A Layman’s Guide to Using Colloidal Silver

By Ben Taylor

For those of you who are looking for an article packed with scientific jargon and molecular theory, "this ain’t it." This small body of information is intended to be nothing more or less than my own experience and my observations of the experience of others in the effective and ineffective use of colloidal silver. Silver producers claim their products are “silver bullets” and the opposing view claims that it is nothing but quackery and in essence nothing more than “silver busts”.

By far the most frequent questions we receive here at Utopia Silver concerning silver are, “Does silver really work?” and “How much silver must I use for it to be effective?” The first question is a moot point in any real world science; silver kills one-celled organisms (germs), period. Any opinion to the contrary is where the real quackery lies. It simply deserves no debate and that is where the carcass of silver being junk science or a ‘bust’ should remain. That opinion is simply the domain of those trying their damnedest to discredit silver in order to protect their own unsafe and more often than not ineffective ‘drugs’. All I can say to those greedy propagandists is, go ahead and ‘bust’ your head against the wall of truth and we’ll see where ‘scientific truth’ really lies.

The effective use of colloidal silver and other silver products such as ionic silver and silver protein cannot be uniformly defined as to ‘what is an effective amount to use’ to fit every person, every situation, every ailment or even what is an adequate maintenance amount. The amounts that can boost and enhance the body’s immune system over time, such as the often recommended one to three teaspoons per day, are generally not enough for therapeutic use if one needs a ‘silver bullet’ for a specific issue such as Hep-C, Crohn’s or even food poisoning or a cold. I have found that regular ‘maintenance’ amounts tend to boost the immune system against catching everything that may be going around, but certainly does not preclude one from catching anything at all.

The truth is, an occasional manageable cold or virus is not necessarily a bad thing, because these also serve to boost the body’s immune system. Having said that, with the regular use of silver a degree of immunity can be developed from frequent and debilitating infections or at the very least, they become much milder and of shorter duration. So how much silver is necessary to do what we want it to do, which is either ‘to boost our immune system to keep us from getting sick (or not as sick) or to rid us of some condition we already have? For the past three to four months, there has been everything going around from viruses to flu-like symptoms to bronchial and respiratory infections and I have been exposed to them all. Although, I have had very mild early stage symptoms of some of these several times this year, I have yet to catch a full-blown case of any one of them.

Here in the South Texas Hill Country, we have a yearly battle with allergies from cedar/juniper pollen and it has been especially bad this year. There are people who have had allergies all their lives and at certain times of the year experience even cold and flu-like symptoms from these allergies and expect silver to eliminate their allergies. That is generally not going to happen. Although silver will alleviate the symptoms of infections caused by allergies, silver cannot cure allergies to plant pollens, pet dander, dust, or other non-microbial causes that may be chemical in nature. There is one extenuating circumstance that does exist; many of these things, such as pollen and dust may be prone to carry bacteria attached to them and this may well be the area in which silver serves to reduce allergy infections. Allergy agents tend to inflame and hyper-sensitize the sinus, bronchial, and lung tissues which in turn may then be more susceptible to bacterial and viral infections. This is where silver may be of significant benefit with allergies, but silver simply shouldn’t be expected to prevent the under-lying cause of any allergy.

I only advocate and recommend the use of either colloidal silver, which is silver particles suspended in water or ionic silver, which is silver ions suspended in water or a combination of these products. I believe that particle silver products are best for any condition beyond the stomach, but ionic silver products are just as good topically or any place that doesn’t have to pass thru the stomach or into the bloodstream. Some proponents even claim that the sublingual use of ionic silver, which if held in the mouth for a time without swallowing, can be absorbed directly into the bloodstream.

Although I have heard anecdotal evidence that such use of ionic silver can be effective, other credible sources such as colloid expert and researcher Frank Key believe that, “any silver ions that manage to arrive in the bloodstream will combine with the chloride to form silver chloride within a few seconds. Basically, there is no way to get silver ions into the human body in such a way that they will survive in the ionic form. This is easily demonstrated by using a "silver ion selective electrode" (ISE). A silver ISE will respond only to the presence of silver ions. Human blood serum contains 3300 - 3900 ppm of chloride owing to the sodium and potassium chlorides present. This compares with about 3600 ppm of chloride in the stomach due to hydrochloric acid.”

