Few Stones Left Unturned by Cheaters

For as long as there has been drug testing, there has been cheating. And those interested in circumventing the system have found a number of products to assist them.

A sampling:

Test Free--($39.95) A 1.5-ounce packet that is mixed with eight ounces of warm water. Dan Ashlock, president of Zydot, the company that distributes Test Free, said his product binds with any substance in the urine and eliminates it. The process takes about two hours. It is sold at boutiques known as “head shops.”

Naturally Clean--($29.95.) A natural herb tea that serves to detoxify the system. Craig Morrison, president of Houston Enterprises that distributes Naturally Clean, said his product has ingredients to cleanse the urine and blood. One package makes a gallon drink, which is needed to be most effective. It takes about two hours. The product is sold in health food stores and “head shops.”

Golden Seal--($8-$16.) A natural root that is ingested in capsulized form. At the turn of the century, the root was used to rid systems of alcohol and heroin residues. Purported to work as a diuretic, it comes in 50- or 100-tablet bottles, and can be purchased at health food stores.

Others have tried household products, Ashlock and Morrison said.

“We’ve found people who have been drinking Visine and Drano . . . even pickle juice,” Morrison said.

Megadoses of vitamin C, large amounts of cranberry juice and wine vinegar also have been used, but toxicologists said without much success.

Ashlock said some have been known to put soap, bleach, blood or salt under their fingernails to put in a specimen when urinating.