Many forms of colloidal silver and other colloidal minerals are available in health food stores, or on the nutritional supplement aisle of some grocery stores. But do silver colloids work? What’s the difference between a silver colloid and ionic silver? What’s a mild silver protein, and what does it have to do with colloidal silver? You might even have wondered if it was a myth that ionic silver or mild silver protein products could turn you blue.
And, as with many health and nutrition products, you may have wanted to make sure you know how to read labels to find a good buy. Even when a nutritional supplement works, manufacturers’ claims are often conflicting, and they may use different formulations. If you buy a colloidal silver product, how will you know it’s the right one? The most effective formula?
Take a look at our colloidal silver product reports, detailing the best and most current research on silver colloids and the effects of ionic silver. Or read Dr. Gibbs’ booklet entitled, “Silver Colloids: Do they work?” If you don’t find all the answers you were looking for, please email us, we’d love to hear from you.
What is Colloidal Silver?
A solution of water containing nanometer sized particles of suspended silver. The total silver content is expressed as milligrams of silver per liter (mg/L) of water which is numerically the same as parts per million (ppm). The total silver content is divided into two forms of silver; ionic silver and silver particles. Ionic silver solutions are products whose silver content is predominantly in the form of silver ions.
Silver protein based products use gelatin as an additive to keep large silver particles suspended that would otherwise fall to the bottom. True silver colloids are products that do not contain any protein or other additives and whose silver content is predominantly in the form of nanometer sized silver particles. For a more detailed description of the three generic types of products labeled as colloidal silver, see the Product Reports page.
Are Machines Available That Can Make ‘True Colloids’ at Home?
No. All silver colloids generators on the market produce ionic silver. There is no equipment for sale by any manufacturer that will produce ‘true colloidal silver’ consisting of mostly silver nanoparticles.
Why Is “Particle Surface Area” Important?
Particle surface area is what determines a colloids ability to react with its environment. Reactivity increases with increasing surface area. Particle surface area can be determined by measuring the physical properties of a colloid. Because it is comprised of two important physical properties, namely, particle size and particle concentration, it serves as good metric for comparing colloids.
Since it can be expressed as a single number, particle surface area can be considered a figure of merit for the effectiveness of a colloid. In this context, effectiveness is defined as the ability of the colloid to react with its environment. The higher the surface area, the more reactive the colloid, hence the more effective it is in reacting with its environment. For a comparison of commercial products based on particle surface area see the Comparison Table.