Key suggests that as proof, “have a subject ingest 250 mL of ionic silver or any substantial amount for that matter. Ingested silver (nano-particles) can generally be found in the bloodstream within 15 - 30 minutes after ingestion so the same would apply to ions if they are going to be present. Draw a small sample of blood from the subject after 15 to 30 minutes and test for the presence of silver ions using the silver ISE. The result will always be negative or a value that is indistinguishable from noise regardless of how much ionic silver is ingested. The same blood sample when tested using atomic absorption/emission spectroscopy will detect the presence of silver from the silver chloride present.”

Although any product containing silver will have anti-microbial benefit, I generally advise against the long-term or regular use of silver proteins, silver in saline solutions, silver nitrates, any silver produced with a chemical process, and generally any large particle or high PPM silver solution. I would use these type products if nothing else was available, but when silver in distilled water is available, there is simply no reason to have to deal with the skin discoloration possibilities that these other products may have if overused.

Contrary to what the media propaganda would lead you to believe, the condition called Argyria develops only with prolonged and heavy use of these other silver products, but I do believe that colloidal silver (silver in distilled water) in any reasonable therapeutic use will not cause this condition. Certainly this very rare occurrence is not reason for anyone to be averse to using one of mankind’s safest and most effective natural germ-killers. Just remember, we should be reasonable with anything we put into our bodies, even health supplements; an aspirin or two will kill a headache, a bottle of aspirin may kill you. This holds true with anything you consume; there is a toxic effect level with almost all products. Iron and copper are essential for healthy bodies and their deficiencies can be devastating to the body’s chemistry, but there are levels at which they too can cause adverse effects. Plain water consumed excessively can cause death by diluting and depleting the body’s electrolytes. The bottom line is, when you consider the tens of thousands of deaths and organ failures caused by most over-the-counter and other ‘FDA approved drugs and medicines’, any risk with silver pales in comparison to any OTC headache drug.

Let’s get back to the purpose of this article, which is to try to help develop for you a better grasp of effectively using silver. There is a minimal maintenance level of silver consumption at which our cells are able over time to develop a stronger immunity to germs. But as with anything, it may vary greatly from person to person, depending on each body chemistry, body size and lifestyle. The effective amount for sedentary individuals may not be adequate for more active people; as with all nutrients and minerals, they are constantly being depleted via sweating, urinating and stool elimination. A side note here: If you are that sedentary person, supplements may not be enough to overcome the bad health that will result from inactivity, but at the very least, silver may still reduce issues caused by microbes.

The simple and unadulterated scientific fact is, silver kills germs; bacteria, virus, and fungi on contact; that no one can credibly deny. According to research by Beiersdorf the maker of Curad bandages and one of the world’s largest medical supply companies, silver when brought into contact with germs inhibits their growth by deactivating their oxygen metabolism enzymes. In turn, this destroys the microbe’s cell membranes, stopping the replication of its DNA. For therapeutic purposes, the silver key in the lock is bringing the silver into contact with the one-celled organism and how easy or difficult that is depends on where the silver needs to go and how wide spread or systemic the microbial infection actually is.

For issues in the ears, eyes, sinuses, throat, and the skin, it is very simple matter, because there is easy access to those places. For the ears, a flush works very well by lying on your side or tilting your head and simply filling the ear with silver, either ionic or colloidal; even a few drops may work on mild ear infections. For the eyes, drops will usually do the trick, but for more serious infections, an eye wash cup to do a flush is best. In the case of cuts and abrasions you can apply directly to the damaged area and for a puncture, a plastic squeeze/mist sprayer bottle can be used to ‘pressure force’ silver into the puncture wound. Just a mild warning here; there are beneficial bacteria on the surface of the skin, just as there is in the digestive system, so any heavy use of or ‘flushing’ with silver should be specific to the affected area and should be short-term. If silver is overused, it can result in dry scaly and flakey epidermal layers. If you experience this, simply discontinue use for a short time and the skin will return to normal.

