How Long Does Marijuana Stay In Saliva?

After consumption of marijuana, the majority of its main component Tetrahydrocannabinol is quickly metabolised and absorbed by the user's body, so only very small amount of it stays in saliva. Since mouth swab tests, unlike tests of blood, hair and urine samples, are focused on the THC itself rather than its inactive metabolites, they have relatively short time span when they can detect marijuana until it gets metabolised.

But the type of test alone does not determine how long marijuana can be detected. There are much more different factors that have impact on user’s metabolism and the period required to remove THC remnants from the saliva. They are:

• Body mass
• Age
• Metabolic rate
• Physical activity
• Overall health condition
• Amount of marijuana smoked
• Potency of product
• Individual drug tolerance

How long does weed usually stay in saliva?

Saliva tests can easily detect marijuana within 24 hours after intake. They are particularly good at detecting recent cases of marijuana use. Given that a more sensitive test is taken in a laboratory environment, it can detect THC during up to 72 hours. In case of chronic intake of weed, the test sometimes may be positive even after a week.

This means that in order to pass the mouth swab drug test, you have to avoid smoking marijuana for at least three days. This time is almost always enough to make sure the THC is completely eliminated from your saliva.

Sometimes your employer may launch an unexpected test, so you will not be able to abstain. In such cases, you need to resort to some helpful remedies and methods that significantly reduce the time marijuana stays in your saliva.

How to reduce marijuana detection time in the saliva test?

Reducing the detection time of marijuana in saliva is necessary if you are having a mouth swab drug test. To increase your chances and avoid a false-positive result, the first thing you should do is stop smoking marijuana and avoid any other toxic stuff. It has been proven to be very efficient to brush the teeth properly at least thrice a day. While doing so, you need to pay special attention to gum lines, tongue, and cheeks. Besides, drink plenty of water to help oral fluids move, chew a cube of ice to reduce the amount of toxins in mouth and dilute the saliva, and eat mints to mask the drug presence. Also, you can eat foods high in fat about one hour before your saliva test to help the body absorb more THC. You can also avoid positive test result by changing the pH level and acidity of mouth fluids. This can be done by using such easily available kitchen products as lemon juice, vinegar, and hydrogen peroxide. It goes without saying that special detox mouthwashes, like Stinger Detox or Ultra Wash, can make a great difference if used about half an hour before the mouth swab test.

What is the best detoxifying mouthwash for weed?

The best product to remove THC from your oral cavity is Ultra Wash toxin-cleansing mouthwash. It is affordable, simple in use and very compact, what helps it to stay always within your reach in case there is an unexpected saliva drug test. Its ingredients include fast-acting chemical and herbal substances, such as aloe vera, witch hazel, peppermint, potassium chloride, magnesium sulfate etc. To be on the safe side and have your mouth cleansed from THC, alcohol, nicotine and other drugs, you should use this detox mouthwash 15 minutes before the test. This is the time period when Ultra Wash is the most effective as it starts removing unwanted toxins almost immediately after you rinse your mouth with it and works for about an hour.

Drooling: Excessive Saliva Flow In Babies, Toddlers And Adults

Drooling (salivation, driveling, dribbling, slobbering, or sialorrhea) is the flow of saliva, usually uncontrollable, outside of the mouth. It can be caused due to several reasons: excessive production of saliva, inability to retain it in the mouth, or problems with swallowing. Usually, drooling is harmless but with some people it may cause a risk of breathing saliva or food into the lungs which is dangerous.

Drooling in babies

Drooling in babies begins at the age of about 3 months and in most cases it is a normal part of natural physical development. This is a result of maturing of the parotid glands (large salivary glands, which are activated by eating). At this time, babies also learn how to chew, but they haven’t learned how to swallow their saliva yet. Drooling is important for babies – once your child starts to eat solid food saliva washes away the bacteria from the mouth, plays important role in digestion and helps neutralize stomach acid. Excessive salivation starts when teeth start to grow and in this case saliva relieves teeth pain. Drooling can also be a sign of developmental delays and be a result of impaired chewing muscles. In the course of normal physical development, it can cause some minor troubles – such as irritate skin on the chin and creating a red rash. In this case you should try to keep your baby’s skin dry and use lanolin ointment to ease skin irritation.

