How to Get Weed Out of Your System
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There are many reasons why you may need to know how to get drugs out of your system. Taking by-products and metabolites of weed out of your system is a process that takes more time and effort depending on dose and frequency of marijuana use.
Naturally grown cannabis contains various types of cannabinoids. CBD and THC are two most important components. The former is a calming agent used for medical purposes. The latter is a psychoactive component that makes you high. So-called “clean” marijuana contains more of one of the ingredients.
THC is a cannabinoid that is not recommended for regular recreational or medical use in its pure form. High concentrations of THC may cause psychosis and unwanted behaviors. It is why many companies and educational institutions may require their students and employees to undergo THC testing.
Unfortunately, even organic marijuana cultured to contain as little THC as possible will contain enough THC to make you fail any test. We decided to put together a short guide on how to get weed out of your system using mostly natural ways.
THC metabolism
Your body is capable of breaking down and removing THC without any external help. However, this process may take up to 90 days depending on physiological factors as well as your dietary and lifestyle choices. All cannabinoids are fat-soluble meaning that they will attach themselves to fat cells in your body. At the same time, active metabolites are absorbed by various tissues and carried throughout your body by the blood stream.
Some factors may slow down the metabolism and increase the amount of THC by-products flowing in your blood. Approach the process of THC removal cautiously and keep in mind the date of an upcoming test.
Detox marijuana
You can use detox kits to remove unwanted compounds and contaminants from your body. Note that detoxification kits are often not effective or do not work for some people. Make sure to use detox kits from trusted manufacturers and approved by the FDA. We won’t advertise detox products since many of them are questionable to say the least. You may try using them to improve other THC removal techniques. While we cannot guarantee that detox kits work as intended, we cannot argue against using them as a complementary tool.
Natural ways
There are several methods that you should consider when preparing for an upcoming drug test. There are several home remedies capable of removing THC metabolites from your body.
- Drink green tea. Green tea is a natural energetic that contains antioxidants and compounds that improve your metabolism as well as help your body break down fats releasing more THC metabolites in your blood and urine allowing for faster removal of unwanted microelements from your body. It is also important to note that tea works as a diuretic and encourages urination.
- Hydrate yourself sufficiently. Some people think that drinking water before a drug test is a good idea. However, you should remember that clean water dilutes your urine and may slow down excretion of THC components from your body. Drink as much as you need and do not chug liters of water before a test.
- Creatinine and Vitamin B normalize the composition of your urine making it easier to pass a test. It is recommended to increase (slightly) your intake of Vitamin B-2 or B-12 and creatinine by using specialized food supplements.
- Eat healthy food. This tip will help remove traces of marijuana use from the body much faster. You need to temporarily exclude dishes with animal fats or too much vegetable fat from the diet: sauces (mayonnaise, tartare, etc.), fatty meats, chicken, turkey, fast food, foods fried in batter or deep-fried. Also, stop consuming fermented milk products, such as milk, for a while. Give preference to healthy foods, boiled and steamed. Eat as many vegetables, fruits, herbs, and berries as possible.
Lifestyle and habits
The most effective way to ensure that you can pass any drug test is to reduce the frequency of marijuana use. It is not recommended to abuse cannabis for recreational use anyways. What you need to do is to smoke it only occasionally. Make sure to smoke only before the weekend to ensure that a sudden drug test won’t catch you off-guard.
Eating healthily is another way to normalize your metabolism and help your body break down THC quicker. Being overweight is a problem since THC molecules attach to fat cells. If you eat less fatty foods, your liver won’t have problems with breaking down nutrients. Avoiding fructose and sugars in general reduce the rate of visceral fat generation meaning that you will have less abdominal fat capable of catching and storing THC metabolites.
Here are some dietary tips:
- Eat less red meat and junk food in order to improve your metabolism in general and ensure that your liver has all the time in the world to process THC molecules.
- Drink water as much as you need. Do not drink when your do not feel thirsty. When possible, choose lemon juice or tea.
- Consume more fiber and vegetables to encourage better digestion and urination for faster THC excretion.
What about exercising?
When you exercise, your body breaks down fats (if you do not eat enough before a workout). Fat cells with THC metabolites will release by-products of marijuana in your blood and consequently urine. Do not exercise right before a test to avoid an unwanted THC spike. However, exercising regularly is a great way to keep your metabolism running. Workout systematically but avoid exercises 1—2 days before a test.
The main takeaway
Getting out components of weed out of your system may be a stressful experience for chronic smokers. However, you can do it by changing your lifestyle and focusing on simple techniques that we discussed above!
Sources:
- A. Verstraete “Detection Times of Drugs of Abuse in Blood, Urine, and Oral Fluid“. 1 April 2004
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health ““Detoxes” and “Cleanses”: What You Need To Know“. September 2019 - Adrian B. Hodgson, Rebecca K. Randell, Asker E. Jeukendrup “The Effect of Green Tea Extract on Fat Oxidation at Rest and during Exercise: Evidence of Efficacy and Proposed Mechanisms“. 5 March 2013
- Michael L. Smith,1 Allan J. Barnes,2, Marilyn A. Huestis “Identifying New Cannabis Use with Urine Creatinine-Normalized THCCOOH Concentrations and Time Intervals Between Specimen Collections“. 22 August 2011
What a greaty and insightful blog post! adding this to follow! straights ups
The best way to get weed out of the system for me is to drink plenty of water and go for a run. It’s so good for the body! The tips are very useful, thanks to the author for such a high-quality and detailed material
If I were an author, I would not advise people to drink green tea to get marijuana out of the system. Frankly, it is absolutely useless, the effect will be minimal. If you really want to sober up, just go for a run or go to the gym. The rest of the tips in the article make sense.
A work colleague of mine who is also a frequent cannabis addict told me that the most effective way to get marijuana out of the system is to simply drink coffee. And not just latte or cappuccino, but espresso without milk. Can anyone here tell me if this is true? I just have to pass the test and I’m very worried