A common silver supplement is colloidal silver. Pure silver ions are suspended in purified water to make the supplement.
People used silver to “kill” viruses and germs before antibiotics. Silver preparations were widely used as nasal drops and throat sprays.
Silver was frequently used to cure or prevent a number of ailments before to 1938, including epilepsy, gonorrhoea, and colds cancer. Silver soon became useless after the invention of new antibiotics. Silver is no longer recommended for medical therapy by the medical profession.
Some retailers, on the other hand, now market colloidal silver as a potent antibacterial and disinfection. Some promote it as a panacea for ailments such as:
• Cuts
• Infection
• Parasites
• Viruses
• Disease
• Cancer
In recent decades, however, safer treatments have supplanted silver. It is not a necessary mineral and has no physiological role in the body. It denatures proteins by attaching to their reactive groups, and it can also inactivate enzymes by creating hemisilver sulphides with the enzymes’ sulfhydryl groups.
A short research found that a colloidal silver nasal spray had no effect on refractory chronic rhinosinusitis. While silver compounds are still employed as antiseptics in topical treatments, there is rising interest in taking the colloidal form orally as an alternative therapy. Although in vitro studies show that oral colloidal silver has anticancer properties, there is no human evidence to support its usage. It is being pushed as a cure for AIDS, cancer, and diabetes despite the lack of proof.
Long-term usage can lead to silver deposition in the skin and mucous membranes, resulting in argyria, an irreversible disease marked by bluish-gray to gray-black pigmentation. Seizures are another negative consequence. Colloidal silver should not be consumed by pregnant women since it might cause developmental problems in the fetus.
The US Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning to firms that make misleading claims about preventing or treating coronavirus illness, including colloidal silver.
Potential Health Benefits
Some individuals believe colloidal silver can aid in the treatment of bacterial, viral, and fungal diseases.
1.Antibacterial
Colloidal silver was a common antibacterial therapy before antibiotics were discovered.
Colloidal silver has been proven to destroy a wide spectrum of bacteria in test tubes. This has led to its use in a variety of healthcare items, including wound treatments, dressings, and medical equipment.
2. Antiviral
Colloidal silver proponents also believe that it has antiviral properties in the body.
According to certain research, different kinds of silver nanoparticles may aid in the killing of viral components. However, the quantity of nanoparticles in a colloid solution can vary, and a recent research revealed colloidal silver to be inefficient at killing viruses in test tubes.
There have been no research on the effects of colloidal silver on viruses in humans, therefore there is no evidence to support its usage in this method.
3. Antifungal
Colloidal silver has also been claimed to be effective in the treatment of fungal infections.
It seems to inhibit the development of several fungus strains in a test tube investigation. However, just because something may kill fungus in a lab doesn’t indicate it can treat fungal diseases in humans.
There is currently minimal data to back up the notion that colloidal silver is an effective topical antifungal agent. Furthermore, no human research have looked into the effects of consuming colloidal silver on fungal infections.
Colloidal silver as a cancer treatment
Alternative treatment approaches, in addition to chemotherapy and other standard cancer therapies, are sometimes used by cancer patients to enhance their chances of overcoming the disease.
Colloidal silver supplements are a popular but untested cancer therapy. Colloidal silver is marketed as an immune support therapy, but it also claims to have cancer-killing qualities. These anecdotal statements are not backed up by scientific data. Using colloidal silver may potentially have certain risks.
Colloidal silver has not been scientifically proven to be effective in the treatment of cancer.
Mechanism of action
Silver in suspension is unstable and can attach to proteins. Silver compounds combine with sulfhydryl groups to create hemisilver sulphides, which inactivate enzymes. Silver may bind amino, carboxyl, phosphate, and imidazole groups as well. Silver accumulates in the rat liver and binds to different tissues and basal membranes, according to studies. It also influences the activities of lactate dehydrogenase and glutathione peroxidase, as well as membrane lipid peroxidation.
Health risks
Despite the fact that silver has been used for therapeutic purposes for thousands of years, contemporary medicine does not believe colloidal silver to be safe or beneficial.
This is partly due to the fact that silver is not a necessary nutrient and has no recognized physiological function. Some medicines may be harmed by colloidal silver because of low absorption. Topical silver may have medicinal applications, such as treating burns or skin infections. There are no colloidal silver-containing oral medicines that have been authorized by the FDA.
The danger of developing argyria is the most significant health concern linked with silver use. Argyria is a disorder that causes your skin to become grey or blue and lasts for a long time. When silver particles influence cell pigmentation, this occurs.
Colloidal silver isn’t safe or effective for treating any disease or condition, according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. The danger of utilising silver products outweighs any unproven benefit.
Conclusion
Colloidal silver is a liquid suspension of very small silver particles. Externally, silver compounds are used to treat or prevent infections, but colloidal silver has lately become popular as an alternative therapy. Although there is no proof that it works in people, it is being pushed as a treatment for cancer, diabetes, and AIDS. Our bodies do not require silver to function properly. Silver denatures proteins, causing many enzymes to lose their function.
Oral silver usage for a long time might cause the skin to become bluish-gray or gray-black in hue. Seizures and renal damage are other possible side effects.
