Maybe or Maybe not. Lemon juice contains citric acid, which helps eliminate toxins in the urine, making it appear less concentrated. As a result, there is a chance that the drug test may detect the urine specimen as negative.
But this method has limitations, and one should not rely too much on it. Moreover, drug test results can be unpredictable, but it depends on the individual capability of the human body to metabolize drugs.
The results may also vary from person to person. In case the drug test detects the urine specimen as diluted, it is likely that the tester will ask you to provide another sample.
The lemon juice method may help you pass a drug test for lower levels of THC metabolites in your body. But, it will not significantly impact the drug test results of heavy users who regularly consume many drugs.
The following article highlights how lemon juice works and whether it is a reliable measure to beat a drug test.
Table Of Contents:
- Does Lemon Juice Detox Your Body?
- Process Of Drug Elimination From The System
- How Much Lemon Juice To Drink?
- Lemon Juice As A Detox Agent Vs. A Buffer Agent
- What Are The Limitations Of Using Lemon Juice To Pass A Drug Test?
Does Lemon Juice Detox Your Body?
Not certainly.
Joy Dobust RD, A food scientist, in a healthline article, strongly refuses lemon juice as a detox drink.
Meanwhile, researchers in a study found that lemon juice plays a protective role in alcohol-induced liver injury in mice.
Many people have discovered that lemon juice works wonders in eliminating toxins like alcohol, nicotine, pesticides, and other chemicals from the body.
The theory behind this method goes something like this; if the toxin is eliminated from the body through urine, there is a possibility that it can deduce the drug levels below the cut-off levels.
That is why lemon juice is believed to work as a detox agent and pass drug tests. Yet, one should consider that it does not provide any safety margin for other drugs like amphetamines or heroin.
Lemon Juice Can Break down THC metabolites
Researchers in another study named "Undesirable Effect of Citrus Juice in Pharmacokinetics" found that citrus fruits, including lemon water, can break down medicine metabolites.
This opens up the possibility of lemon juice detoxing THC by breaking down MMJ or THC metabolites. But it is not scientifically proven that it could help break the metabolites.
Process Of Drug Elimination From The System
People who consume a large amount of drugs have substances called metabolites in their urine that are remnants of their intake.
The urine drug test detects these metabolites by monitoring the appearance of chemicals in the sample. With the help of these chemicals, the urine sample is detected to determine whether it contains traces of drugs.
The process of elimination occurs when the drug admission passes through the blood and moves into blood vessels in different parts of the body and eventually into organs. The period taken by this process is called the half-life. It means the time it will take for the drug to be eliminated from the system.
The half-life for different drugs is different and varies according to each person. The half-life of marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines, and opiates is approximately 0.3 hours; heroin and ecstasy have a half-life of 2.5 hours, while methadone has a half-life of 16 hours.
The standard 5 panel urine drug test can detect the traces of the drug after a certain period. Considering the above information, it is best to know how much lemon juice to drink to reduce the drug concentration below the cut-off levels.
That is a complex process. But it is good to know how much to drink in general to prevent dilution of the urine sample.
How Much Lemon Juice To Drink?
The amount of lemon juice you need depends on the concentration of toxins in your system. In most cases, drinking lemon juice is not enough to pass a drug test because it is hard to find a way of measuring the levels of toxins in your urine.
To pass a drug test with lemon juice, you will have to drink a lot of it before the test. You should drink at least ten glasses of water mixed with fresh lemons at least ten days before the test to get good results.
You should also eat fruits besides drinking lemonade because they contain beneficial vitamins and minerals that will reduce the damaging effects of lemon juice on your liver and kidneys.
Also, the following factors could impact the efficacy of Lemon Juice:
- Your drug of choice – the length of time it takes for you to detox depends on the type of drug.
- Your weight – if you weigh more than average, the toxins will take longer to leave your system.
- Lemon juice quantity – this directly impacts how effective the process will be. As a general rule, the more lemon juice you drink, the better your chance to pass a drug test quickly.
- The use of other detox drinks – these products may have a detox effect on the body. It would help if you did not use other detox drinks, as this step will interfere with the lemon juice process.
- The regularity of drug use – In addition to age and weight, this factor is critical for getting good results from detox methods. The more frequently you consume drugs, the more toxins you have in your system. It makes it hard to cleanse your body of all toxins with one shot of lemon juice.
- The effects of other drugs – if you consume other chemicals or drugs, then it may disrupt the detox method. Some ingredients like tobacco, caffeine, and alcohol could also interfere with lemon juice and make it more difficult to pass a drug test with this method.
If you are thinking about other possible ways to clear your drug test, you can use cranberry juice or detox drinks for drug test. They can help you reduce the toxins and help you manage your drug test.
Lemon Juice As A Detox Agent Vs. A Buffer Agent
Lemon juice is a detoxifier of toxins in the body. It works by neutralizing the acidic chemical compounds in your body and making them non-acidic or alkaline.
On their own, toxins have weak acidity, which is why lemon juice can neutralize them. Changing the acidity of toxins makes them more susceptible to detoxification processes in your body.
Lemon juice can be used as a buffering agent if it is mixed with other chemicals that can detoxify the body. However, if you use lemon juice alone, it might not be possible to pass a drug test because it is hard to quantify the levels of toxins in urine.
If you use lemon juice as a buffering ingredient, you'll save yourself from these inconveniences and save money. The reason why lemon juice is hard to be quantified is that it is not a pure, concentrated chemical.
It has anti-foaming agents that protect the urine sample from being diluted during the process of elimination.
What Are The Limitations Of Using Lemon Juice To Pass A Drug Test?
- You should know that the procedure of consuming lemon juice in large quantities is not healthy. It can have very unpleasant after-effects if you do not drink enough water during this process.
- This method may not work for everyone because everyone has different levels of toxins in their system and different metabolic rates.
- This method is not adequate for everyone because it does not work instantly. It may take some time to work.
- It would help if you did not use lemon juice daily to detoxify your body because this could lead to other problems such as dehydration, vitamin deficiency, and kidney damage.
Conclusion
Lemon juice can detoxify toxins and reduce the toxin levels during a drug test. However, using this method daily is not good because your organs may get damaged if you continue this practice.
It would help if you understood that the way lemon juice works on your body fundamentally differs from other medications and products sold by drug screening companies. It would be best to use lemon juice ten days before your drug test to ensure healthy results.
You should consume a lot of water and eat fruits so that your body will not suffer from the adverse effects of this process. Thus, you might be able to pass a drug test with lemon juice but do not rely too much on lemon juice if you are serious about passing your drug test.
FAQ
Is Lemon Juice An Instant Solution For Drug Tests?
Lemon juice is not an instant solution because it may take you a few hours to drink the required quantity of lemon juice. It will take your body a few hours to eliminate the toxins after you drink the lemon juice.
Sometimes, you may have to wait for more than a day before your urine sample will be clean enough to pass the test.
Can Everyone Use This Method To Pass A Drug Test?
Yes, lemon juice is a good detox drink and can be used by everyone. But, people with sensitive bodies may find drinking lemon juice can cause dizziness, nausea, and other unpleasant symptoms.
Also, pregnant women should not use this method because it can affect their unborn children negatively.
Does lemon juice make you pee?
While lemon juice may have a mild diuretic effect due to its high water content, it is not a significant contributor to increased urine production. There are other factors to consider, including individual hydration status, overall fluid intake, and other dietary components that play a more substantial role in urine production.