Some of the things Sailors and Marines do to prevent their urine from indicating they've been using drugs are easy to countermand. One such agent is gold seal, an herb that has a long history of home remedy use, but has no effect on masking drug use. They don't mask drug use at all. Diuretics are agents that promote the excretion of urine. Overuse of these agents can be dangerous.
Side effects can include plummeting blood pressure, seizures and even death.
According to Lininger, use of these folklore-type methods of trying to beat urinalysis tests can often draw attention rather than lessen suspicion by changing the normal color, odor or consistency of the urine. We look at the color. We check the odor. If the answer to these questions is yes, a further check of the specimen's physical properties is performed. Any specimens that test positive by the screening tests are analyzed again by a mass spectrometer, an instrument that can break down a substance such as urine to its basic components to determine exactly what's in it.