What is Colloidal Silver?

Colloidal silver (CS) is a suspension of metallic silver particles (colloid) in water which is believed to have antibiotic properties.  Also called nano-silver, It is said to be effective against more than 650 different bacteria, viruses, and fungi.  Proponents of colloidal silver claim It is also very safe to use.  It can easily be made at home with a very modest investment.  This information is provided for educational purposes only, and is not to be construed as medical advice.  Use it at your own risk.

Silver has long been thought to have germ killing properties.  It wasn't until the invention of antibiotics that silver fell out of favor.

Roman soldiers were required to swallow a silver coin once a week to keep them disease free.   They would "reclaim" the coin, clean it, and swallow it again next week.

Have you ever heard the phrase 'born with a silver spoon in his mouth?  This referred to the times when only the very wealthy could afford silver eating utensils.  Common people had pewter or wood utensils.  It is said that the silver utensils provided the rich people small amounts of silver in their food, which made them less susceptible to nasty bugs like plague, smallpox, cholera, and whatever else came their way.  So, to be born with a silver spoon in the mouth gave a person an automatic advantage in the fight to survive childhood.

In American colonial days, I am told that settlers would put a silver coin in the rain barrel to keep the water fresh, and another in the milk jug to keep the milk fresh longer. 

Veterinarians knew of the antibiotic effects of silver also.  An old vet trick was to place a silver coin in a wound that wouldn't heal, sew it up for a week, and then remove it.  This almost always cured the infection and resulted in a healthy animal.

Silver was an important weapon in the fight against diseases up until the time penicillin was invented.  Then it was gradually forgotten, except for a few who championed alternative medicine.  Now that so many disease agents have become resistant to modern antibiotics, silver may once again become a miracle drug. 

The FDA has recently approved a product called Silverlon(TM). Silverlon(TM) is basically a bandage containing silver plated onto the material.  According to the manufacturer, and the FDA, it is antibacterial, anti-fungal, and hypoallergenic because of the silver. However, the FDA does not approve of the use of colloidal silver (probably because no one has ever submitted it to the testing procedures required for the FDA to approve it.).  Silver is also woven in the fabric of space suits to inhibit bacteria. 

In a recent article published on PhysOrg.com, Aug 1, 2005; the author says: "Silver nanoparticles could help fight hospital-related infections that afflict 2 million patients and lead to 90,000 deaths in the United States each year "

LG, an appliance manufacturer has announced a new washing machine with the inner workings coated with silver nano-particles.  According to the manufacturer: "The silver nano particles provide antibacterial action and sterilization to clothes and water during the washing and rinsing processes. When clothes are washed and rinsed, the bacteria contained in the water are sterilized as they come into direct contact with the silver nano particles on the surface of the washing tub. As a result, using the LG washing machine provides antibacterial and sterilization benefits for doing laundry. "

So it seems that silver as a disinfectant is coming into the mainstream once again whether the drug companies and the FDA approve or not.

Is there any danger to colloidal silver?

The short answer is... probably if it is taken internally. Anything taken in excess can be dangerous. However, silver has very low toxicity, and the only real known danger from taking large amounts is a rare condition called argyria.  Argyria is a condition where silver accumulates in the skin, causing a grayish blue coloring or darkening of the skin.  This is permanent, there is no known way to reverse it.  It is believed by most promoters of colloidal silver however that taking colloidal silver in the low concentrations produced by the low voltage method shown below present no appreciable danger of argyria.  Never the less, use it at your own risk.   I suggest also that you do a search on Argyria with one of the search engines such as www.google.com if you decide to ingest any. 

Here is a good article exploring the science of colloidal silver in more depth.

What do I need to make colloidal silver?

The materials needed to make colloidal silver for your own use are very few.  You need a heat resistant glass tumbler or measuring cup,  two or three 9 volt batteries or a 30 volt power supply, jumper leads with alligator clips on both ends, distilled water (not filtered or spring water), a pure silver electrode, and a stainless steel or copper electrode.  Coffee filters are recommended for filtering the solution after it is made, and a brown glass bottle for storage is handy. 

The silver electrode should be .999 or better purity silver wire.  .999 purity will result in a solution where any contaminants from the silver wire will be in the parts per billion range.  NEVER USE GERMAN SILVER, STERLING SILVER, OR ANY OTHER ALLOY FOR ELECTRODES.  A 12 inch length of silver wire will last a long time and produce many gallons of colloidal silver, probably making a lifetime supply of silver. 

	This is a silver bullion bar used for the positive electrode.  It is suspended from a piece of solid silver .999 pure silver wire and has made countless gallons of CS.  It is important that nothing except silver attached to the positive batter terminal contact the water.
This is a 30v power supply purchased at Radio Shack.  3 Nine volt batteries can be connected positive of the first battery to the negative of the second, and the positive of the second connected to the negative of the third.  Jumper leads are then connected to the negative of the first and positive of the third battery to produce 27 volts.
	Here is the author's setup showing a pyrex beaker on a hotplate with a magnetic stirrer.  The positive electrode is suspended in the water, as well as the copper wire negative electrode.  The black negative wire from the power supply is connected to the hotplate frame, and the red positive lead is connected to the silver electrode.  The cork acts as an insulator.
After 30 minutes, pale yellow color begins to show in the solution.  We are almost done.
	After 40 minutes, the color deepens, and the process is stopped.  Running further will cause the silver particles to coalesce resulting in larger particle size which is undesirable.
This is what the color looks like when observing a white light bulb through the beaker.