Top 7 Ways to Use Colloidal Silver
Silver is a kinda magical substance. It’s sprinkled throughout mythology and history, revered for its powers of cleanliness and goodness. Think silver bullets to kill werewolves. Or what about royal families eating and drinking off silver, believing it would keep them healthy (and leading to the term “blue bloods”)? Going even farther back in history, think of Ancient Greeks and Romans storing their perishable liquids in silver containers to prevent them from spoiling.
Those ancients were onto something.
Silver is a powerful antibacterial and antimicrobial healing agent. It was used in World War I to treat trench fever and other infections. Many medical device companies coat their products with silver to prevent bacterial biofilms. Hospitals used to give silver nitrate eye drops to newborns to prevent gonorrhea infections to the eye.
With the invention of penicillin, silver started to go out of style as an antibiotic, and we’ve seen a wide variety of antibiotics take its place. But as we continue to see the rise of resistance to antibiotics, silver is coming back into fashion for its antimicrobial properties . And there’s particularly a focus on colloidal silver.
Colloidal silver is made by suspending microscopic particles of silver in purified water. The concentration of silver varies but most are ten parts silver to one million parts water. We recommend using a quality colloidal silver for its health benefits—for reasons why, check out our recent blog post.
How can colloidal silver act as a support in our everyday lives? Read on for some of our favorite uses.
As an Acne-Fighter
Acne is common in our teen years but can continue to be (or become) a problem later in adult life as well. Whenever it occurs, acne is an embarrassing and stressful affliction. According to a study conducted by the University of Maryland Medical Center , almost 17 million people in the U.S. suffer from acne.
The causes of acne aren’t fully understood, but it generally occurs when the follicles or pores in your face get clogged with oil. Bacteria can get trapped in closed follicles and create whiteheads.
These symptoms can be greatly reduced with the antibacterial powers of colloidal silver. You can take silver orally during an outbreak, since the infecting bacteria are sealed under the surface of the skin. It can also be added to face washes for use on the surface of the skin.
When treating an active acne outbreak, take 50 ml to 60 ml of solution daily. To maintain good clear skin, the amount can be reduced to 20 ml to 30 ml.
As a First-Aid Tool
According to Medscape , “Silver has proven antimicrobial activity… Its role as an antimicrobial agent is particularly attractive, as it has a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity with minimal toxicity toward mammalian cells at low concentrations and has a less likely tendency than antibiotics to induce resistance due to its activity at multiple bacterial target sites. Topical creams or solutions containing silver (eg, silver sulfadiazine) have long been used as a mainstay of wound management in burn patients who are especially susceptible to infection.”
When used topically to heal cuts, scrapes and other wounds, sometimes silver is added to a bandage or wrap to go overtop of the injury. You can buy bandages and wraps that come with silver in them or you can make your own with a good quality colloidal silver like Panasilver.
As a Natural Antimicrobial Cleanser
If you often cook with meats in the kitchen, your cutting board and knives have probably come in contact with raw meat at some point. Washing those utensils with soap and hot water can be okay for awhile, but eventually, bacteria can get trapped in the tiny crevices of your cutting board.
It’s important to disinfect these kitchen items, but it’s also important to use a disinfectant that’s safe to ingest. Just like meat leaving behind bacteria, your disinfectant can leave behind residue too.
According to The Health Factory , colloidal silver won’t cause skin, eye or internal irritation like many other cleaning supplies will.
On her blog A Farm Girl In The Making , Ann Accetta-Scott shares that she often deep cleans and disinfects household items with colloidal silver.
“Since [colloidal silver] is known to contain antiseptic, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral qualities, it’s the prime choice for a natural cleaning solution.”
She goes on to say that “silver is used to control the growth of bacteria and fungus while also minimizing food spoilage. [Colloidal silver] can also kill and prevent the growth of algae, and when added to dish of bacteria, fungal or viral cells, the cells die quickly, which is why this makes an ideal cleaning item for the home.”
Accetta-Scott also writes that some of the household items she uses colloidal silver to clean include cutting boards and kitchen counters, in order to prevent E. coli and salmonella.
Cleaning utensils and cutting boards that come in contact with meat is a great way to avoid any cross contamination.
As Eye and Ear Drops for Infections
Blogger Mommypotamus suggests using silver to help get rid of eye infections, like pink eye. Natural Living Ideas make the same suggestion.
Ray Sahelian M.D. says he has “come across several people who swear that colloidal silver — when used as eye drops one to two drops three to four times a day –– quickly healed their conjunctivitis or sty, or reduced the severity of pharyngitis when gargled in water.”
Sahelian suggests that colloidal silver may be effective against viruses and some bacteria making it, worth trying in cases of conjunctivitis, sty or other mild infections. However, Sahelian warns that colloidal silver should not be used for longer than a week at a time and should only be used at the recommendation and under the supervision of a healthcare provider who is familiar with its properties.
