What Is Silver Water?

Known more popularly as colloidal silver, silver water is a mixture of silver particles in some sort of solution, not necessarily water. Silver is used for its disinfecting properties in spacecraft water supplies, but recently, alternative medicine purveyors have claimed that silver water can treat or improve personal beauty, immune system functions, sports performance, dietary supplementation and stress relief.

Background

• Silver has many uses, from jewelery to electrical components it finds its way into most of our daily lives and has a long history of medicinal usage. Most prescription usage is topical and can include negative side effects. Colloidal silver (silver water) is administered orally, applied to the skin or injected.

Points of Interest

• The FDA regulates colloidal silver as a dietary supplement and can remove it from the market. The FDA and Federal Trade commission have sent warnings to colloidal silver companies that make pharmaceutical-like claims. According to the National Institutes of Health, reports in 2000 and 2003 indicated two cases of argyria, a discoloration of the skin after colloidal silver ingestion.

Scientific Evidence

• From reviewing scientific studies, the NIH National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine has determined that colloidal silver has no known function in the body, is not an essential mineral nutrient and that the concentration of silver in colloidal silver products can vary greatly and pose a risk to the consumer.