Colloidal Silver & Other Silver Compounds
In the early 1990s researchers figured out how to attach small particles of silver to protein, thereby allowing the formation of a true colloidal silver with an indefinite shelf life.
For the very first time an easy, convenient, stable, and effective form of silver had been prepared. One can only imagine if the doctors a century ago had this tool at their disposal. I was one of the first to extensively use this preparation in clinical practice.
Not all colloidal silver products are of the same quality. Products made at home or by the use of electrical charges to ionize and suspend the silver are products not worth taking. They are typically clear in color, are lucky to have any potency after two weeks, and run a much higher risk for silver depositing in the skin (argyria).
True silver colloids are very difficult to make. They are brownish in color as the silver particles block light. The chances of them causing argyria, even with long-term use, are remote.
I find it rather fascinating that the alarm bells of regulatory authorities scare consumers into believing that if they take colloidal silver it is dangerous and their skin will turn gray. There are a few case reports in the literature of argyria occurring from colloidal silver use. In one case a lady consumed 1 liter a day for over a year4 and then had a problem. In another case, it was use of the cheap home-made electrically-produced5 colloidal silver that was the problem. And in another case it was regular consumption of colloidal silver for over a year6. Problems are rare considering all the people using colloidal silver. The common thread is cheap silver products used in high amounts for extended periods of time.
It is obvious from all the silver literature that if there is prolonged exposure in high amounts of silver then there could be a problem. The solution to this problem is rather simple. Use a quality product from a reputable company and do not use colloidal silver on a daily basis for an extended period of time. I have never seen a single case of argyria in 15 years working with thousands of people of all ages (including infants).
For the very first time an easy, convenient, stable, and effective form of silver had been prepared. One can only imagine if the doctors a century ago had this tool at their disposal. I was one of the first to extensively use this preparation in clinical practice.
Not all colloidal silver products are of the same quality. Products made at home or by the use of electrical charges to ionize and suspend the silver are products not worth taking. They are typically clear in color, are lucky to have any potency after two weeks, and run a much higher risk for silver depositing in the skin (argyria).
True silver colloids are very difficult to make. They are brownish in color as the silver particles block light. The chances of them causing argyria, even with long-term use, are remote.
I find it rather fascinating that the alarm bells of regulatory authorities scare consumers into believing that if they take colloidal silver it is dangerous and their skin will turn gray. There are a few case reports in the literature of argyria occurring from colloidal silver use. In one case a lady consumed 1 liter a day for over a year4 and then had a problem. In another case, it was use of the cheap home-made electrically-produced5 colloidal silver that was the problem. And in another case it was regular consumption of colloidal silver for over a year6. Problems are rare considering all the people using colloidal silver. The common thread is cheap silver products used in high amounts for extended periods of time.
It is obvious from all the silver literature that if there is prolonged exposure in high amounts of silver then there could be a problem. The solution to this problem is rather simple. Use a quality product from a reputable company and do not use colloidal silver on a daily basis for an extended period of time. I have never seen a single case of argyria in 15 years working with thousands of people of all ages (including infants).
Referenced Studies
- ^ Bacteria Do Not Develop Resistance to Silver J Wound Care. Lansdown AB.
- ^ How Silver Kills Bacteria Br J Nurs. Lansdown AB.
- ^ Silver in Medicine Curr Probl Dermatol. Lansdown AB.
- ^ Argyria from Excessive Colloidal Silver Intake Am J Ind Med Kim Y, Suh HS, Cha HJ, Kim SH, Jeong KS, Kim DH.
- ^ Argyria Caused by Homemade Silver Solution J Am Acad Dermatol. Brandt D, Park B, Hoang M, Jacobe HT.
- ^ Daily Use of Colloidal Silver Over One-Year Period Caused Argyria Clin Exp Dermatol. White JM, Powell AM, Brady K, Russell-Jones R.
- ^ How Silver Kills Bacteria Br J Nurs. Lansdown AB.
- ^ Silver Interferes with Viral Hepatitis B Antivir Ther. Lu L, Sun RW, Chen R, Hui CK, Ho CM, Luk JM, Lau GK, Che CM.
- ^ Silver Inhibits HIV-1 Binding to Cells J Nanobiotechnology. Jose Luis Elechiguerra, Justin L Burt, Jose R Morones, Alejandra Camacho-Bragado, Xiaoxia Gao, Humberto H Lara, and Miguel Jose Yacaman.
- ^ Silver Nanoparticles Inhibit Monkeypox Virus Nanoscale Research Letters James V. Rogers1 , Christopher V. Parkinson1, Young W. Choi1, Janice L. Speshock2 and Saber M. Hussain
- ^ Herpes Simplex Virus Inactivated By Silver Antimicrob Agents Chemother Fumio Shimizu, Yoshinobu Shimizu, and Katsuo Kumagai
- ^ Colloidal Silver Inhibts Smallpox Virus Pharmaceutical Chemistry Journal N. E. Bogdanchikova, A. V. Kurbatov, V. V. Tretyakov, and P. P. Rodionov.
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