Drooling in toddlers

Sometimes toddlers have underdeveloped swallowing mechanism – ability to swallow properly and at a right time. The ability to swallow may be delayed because of premature birth; in other cases, it must be normal accordingly to the child’s age. In the case of drooling after the age of 3, you should address your doctor, especially if the child shows other signs of neurological damage or delays in language or gross motor skills. There are some cases of excessive salivation when the child’s nervous system might be impaired and in this case, it interferes with muscle control in the mouth and face.

Drooling in adults

Drooling can also occur in adults. There is a list of different medical conditions that can lead to excessive salivation: cerebrovascular stroke, cerebral palsy, Bell’s palsy, allergy and common cold or respiratory infections, drug side effects (Pilocarpine, Compazine, Thiothixene and Dantrium), gastroesophageal reflux or any infection of the mouth (for example, salivary gland infection). Some complications because of excessive drooling may appear with the patients with cerebral palsy and cause problems to them and their caretakers. These include perioral skin infections, dehydration, problems in interaction with the others (because the communicative device is wet and damaged), frequent changing of clothes etc.

This problem is frequent in pregnant women because their salivary glands are more lubricated due to nausea and morning sickness. Drooling becomes very problematic in the case of uncontrolled vomiting also known as Hyperemesis Gravidarum.

It is also common for elderly people with Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease. Sometimes drooling can be caused by serious diseases like esophageal and laryngeal cancers.

Drooling while sleeping: causes and treatment

Saliva flow is also very typical while sleeping and in most cases it’s absolutely natural thing. It happens for a number of reasons. First of all, when sleeping you cannot swallow the amount of saliva you produce like you do when you’re awake, what makes excessive saliva drool out of the mouth. This happens mostly with people who like side sleep posture. Medical reasons that cause drooling in the sleep include sinus infection, acidity or GERD, allergies, tonsillitis, dental problems, taking certain medicines, neurological disorders or specific anatomy of your mouth.

If drooling causes inconveniences or even troubles and you want to get rid of it, you should first identify the reason. If it happens because of the sleeping posture, try to sleep on your back to help saliva flow to the back of your throat. In this case, it’s also good to prop your head up what will help keep your mouth shut and try to breathe through your nose, because mouth breathing is also one of the major causes for drooling at sleep. In the case of any health issues or side effects of medications it is better to consult a doctor to find a solution for the problem.

What Is The Best Antiseptic Mouthwash?

While brushing daily is important to your oral well being, do not forget to use the right mouthwash. The growth of a variety of microorganisms such as protozoa, fungi, bacteria or virus is inhibited by antiseptic substances.

How can you use it?

Antiseptic mouthwashes can be used daily. There are certain specific mouthwashes created to treat oral conditions like thrush, ulcers, and gingivitis easily.




Mouthwashes which are used to kill the bacteria in your mouth also work to decrease the presence and production of compounds of sulphur in your mouth. These sulphur compounds are one of the major reasons for foul breath. Certain ingredients present in mouthwashes like cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC), zinc chloride, or chlorhexidine directly act on neutralizing these compounds. However, do note that regular dental examinations and proper home care cannot be substituted by rinses.

Commercially manufactured mouthwashes have various kinds of ingredients, varying from one brand to another. There are certain ingredients normally used as antiseptics in mouthwash. They are:

• Chlorhexidinegluconate
• Hexetidine
• Triclosan
• Benzalkonium chloride
• Domiphen bromide
• Betadine

Side effects

Excessive use of mouth wash also has certain side effects depending on the type of rinse. Mouthwashes with high alcohol content (18 to 26 percent) may lead to burning sensation in cheeks, gums and teeth. In case the mouthwash is swallowed it may even lead to intoxication. They should be also be kept out of reach of children.