Colloidal and ionic silver are both very effective in getting rid of most conditions of the gums and can be a powerful deterrent to cavities by rinsing the mouth after brushing. Believe it or not, the best tooth paste I’ve ever used is a soap, Utopia Naturals Silver Aloe Skin Care Bar, made with colloidal silver, Aloe Vera, plant minerals and essential oil of juniper (itself an anti-bacterial agent). This unorthodox sounding ‘tooth paste’ was recommended to me by a retired lawyer/engineer and now south Texas rancher friend. I had sent him several bars to use as skin therapy since he spends most of his time out-of-doors working his cattle and goats and gets lots of abrasions and wind and sun damage to his skin. A month or so later, he called me and told me the story of how he had cured his gum infections using the skin therapy soap. He said he had developed a persistent gum problem that nothing seemed to get rid of, but as he was reading the ingredients of the soap one night, he thought, “There’s nothing in here that could be harmful, so why not try it as a ‘toothpaste’?” Within two weeks, his gum problems had cleared up. Now, I will use nothing else, although I have improved his discovery a little by sprinkling a bit of baking soda on the soap before applying it to my toothbrush.

Since the subject of tooth care came up, I must also interject a short side story here. In view of the fact that silver soap can be an effective tooth care product and silver is under attack by the EPA as a ‘pesticide’, is the question of the dangers of fluoride. One of the most dangerous products people keep in their homes is toothpaste with fluoride. A recent television episode of CSI had a homicide scenario where an adult female died from the ingestion of two tubes of fluoride toothpaste. For the average adult, one tube can cause death. This should scare the heck out of parents who have small children in their homes. This one example gives us an indication of the disregard for health and safety when it comes to ‘profit’ that dominates many large companies and their partners in crime, the FDA and the EPA. This dangerous poison is not only irresponsibly put into toothpaste, but is injected into the water supplies of all America cities without regard to scientific fact. As usual, when the force of ‘government’ gets behind something even the truth, as well as public safety gets steamrolled.
Now back to silver bullets.

For sinuses two of the most effective tools to use are a mist sprayer/squeeze bottle and better yet, a nebulizer. Most colds start in the nose and as soon as you feel that hot and scratchy sensation, get your mist sprayer and fill it half with silver so that with each squeeze, liquid and air mix to form a fine mist of colloidal silver. If you catch it before it creeps down the throat, you can often stop it in the sinuses with this economical little tool. …But if a cold gets past the sinuses and down into the bronchial tubes or the lungs, the best piece of equipment is a nebulizer, powered by a small but powerful compressor that produces a fine vapor that is inhaled into the mouth and then exhaled thru the nose or vice-versa. For more advanced stages of congestion, 1-3 drops of Lobelia can also be added to the colloidal silver or to a little distilled water. Lobelia is an herb used as a natural respiratory and lung cleanser. Do not use chlorinated or fluorinated water for this purpose; use either pure colloidal silver or distilled water.

The above topical and respiratory uses of silver are relatively easy to figure out, but it is the internal problems, such as Hep-C or Crohn’s that sometimes present a more difficult issue of ‘how much to use’. My only rule of thumb is this, I use whatever it takes to do the job and if that doesn’t work, I use a little more. My personal use of colloidal silver is simple, I brush my teeth with it in my soap and then I use about a ¼ ounce a day on normal days and if I feel that I’m catching a bug, I will hit it hard with ½ to 1 ounce every 3-4 hours until the symptoms are gone. It seldom takes me more than an 8 oz. bottle, but I find that even avid users of silver are way too timid about more aggressive use whether if for a cold or for a more serious issue. We all have simply been intimidated by media disinformation into being scared of using effective silver quantities, at least for short periods of time.

