Colloidal Silver: Benefits, Side Effects & Special Precautions



Colloidal Silver Benefits

Colloidal silver is a liquid solution created using electrolysis to suspend pure, metallic elemental silver (in groups of particles 15 atoms or fewer, each with a positive electric charge) attached to simple protein molecules, in distilled water. Colloids of silver should stay suspended, rather than sinking to the bottom, as the electric charge is stronger than gravity. Good quality colloidal silver should therefore not require shaking before use, or be dark in colour. Clear or pale yellow colloidal silver is the best as the particle size affects the colour of the solution and the larger particles produce a darker coloured liquid, and aren’t easily absorbed by the body.

Colloidal silver is thought to suffocate single celled organisms by disabling the oxygen metabolism enzyme. This allows the bodies own immune system to become more effective at removing these residue pathogens, and thereby become more effective at fending off disease.

How It Works

The presence of colloidal silver near a virus, fungus, bacterium or any other single celled pathogen disables its oxygen metabolism enzyme, its chemical lung, so to say. Within a few minutes, the pathogen suffocates and dies, and is cleared out of the body by the immune, lymphatic and elimination systems. Unlike pharmaceutical antibiotics, which destroy beneficial enzymes, colloidal silver leaves these tissue-cell enzymes intact, as they are radically different from the enzymes of primitive single-celled life. Thus colloidal silver is absolutely safe for humans, reptiles, plants and all multi-celled living matter.

Colloidal Silver Side Effects & Safety

Colloidal silver is LIKELY UNSAFE when taken by mouth, applied to the skin, or injected intravenously (by IV). The silver in colloidal silver products gets deposited in vital organs such as the skin, liver, spleen, kidney, muscle, and brain. This can lead to an irreversible bluish skin discoloration that first appears in the gums. It can also stimulate melanin production in skin, and areas exposed to the sun will become increasingly discolored.

Special Precautions & Warnings

Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Colloidal silver is LIKELY UNSAFE when taken by mouth, applied to the skin or injected intravenously (by IV). Increased silver levels in pregnant women have been linked to abnormal development of the ear, face, and neck in their babies. Colloidal silver supplements can also lead to silver accumulation in the body, which can lead to an irreversible bluish skin discoloration known as argyria. Silver can also be deposited in vital organs, where it does serious damage.

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The Bottom Line

How much do we know about colloidal silver?

There are no high quality studies on the health effects of taking colloidal silver, but we do have good evidence of its dangers.

What do we know about the effectiveness of colloidal silver?

Claims made about the health benefits of taking colloidal silver aren’t backed up by studies.

What do we know about the safety of colloidal silver?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has said that colloidal silver isn’t safe or effective for treating any disease or condition.