Recommended Products

CloSYS Original Unflavored Mouthwash

It is one of the most popular products used in the market today. The company was founded in the year 1991 by one of America’s prominent periodontists Dr. Perry Ratcliff. He created the compound Cloralstan, a patented ingredient that manufacturers claim kills 99.9% of harmful bacteria in less than 10 seconds. This mouthwash is one of the safest you will find in the market today.

Its manufacturers take great care to ensure it is pH balanced and alcohol free. So it works brilliantly but does not leave a burning sensation in your mouth. Instead it has a very clean and fresh aftertaste. Taking good care of your teeth and gums has never tasted better.

Listerine Antiseptic Mouthwash

It is an effective antiseptic mouthwash created using a combination of eucalyptol, menthol, methyl salicylate, and thymol. This combination has proven time and again in fighting germs and tooth decay and leaves your mouth free from any sort of bacteria. It is a unique product in the market today. Listerine is also ADA accepted.

It is clinically proven that it kills more germs than brushing or flossing alone. Its intense flavor offers 24 hour protection from plaque and bad breath causing germs leaving you fresh and clean throughout the day.

Colgate Peroxyl Oral Cleansers

This product distinguishes itself from its peers in the market in its use of hydrogen peroxide. It has been proven that hydrogen peroxide is a potent antiseptic with effective oral cleansing properties. The oxygen released creates a mild bubbling action which mechanically cleanses the mouth and allows natural healing.

The cleanser effectively flushes out all bacteria from the mouth and bubbling effect helps check spread of bacteria. This can also be used to treat mild wounds, burns and cuts in the mouth as it hastens natural healing.

How To Pass A Saliva Drug Test

As saliva drug test is becoming more popular nowadays due to its non-invasive nature and easy procedure, questions arise about ways to prevent detection of medicines and other unwanted substances in order to protect privacy of tested person.

1. Why saliva drug test is conducted?
2. What drugs it detects?
3. How far back does a saliva drug test go?
4. How accurate is it?
5. How is it conducted?
6. How to pass

Why saliva drug test is conducted?

The main advantage of saliva test is that it detects very recent and even current drug use. For example, urine test detects THC only after it was metabolized in liver, therefore, a certain amount of time is required to pass after marijuana use for its detection. In contradistinction to it, saliva test detects the THC itself, so can be conducted right after drug intake. This is very useful for roadside, post accident and workplace drug test. Except this, oral test is noninvasive, quick and easy to conduct.

What drugs it detects?

Saliva tests can detect almost any substance in your system, including alcohol and nicotine, but mostly they check for combination of 5-6 most common drugs, among which usually marijuana, opiates, cocaine, amphetamines, methamphetamine, PCP and sometimes benzodiazepines are present.

How far back does a saliva drug test go?

The detection times in saliva may vary even for one particular drug depending on its amount and potency, as well as user’s age, weight, metabolism and other factors. Generally, saliva test detects marijuana during 24 hours, but in some cases it can go back for up to 4 days. For opiates this period is up to 2 days; 3 days for cocaine, meth, amphetamines and benzodiazepines, and up to 5 days for PCP.

Most drugs are usually detected in oral fluids during 2-4 days, so if you did not take any drug more than 4 days, you most likely will pass the test. Otherwise (or in case you just want to ensure result), you should prepare.

How accurate is it?

Nowadays mouth swab test is considered very accurate. For some drugs, such as meth and cocaine, it is even more sensitive that urine screening. False positive result is almost impossible, because every positive sample goes to laboratory for confirmation test that is done using very precise and technologically advanced equipment that detects drugs with 99% accuracy.

How is it conducted?

