According to doctors, your urine should be light yellow or straw colored. If it’s dark yellow, then it is safe to assume that something is not right. Worry not because most of the time it’s something that can be easily remedied at home, most especially after identifying the possible reason behind it.

Read on if currently your pee is dark yellow. Below you will learn about some of the potential causes of it and most especially some of the best home remedies that you may try to put the problem to an end.

One of the most common reasons why the urine is dark yellow in color is dehydration. If you’re not drinking enough fluids, then your pee becomes concentrated, and this can cause it to appear darker than usual. But it’s not just failure to drink water that can cause dehydration, but also a handful of other things. Some of them include perspiring heavily and having diarrhea, both of which can cause you to lose excessive amounts of water.

There are instances in which dark yellow urine is simply caused by what you put in your mouth. For instance, did you know that asparagus can cause your pee to look darker than normal?

Some herbal supplements and multivitamins may be the culprit. Something that contains B vitamins is known to cause pee discoloration, but this is perfectly normal as this is just a sign that excessive amounts of the water-soluble vitamins are just being eliminated by your body by means of your kidneys. Certain medications, OTC and prescription alike, can also make your urine appear dark yellow. If you believe that it’s the medication you are taking that can be blamed, do not stop taking it unless you obtain the go signal of your doctor to do so.

Doctors say that another probable reason why your pee is dark yellow in appearance is a urinary tract infection or UTI. It’s easy to tell that UTI is indeed the culprit if you also experience other strange symptoms together with pee discoloration, such as feeling tired and a burning sensation each time you use the toilet to urinate.

Now that you know some of the most common reasons why your pee can turn dark yellow, it’s now time for us to take a look at some of the home remedies for it that you may try:

Consume Plenty of Water

Every single day, make sure that you drink around 2 liters of water, which is equivalent to about 8 glasses. This helps ensure that your body stays properly hydrated, keeping your pee from appearing darker than usual. If it is summertime or you are exercising too much, you need to drink more water as you can lose a lot of them through sweating.

Have Fruits and Vegetables, Too

You can also obtain much-needed water simply by adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet as most of them have hydrating properties. But then again, some of those healthy produce may be the reason for the dark coloration of your urine, but you should not worry because it’s perfectly harmless.

Drink Cranberry Juice

If it’s obvious that your dark yellow urine is due to a bout of UTI because you are also experiencing a bunch of other weird symptoms, you may drink cranberry juice to help flush out bacteria in your excretory system, letting you heal so much faster. But if the symptoms persist, it’s a much better idea to pay your doctor a visit.

Sometimes, a problem concerning the liver can cause the darkening of urine. Especially if your skin is also yellowish, which is termed as jaundice, make sure that you seek the help of your doctor as soon as you can.