Negative Effects of Colloidal Silver

Colloidal silver is usually used to prevent newborns from catching eye infections. However, there are a number of companies on the Internet as well as in health supplement catalogs touting the benefits of colloidal silver. Doctors generally agree that colloidal silver is safe in small amounts, but harmful in large doses, although there is some disagreement on exactly how much is too much colloidal silver.

Dosage

• The typical dosage of colloidal silver is 1 tsp. per day. This dose only contains 50 mcg of silver per serving. While this dose is considered safe for supplementation, there are already about 350 mcg of silver typically found in the food and water that we consume on a daily basis.

  If you take extra colloidal silver along with what is already found in your daily diet, your intake reaches 400 mcg a day, a dosage that is still considered safe. However, no one is completely sure exactly how much colloidal silver is considered toxic. As little as 10 mg of colloidal silver has been fatal in some people.

Argyria

• According to Dr. Alan Gaby, co-author of "The Natural Pharmacy," argyria can occur when too much colloidal silver is consumed. Argyria is the depositing of silver into the internal organs, tissues and skin. Argyria can turn the skin gray or even a blue gray when exposed to sunlight. Unfortunately, this condition is permanent.

Neurological Damage

• With extremely high doses of colloidal silver, neurological damage can occur. Symptoms of neurological damage vary and may include anxiety, impulsiveness, irritability, double vision, depression, headaches, loss of memory and seizures.

Organ Damage

• Colloidal silver has been linked to organ damage. A chapter from the book "Colloidal Silver: Medical Uses, Toxicology and Manufacture" provides much detail about organ damage related to an overabundance of colloidal silver (see the Clear Springs Press website in References). The author, John W. Hill, states that tests preformed on dogs showed that an overdose of silver led to silver deposits on the lymph nodes, bone marrow and kidneys. Doctors such as Alan Gaby also warn of this possibility.

Atherosclerosis

• Too much colloidal silver in the diet may also cause atherosclerosis. This is a disease that affects the major blood vessels in the body; it is often referred to as hardening of the arteries. It is typified by fat streaks lining the vessel walls, as well as by deposits of cholesterol and calcium inside the vessels. Atherosclerosis can lead to heart attack, heart failure and stroke.