For this type of test the small amount of oral fluids is obtained from the user’s mouth. Unlike in other tests, such as urine or blood, the saliva sample collection procedure does not require special conditions, separate room and qualified staff. So, it can be done everywhere, for example right on workplace or on the road, and by anybody, for example by police officer.

The sample can be collected with the help of strip or mouth swab. The strip test is instant, because the strip itself is covered with antigen dyes that immediately change color, if drugs in saliva are present. It must be placed in user’s mouth and kept there until enough liquid is absorbed.

The swab test is conducted with the small plastic stick that has cotton swab at the end. The sample collector uses it to scrub inside the user’s mouth and sometimes can left it there for couple of minutes to collect enough fluids.

Modern saliva swab drug testing kits include simple tools for on-site analysis of the obtained fluid and interpretation of the result, so there is no need to send the sample to a laboratory. However, this may be required for a confirmation test, in case of positive result. The mouth swab test is more common nowadays than strip test.

How to pass

Preparing to saliva drug test is not easy because it is usually conducted in short notice, but every problem has a solution. If you have enough time, there are few measures you should take:

Before Test

1. Stop taking drugs. Obviously, this is the first thing you should do. The longer you abstain the lower concentration of toxins in your saliva and better chances to test negative you will have. Even nicotine and poppy seeds are not recommended to use as they can cause false-positive result in some cases.
2. Brush your teeth properly. Doing so helps remove drug traces from oral cavity. Focus on your gums, cheeks and tongue as these places are most common for taking samples by mouth swab.
3. Consume high fat meals. Try to do this about an hour before the saliva drug test as fat helps speed up the absorption of drugs in your body, thus lowering the concentration of toxins in mouth.
4. Drink water and chew ice. This important step not only keeps your mouth wet and accelerates fluid movement in it, but also dilutes your saliva and reduces the proportion of the drug metabolites in testing sample.
5. Use special detox mouthwash. If you know you’re going to get tested, bring a pocket-sized mouthwash with you and gargle about 20-30 minutes before the test. This powerful product will quickly and reliably cleanse your saliva from residues of drugs.

For Sudden Test

In case of a sudden mouth swab test you don’t have any time to prepare, so the only solution is to be ready constantly and carry detox mouthwash always in your pocket. Result is not guaranteed in this case, as it depends on tested drug and level of intoxication, but rinsing mouth with detox mouthwash 10-20 minutes before testing procedure will increase your chances of success significantly.

During Testing

During testing procedure just keep calm and do not draw any unnecessary attention to yourself. If possible, try to ignore all laboratory instructions and don’t help them prove your guilt. If you are allowed to swab your mouth yourself, avoid swabbing in-between the teeth and the gum lime.

The methods above are proven and effective to pass saliva drug test for sure, in case you follow them to the letter. But even if you didn’t have enough time to prepare, do not panic and never give up. Remember that about 5% of results of mouth swab tests are false-positive, so you have right to appeal and ask for confirmation test for which you can prepare much better.

Saliva Drug Test Detection Times

Drug detection time is the period of time during which the presence of drug in the body can be detected by drug test. This period starts when drug can be detected first time and ends when the test comes negative. It significantly varies for different drugs and different types of test. Drug metabolites usually have longer detection times, so drug tests commonly check the presence of metabolites in the sample instead of drug itself.

The starting point of this period does not always coincide the time of consuming drug, because some tests can not reveal the current use of substance. For example hair test starts detect drugs only few days after use. Drug detection time for saliva test usually starts either immediately (in case of oral way of consumption) or just few minutes after use.

Drug detection period is not absolutely determined by the drug and type of test, because of many other factors that interact and influence the human metabolism and hence the time it takes the body to get rid of all drug metabolites.

