.

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