Long-term, heavy use of silver simply for maintenance purposes I do not advocate, but short-term heavy use will usually be the difference in how effective your silver therapy will be. The aggressive use of silver seldom if ever has to be long-term and should not be for very many, although I have heard of some persistent problems that took more time to resolve, such as Herpes or Candida. Even silver can have difficulty tracking down viruses (like Herpes) that tend to go dormant and hide in the base of the spine (Herpes Simplex II) or the joint of the jaw (Herpes Simplex I) and then travel along nerves rather than thru the bloodstream. Colloidal silver (particle silver) gets into the blood stream relatively easy when taken in volume, but seems to have a much more difficult time getting to the tissue of the nerves. Candida, if it has become systemic and gotten into the bloodstream, may also require a much larger ‘volume’ of silver to bring it into contact with all the yeast spread throughout the body.

Some of the easiest problems to handle with silver are of the stomach, the bladder, the kidneys, the liver and the intestinal tract. These are all areas where particle silver is the most effective since it is better able to survive the hydrochloric acid of the stomach and of the chloride environs of the body. Stomach, bladder, and kidney issues generally respond reasonably well to smaller amounts (a few teaspoons or tablespoons) of silver than does the intestines, colon, and liver because of their function in the digestive system. These last three generally require a number of ounces and even multiple bottles depending of course on the severity of the problem. It is simply common sense; when there are systemic problems that are widespread in the body or if there are large numbers of microbes to deal with, it may require more silver to do the job. Therefore, one cannot expect much results if treating these type issues with simply a teaspoon or two of silver.

It is important to remember that with a heavier usage of silver, especially for more than a few days or a week, one should take Acidophilus and/or Pro-biotics an hour or so afterwards to replenish the colon flora that is essential for proper digestion. Silver kills bacteria/flora and as far as I know has no built in programming to distinguish good bacteria from bad. Often times ‘bad bacteria’ is simply an overgrowth of what might otherwise be ‘good bacteria’. Such problems are often caused by the use of patented antibiotics, which by the way are responsible for the deaths of thousands of people every year. Dr. Henry E. Simmons, former director of the FDA’s Bureau of Drugs, in 1972 Senate subcommittee hearings stated that antibiotics were, at that time, responsible for from 30,000 to 150,000 deaths. The numbers may be much higher now. Eating live culture yogurt is also a good option, but costs more than the bottled Probiotic supplements. I personally make a habit of consuming Acidophilus, yogurt and Probiotics every day regardless of how much silver I use.

As I was finishing up this article, I received another question about the shelf life of colloidal silver. Nano-particle colloidal silver lasts longer if stored at warmer temperatures. I have boiled colloidal silver on a stove and in a microwave and there seems to be no amount of heat that affects it. But cold is a different matter. If nano-particle silver is exposed to cold, even refrigerator cold, the particles can agglomerate, causing some color change. At temperatures near or below freezing, the particles can fall out altogether. You know this has happened because the liquid will become clear with a dark silver residue on the bottom. Ionic silver seems unaffected by either heat or cold. Therefore warm is better for your nano-particle colloidal silver storage.

To sum things up here in regard to silver use, I reiterate that I am not addressing the use of silver produced with chemical processes, silver nitrates, saline silver solutions, or silver in protein, or any high ppm and large particle silver. My recommendation is only for nano-particle colloidal silver produced electrically in distilled water. As referenced in this three part article, I believe the use of ionic silver is very effective topically and in areas where it does not need to get into the bloodstream. Particle silver is by far the best for use inside the body where it must pass through the stomach or requires getting into the bloodstream to be effective.

I have seen research reference to the body cell’s having silver receptors. If this research is true, then silver must be considered an essential mineral to the good health of the body and regular maintenance use (1-3 teaspoons per day) will help to maintain some beneficial essential trace level of silver. If the intent is for a therapeutic use of silver, then much larger short-term servings may be required for effective results. Just remember, it is only the long-term abusive use of the wrong kind of silver products that may over time produce issues such as Argyria, but an aggressive short-term use of nano-particle silver in distilled water is not a problem. So don’t let the propaganda machines of the Pharma-industrial complex and their ‘government’ agency shills such as the FDA and the EPA scare you away from nature’s safest and most perfect natural anti-biotic.