The history of colloidal silver

The history of silver as a remedy

Already in ancient times, according to traditions, the healing power of silver was well known in many regions of the world.
It was used for medicinal purposes in Africa as well as in parts of Europe and Asia. The ancient Egyptians were probably the first to discover the healing properties of the precious metal.
Even in the Middle Ages was built on the positive properties of silver and so it found its application in many areas. The nobility used silver chests to store their food to protect it from spoilage. They also ate from silver plates and with silver cutlery. They were convinced that silver could protect them from evil demons and afflicting diseases. For example, they scraped silver and mixed it with various medicinal herbs to enhance its effects, including against rabies. It was also used to treat dropsy and nosebleeds. It is known from American settlers and gold miners that they used the preservative effect of silver and made their drinking water longer drinkable by adding silver coins. The same happened with milk, which thus remained fresh for several days. Well-known names, such as the physician Paracelsus and Hildegard von Bingen, used silver for medicinal purposes. Paracelsus, for example, used the metal as an additive in bath water to help eliminate heavy metals from the body. Hildegard von Bingen used it to relieve coughs and recommended it for phlegm. As early as the 14th century, the polymath von Megenberg mentioned the use of silver for scabies, hemorrhoids and also for a metabolic weakness.

500 years later, in the middle of the 19th century, the impressive effect of colloidal silver was discovered. In the 20th century, the mode of action was scientifically studied, confirmed and could be recognized as germicidal. Many well-known journals, such as Lancet, Journal of the American Medical Association and the British Medical Journal, reported on it. Thus, the scientifically proven facts about the healing effect of colloidal silver were also made public by the media.

At the same time, pharmaceutical companies were active in antibiotic research. The antibiotic was patented and quickly publicized. It was not possible to apply for a patent for colloidal silver. These circumstances led to the fact that the drug could be sold at a high price. The findings about the same, or even superior effect of silver, were pushed into the background and the knowledge about it was gradually forgotten.

What exactly is colloidal silver and what are its benefits?

A colloid is defined as the smallest particles or droplets that are in a liquid or gas, but do not change their state and do not combine with each other.

Basically, colloidality is ubiquitous. We find it in the blood, for example. Simply explained, blood consists of water and blood cells. The water is liquid, the blood cells are solid, so the components have different properties. Smoke is also colloidal. It consists of particles and gas. Colloidal silver is a liquid consisting of minute silver particles and distilled water. Colloidal particles are the smallest form that matter can take without changing its properties. If the particle were even smaller, one would speak of an atom, which is the building block of solid, liquid or gaseous substances and thus changeable.
The particles which are in distilled water are equally electrically charged. They repel each other. By crushing the particles to the minimum size, the total surface area of the solution increases, resulting in a superior effect. Moreover, the particles pass through any barrier larger than them. In the case of colloidal silver, it can easily penetrate every cell and thus exert its effect throughout the body.

What effect does silver have in its colloidal form?

Silver is germicidal in any form. Due to the crushing, the metal particles can effortlessly penetrate and fight parasites. Bacteria as well as viruses, fungi and their spores can be eliminated. The penetrated silver blocks a certain enzyme, the metabolic process is stopped and the parasite suffocates and dies. Possibly, this also occurs through the formation of DNA and RNA silver complexes or through the destruction of nucleic acids. Worms are also targeted and successfully combated by colloidal silver. Here it possibly inhibits phosphate uptake and damages the cell membrane. After elimination, the body can easily remove and excrete the invaders that have been rendered harmless.

To date, bacteria are not known to develop resistance to silver. Even antibiotic-resistant strains die off through the administration of colloidal silver. Now one could assume that the silver also attacks and destroys the good bacteria. This is not the case. Apparently, the precious metal can distinguish between useful and dangerous bacterial strains. The reasons for this have not yet been sufficiently clarified.

But colloidal silver can prove useful not only in the case of parasite infestation. It also has an effective mechanism of action in allergies, where the body reacts with inflammation. It suppresses the release of histamine and prostaglandin and regulates the body's defenses. At the same time, it relieves the symptoms. Used internally, colloidal silver behaves similarly to a free radical. It binds excess electrons through its conductive abilities and electrical charge, thus helping the body to eliminate heavy metals. Silver has a general wound-healing and supportive effect. Injured tissue, such as a wound on the skin, can be successfully treated with the solution. Due to the astringent and healing properties, it makes the tissue elastic and even accelerates healing by more than half.