Colloidal Silver
(Updated 2 Feb 09)
What is Colloidal Silver?
True colloidal silver (CS) is a suspension of metallic silver particles (colloid) in water which is believed to have antibiotic properties. Colloidal Silver is also called nano-silver and silver nanoparticles. Although I have never seen supporting data, 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. Early preparations of silver compounds were: Argentol, Argonin, Argentamine, Protargol, Largin, Actol, Itrol, Icthyargon, Collargolum. 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. “
Samsung has also developed a washing machine which has a built in Colloidal Silver generator, which adds silver to the rinse water. Because of this machine, the EPA has undertaken steps to ban silver nanoparticles as being a pesticide, and requiring regulation of any machine which produces Silver nanoparticles (Colloidal Silver).
Recently an organization called “Potters for Peace” have come up with a cheap reliable water purification system for use in areas where clean drinking water is not available. It is clay mixed with a material such as sawdust, and shaped like a bucket. When fired, the sawdust is burnt away leaving pores in the clay for water to flow through. A colloidal silver solution is then painted onto the clay to provide bacteriocidal action. This seems like an item that everyone should have in their survival gear.
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, especially if it is not really true colloidal silver. The FDA classifies colloidal silver as also being silver salts, mild silver protein, strong silver protein, and several other silver compounds which are not really colloidal silver at all. Many home brewers unknowingly make silver chloride by adding salt to their water thinking they are speeding up the process. Silver chloride is a light sensitive compound that turns dark when exposed to light. Taking enough silver chloride could turn a person into a large piece of photographic film. If salt is not added, the result is usually silver oxide, which if ingested, reacts with stomach acid to again produce silver chloride. Two of the best known argyria victims, Stan Jones and Paul Karason, are known to have made silver chloride, and consumed large quantities. The third famous argyria victim is Rosemary Jacobs, who used silver nose drops prescribed by a physician. Apparently Ms. Jacobs does not know the composition of the silver she used, but crusades against all use of any silver products.
Argyria is permanent, there is no known way to reverse it. Most promoters of CS say that taking colloidal silver in low concentrations presents no appreciable danger of argyria. Never the less, use it at your own risk. Living as a smurf would be a very difficult situation I suggest also that you do a search on Argyria with one of the search engines before ingesting any, whether it is homemade, or purchased from a retailer.
The procedure shown below will make true colloidal silver with a minimum of silver oxide, and no silver chloride. The CS produced this way does not exhibit photosensitiviy like CS made with salt, or made cold. However, what happens to it inside the human body is unknown, and even pure silver may cause argyria!
You should make some both ways and let them sit in the strong sunlight for a period of time to see the difference. If its not yellow colored, its not colloidal silver.
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.
How is it made?
Distilled water is brought to boiling temperature, and the electrodes are suspended or hung into the water. The negative battery wire is attached to the copper or stainless electrode, and the positive battery wire is attached to the positive silver electrode. The power is applied if a power supply is used, and the solution is monitored. If the negative electrode begins accumulating black or gray sludge, remove it and wipe it off then return it to the solution. When the desired color is attained, disconnect the power, and remove the solution from the heat. Allow to cool, and filter through a coffee filter. When cool, bottle the CS.
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 negative electrode through 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 by disconnecting the power, and removing the electrodes. Running further will cause the silver particles to coalesce resulting in larger particle size which is undesirable. The heating should be continued for several more minutes to convert remaining silver oxide to metallic silver. This is what the color looks like when observing a white light bulb through the beaker.
Notes:
1) Suitable variable voltage power supplies are often sold on eBay as tattoo machine supplies. Whereas 9 volt batteries are fairly expensive and have a short life when making CS, a better power supply will pay for itself over time.
2) It is not possible to make CS without having some ionic silver present (silver oxide). Silver ions are necessary to carry out the electrolysis process, as they are what carries current from the negative electrode to the positive. However, silver oxide reduces to pure metallic silver at boiling temperatures in the absence of oxygen. This is the reason that making CS in boiling water is superior to room temperature methods. While it is possible to make pure non-ionic silver by non electrical means, it is beyond the means of most home experimenters.
3) If CS is made at room temperature, the majority of the colloid will actually be silver oxide. Silver oxide reacts with stomach acid (hydrochloric) to produce silver chloride. It is silver chloride which causes argyria. Silver salts are what makes photographic films sensitive to light. Silver chloride turns black when exposed to light. Silver oxide is bacteriocidal though (according to the EPA), and should work well for external applications.
4) Pure silver wire may be obtained at CCSilver.com and bullion bars may be purchased at local coin shops or bullion dealers.
5) A stainless steel spoon works well for the negative electrode, or a piece of 14 guage solid copper wire from an electricians scrap box works well also. Of course, you can use two silver electrodes, but there is no need to. Silver from the positive electrode will eventually plate onto the negative electrode.
6) Stirring is not necessary, but doesn’t hurt either.