The factors that affect detection time are:

• Age
• Body mass
• Metabolic rate
• Health condition
• Physical activity
• Drug tolerance
• Amount and potency of drug used

Detection times of various drugs in the saliva

Drug	Days
Amphetamines (MDA, Ephedrine, Pseudoephedrine)	3
Bar­bi­tu­rates of inter­me­di­ate act­ing (Butalbital, Amobarbital)	3
Bar­bi­tu­rates of short act­ing (Pentobarbital, Secobarbital)	2
Buprenor­phine (Buprenex, Norspan, Sub­ox­one)	3
Ben­zo­di­azepines (Valium, Xanax, Lorazepam, Alprazolam, Ativan, Chlordiazepoxide, Oxazepam, Clonazepam, Triazolam, Flurazepam, Flunitrazepam)	3
Cocaine, Crack	3
Codeine	3
Ecstasy	3
Heroin	2
Hydrocodone (Vicodin, Norco, Lortab, Lorcet)	2
Ket­a­mine	7
LSD	3
Mar­i­juana	2-4
Hashish, Hash Oil	4
Metham­phet­a­mine	3
Methadone	7
Mor­phine	2-7
Mush­room	3
Nico­tine	3-7
Opi­ates (Butor­phanol, Per­co­cet, Per­co­dan, Codeine, Oxy­codone, Oxy­mor­phone, Oxy­Con­tin, Dextropropoxyphene, Hydrocodone, Lau­danum, Hydro­mor­phone, Dilau­did, Tylox, Opana, The­baine, Rox­anol, Sadol)	2-5
PCP	3-5
Ritalin	5
Val­ium (Diazepam)	3
Xanax (Alpra­zo­lam)	3

How to reduce drug detection time in saliva test

Reducing of drug detection time in saliva is useful for those who want to increase chances of passing a mouth swab drug test. First of all you must stop taking drugs as well as any other toxic substances to avoid false-positive result. One of the most effective strategies that can be used is proper brushing of teeth at least three times focusing on the cheeks, tongue and gum lines. Drink a significant amount of water to keep mouth fluids moving, eat high fat food an hour before the test to speed up drug absorption, consume mints to conceal the presence of drug chemicals inside the mouth, chew a cube of ice to dilute saliva and cut down the proportion of toxins in it. Kitchen ingredients such as hydrogen peroxide, vinegar and lemon juice can be used to change the acidity and pH levels of oral fluids. It is highly recommended to use special detoxifying mouthwash, such as Ultra Wash or Stinger Detox, 20-30 minutes before the test.

Healing Properties Of Saliva

As it is known, saliva is composed of 99% water, proteins, enzymes and some antimicrobial components produced by salivary glands. Primarily, it acts like a lubricant in the mouth to help digestion and speech, but aside from these, it is also beneficial in maintaining good dental health and has antimicrobial functions.

Antimicrobial properties

Our mouth is the entry into our body not only for food but for microorganisms also. The warm and moist surfaces of our oral cavity promote growth of various microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses and fungi. Being a reservoir of so many microbes, the mouth is equipped with such substance as saliva that acts as our body’s first line of defense against pathogenic microorganisms through its antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral and other protecting properties. Salivary flow itself can mechanically remove microorganisms from the mouth, therefore insufficient production of saliva can contribute to formation of dental caries as well as oral yeast and viral infections. Salivary proteins, on the other hand, act in a more complex manner. For instance, salivary lysozyme is capable of bacterial cell wall disruption and neutralization of certain viruses. Iron, an essential mineral for bacterial growth, binds to lactoferrin found in the saliva thus preventing bacteria from multiplying. In addition, lactoferrin also has aggregating action with agglutinins which can bind and clump bacterial cells together for an efficient elimination from the mouth via mechanical action of saliva or swallowing. Mucin and immunoglobulins implement their antimicrobial actions by inhibiting adherence of bacteria into oral surfaces.