The Healthy Home Economist suggests colloidal silver for a number of ear irritations, too, recalling its usefulness in treating a fairly severe swimmer’s ear in a child. The first dose –– which consisted of just three drops of colloidal silver–– worked wonders overnight and a second dose on the following day was given in order to ensure a full recovery.
“Unlike antibiotics, which only work on bacterial infections, colloidal silver is a broad spectrum antimicrobial,” the blog continues “This means that it works against viruses and fungus too, not just bacteria.”
While many users have had positive experiences using colloidal silver for infections, we would always recommend seeking a professional opinion before doing so.
As a Cold and Flu Fighter
A study done by the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at San Giovanni Addolorata Hospital took 100 children under the age of 12 who were suffering from a cold or nasal congestion and split them into two groups. The first group was treated with colloidal silver and beta glucan. The second group was treated with saline solution.
While both groups saw an improvement, the group treated with colloidal silver had 90% of the subjects recover completely with 10% having further complications, compared to the group treated with saline solution who only saw 66% of its subjects recover completely with 34% of subjects experiencing complications.
An article published in Healthy Living Magazine says that silver’s “highly dynamic particles interact with encapsulated viruses and bacteria to reduce the severity and the duration of the symptoms by passing through bacterial membranes and viral coats disrupting DNA synthesis and viral replication.”
Not only does it kill the cold quickly, but it can prevent future illness, too.
We suggest adding Panasilver to your favorite nasal spray or neti pot solution, or even putting some into the water for your humidifier to spread the benefits throughout the whole room.
As an Anti-Inflammatory for Your Joints and Muscles
Inflammation is an important part of our bodies’ defense systems. It is the body’s attempt to heal after an injury, to defend against viruses and bacteria, and to repair damaged tissue.
However, sometimes we get inflammation when from unhelpful triggers. Something triggers that immune system response and we experience redness, swelling and discomfort.
This can be caused by any number of “chronic inflammation” triggers, including arthritis, allergies and asthma, for example. We can also trigger inflammation through habitual or lifestyle factors like high stress, not enough sleep, smoking, and excessive alcohol consumption.
Using colloidal silver topically can help reduce inflammation and sooth joint and back pain.
The National Institutes of Health conducted a study on the effects of inflammation after being treated by colloidal silver. They found that the inflamed skin of pigs treated with silver experienced near-normal skin after 72 hours. The groups not treated with silver remained inflamed.
As a Friend to Your Pets
Silver isn’t just for people; it has a place in your pets’ lives as well.
Use colloidal silver for dogs when they get infections, minor cuts and wounds, eye and ear infections, or ringworm. Dogs Naturally magazine suggests administering five to ten drops twice a day when using the silver orally and applying several times a day with a cotton swab to clean wounds.
The magazine cautions that colloidal silver does reduce natural gut flora as other antibiotics do. If your dog is taking the silver orally, it’s important to follow up with prebiotics and probiotics to build good bacteria levels back up. This is also important for humans when taking colloidal silver — it’s important to care for your gut health while enjoying the benefits of silver.
Holistic veterinarian Karen Becker recommends colloidal silver in cat care as well. She specifically suggests using it to treat feline acne, tear stains, yeast infections and skin conditions.
As much as we love our furry friends, we don’t always love the smells they produce that linger around the house. This is where the antibacterial properties of silver come in handy again. If you have a cat that regularly “sprays” or a dog who marks its territory, try soaking the area in a solution of colloidal silver. Or to freshen up sofas and pet beds, mix up colloidal silver and water in a spray bottle and mist the fabric.
As a Daily Supplement for Better Overall Living
It’s important when choosing colloidal silver to pick one that is pure and safe for consumption.
There is one colloidal silver supplement that truly stands out above the rest: Panasilver.
In terms of both safety and effectiveness, Panasilver is made using the only technology that has been shown time and again to stand up to scientific testing.
In addition to being a true colloid, Panasilver’s metallic silver particles are also coated with silver oxide.
This means that, unlike your typical everyday colloidal silver, Panasilver’s coated particles can continue to work, even after the first electron is stolen, until they are excreted.
Panasilver is a colloidal silver product that is totally safe to ingest and won’t turn your skin blue. (Yes, that is an actual concern with ionic silver solutions!) A little of the product goes a long way in terms of your body absorbing its benefits. The advanced technology that has gone into creating Panasilver allows your body to benefit from the silver nanoparticles within two hours and excrete them within 24.
However, silver products are certainly not all created equal.
Want to see all the great ways to use this amazing product? Check out the video below!
Related links:
https://wellnessmama.com/130001/colloidal-silver/
http://www.naturallivingideas.com/colloidal-silver-benefits-and-uses/
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/five-immune-boosting-uses-of-colloidal-silver/
http://www.playfulkitty.net/2015/03/12/is-colloidal-silver-safe-for-cats/
https://www.livestrong.com/article/281598-colloidal-silver-acne/