Wound healing

Aside from the antimicrobial properties, saliva contains epidermal growth factors, leptin, lysophosphatidic acid, hyaluronan, and histatin that promote wound healing. Moreover, opiorphin in saliva has analgesic effects. Because of these, saliva became a potential subject for studies in wound healing. It has been found that saliva helps to create a favorable environment in the oral cavity for the inflammatory cells which are important during the initial phases of wound healing, because they speed up blood clotting mechanism as a response to injury. Growth factors especially the epidermal growth factor then mediates proliferation of epithelial cells and formation of new blood vessels to replace damaged tissues. Finally, histatin, a salivary protein that is also known for its broad spectrum antimicrobial action against bacteria, viruses and fungi stimulates wound closure. This may explain the underlying principle behind a faster rate of wound healing in the mouth without scarring despite the presence of numerous microorganisms and the correlation between wound licking and healing.

Animal saliva

Instinctively, most animals like cats, dogs and mice lick their wounds. This behavior may be beneficial to a certain extent. Licking can help clean the wound and promote healing. According to studies, dog saliva contains antibacterial substances specifically against S. canis and E. coli bacterial species. Because of this limitation in bactericidal activity, other bacterial species such as Staphylococcal can still infect the wound. Another study conducted on rats discovered that communal wound licking among these rodents speeds up wound healing. However, wound licking may have some disadvantages such as transmission of rabies virus as well as an increased risk of infection.

Cortisol Saliva Test

Saliva testing for cortisol is a diagnostic procedure that measures cortisol levels by using a saliva specimen. This is relatively new technology as typically the blood or serum samples are used to measure cortisol levels in human body.

Cortisol is a steroid found in the body and is the major glucocorticoid secreted by the adrenal cortex. It is more commonly known as the stress hormone, which plays a role in the regulation of the stress responses in the body. Cortisol is responsible for the regulation of glucose levels in the blood and also helps the metabolism of fat, carbohydrate and protein. It is involved in the functioning of the immune system, which includes anti-inflammatory actions and also plays role in blood pressure regulation, in heart and blood vessel contractions, and in activation of the central nervous system.

Purpose of Test

The cortisol saliva tests are conducted to measure cortisol levels, which can be used as an indicator of adrenal fatigue and in diagnosing diseases such as Addison’s disease, Cushing’s syndrome, adrenal hyperplasia and carcinoma. It can also be used in assessing for symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, anxiety, insomnia, depression, to name a few. High cortisol levels can mean that the memory, immune system, and sugar metabolism are being affected and possible Cushing’s syndrome, while lower than normal cortisol levels can mean Addison’s disease.

Testing procedure

Cortisol has a role to play in our biological clocks or the diurnal rhythm of our bodies. Our biological clock is responsible for telling us when to go to sleep and when to open our eyes and wake up. If you have healthy levels of cortisol, the largest dose of it is released in the morning. If an individual has Cushing's disease, the highest release of cortisol is at night. Also, levels are constantly changing and differing depending on the time of the day, so cortisol saliva tests can be performed several times throughout the day. The test procedure involves swabbing the mouth with cotton swab and letting it stay there for a couple of minutes until it is saturated, after what the swab with the saliva specimen is placed in a test tube.

Pros and Cons

Saliva swabbing is not invasive and much easier procedure as compared to taking blood samples, which involves use of a syringe, a tourniquet and a possible squirming patient, however not everyone in the health and medical field has accepted the cortisol salivary test and recommends it as a diagnostic tool, considering it as an alternative medicine.

Until recently, cortisol levels are being measured via blood tests, because for most hormones measuring salivary samples produces inaccurate results, which do not correspond to actual levels, evaluated via blood testing. For this reason, saliva tests are not recommended as a diagnostic tool in most cases, but for cortisol, the blood and saliva samples have admissible correlation and can, therefore, both be used as a diagnostic tests. According to research of Linköping University from Sweden cortisol response in saliva is even more pronounced than in a blood sample and has a closer correlation with the adreno-corticotrophic hormone.

The results that are produced by modern cortisol saliva tests are accurate, reliable and credited by the National Institutes of Health and the World Health Organization.