How to Use Colloidal Silver (the Right Way)

Colloidal silver is one of the most popular and powerful natural remedies in existence. It doesn’t matter what group you’re in or who makes up your circle, colloidal silver will come up as the proposed solution for just about everything. Creams, gels, or straight up liquid, you’re suppose to down this magical elixir at the first onset of a cold, infection, or modern-day hangnail. 

There is a lot of misinformation out there about colloidal silver. I definitely don’t think it should be avoided and is one of the most important things in my natural medicine cabinet, but I cringe a little on the inside when I see it being thrown out there as the end-all-be-all to whatever it is that ails you. Why? Because it’s powerful and it needs to be used correctly. Knowing what colloidal silver is, what it does, what it won’t do, how to source it, and when to use it will help you get the most out of this amazing remedy. 

There’s a lot of misinformation about colloidal silver:

It will turn you blue. (It won’t.)

You can take as much as you want of it. (You shouldn’t.)

It doesn’t work. (It does.)

It’s a heavy metal. (It’s not.)

It isn’t properly studied. (It is.)

(Okay, I should correct myself. I’ve never known anyone to turn even a remote shade of blue from using true colloidal silver, but if you don’t purchase the real stuff, don’t store it properly, and replace your beverage of choice with it … you do so at your own risk.)

From the ancient Roman and Greek civilizations, to the Middle Ages, Chinese, and earliest pioneers, silver has been widely used as an effective antibacterial since the beginning of the beginning until it was replaced by synthetic pharmaceutical drugs and antibiotics. 

How Colloidal Silver Works

Colloidal silver consists of nano sized clusters of silver atoms that when put into an aqueous solution, exhibit a powerful charge. Silver can have a positive, neutral, or negative charge. Since it has been proven that the cellular membranes of bacteria exhibit a negative charge, you want a colloidal silver product that is positively charged. This allows it to attach to the negatively charged membranes of bacteria where it can disrupt cell metabolism and bind to bacterial DNA so that it can’t multiply.

Despite what you have may have read from a mainstream source that has no understanding of natural medicine whatsoever or an uninformed friend with an aversion to natural remedies, true colloidal silver is not a metallic solution. It is not “melted down heavy metal.” It is not a stainless steel spoon that got re-purposed and bottled up so that you could drink it and it is not the same as downing aluminum, mercury, or a hazardous waste.

To refer to nano sized colloidal silver clusters as being metallic, is incorrect. Scientists are now becoming aware that when silver nano particle sizes are reduced to 10 nm or less, classical physics break down and quantum mechanics takes over. […] Nano sized silver clusters respond distinctly differently to electrons and photons than would bulk silver metal and exhibit characteristics that are not present in bulk metallic silver. – Journal of Chemistry and Biophysics

What Does Colloidal Silver Do?

Colloidal silver is antibacterial, antimicrobial, and antiviral, helps with wound healing, ear infections, pneumonia, pink eye, and a lot of nasty skin conditions that even the best medications can’t seem to touch. It has been shown to enhance the effects of antibiotics against the worst types of bacteria (and could solve the problem of antibiotic resistance). Some studies even show it to be as effective as the three most commonly prescribed antibiotics, but with far fewer side effects.

Should you take a Colloidal Silver with a Higher or Lower PPM?

When I used to buy colloidal silver, I skipped right past the lower ppm versions to the 500 ppm version. I had a “the more the better” mentality. If 25 ppm of colloidal silver is effective, then the 500 ppm version must be even more effective, right?

Wrong. There’s a misconception that the higher the PPM (parts per million) of colloidal silver, the better it is, but research has shown that silver can actually be more effective at a lower concentration of 10-25 ppm. If too many particles (or clusters of silver atoms as some sources call it) are given into a dispersion medium (like water), they can merge into larger particles, which reduce the total number of active particles. What matters more than anything is the particle size.

You want the most active type of silver, the smallest particle size (nano), and the greatest amount of positively charged silver. Higher concentrations of total silver can lead to risks of toxicity and can reduce the total number of bioactive particles.

How to Use Colloidal Silver

There are many different types of colloidal silver products you can take but this is one supplement you shouldn’t mess around with:

1. First, never DIY colloidal silver. I know … you found a Pinterest “recipe” with a pretty stock photo or your friend tried some once and it worked, but it’s not smart unless you’re a scientist with the proper lab equipment, a background in physics or quantum mechanics, and can guarantee the absolute quality of your product through testing. You don’t want to risk ending up with a product that contains big clusters of silver atoms that are out of solution, something contaminated with silver ions or other chemicals, or something that could do more harm than good. You also don’t want skin discoloration or heavy metal accumulation, which is more likely to happen with homemade silver because it’s not manufactured properly (and doesn’t have the same properties).
   
2. Source from a company that knows how to properly manufacture colloidal silver the right way and aim for a product that is no less than 10 ppm and no more than 50 ppm.
   
3. Consider using Colloidal Silver that also contains olive leaf and wild oregano oil. This is one of the things I LOVE about Living Whole’s colloidal silver. It not only contains the antibacterial benefits of silver, but the anti fungal, antiviral, and immune-boosting benefits of these other herbs as well.
   
4. Once your colloidal silver arrives, check to see how you should store it. Silver is sensitive to any type of heat: We’re talking infrared, microwaves, UV light, electrical cables, and the fire from your pet dragon. You’ll want to store your product in a cool, dry place (unless the label states otherwise).
   
5. Avoid taking colloidal silver if it is blue, black, or pink in appearance. This could be a sign that it was not properly manufactured or that the particles size is too large. (If you’re using colloidal silver that has herbal additives, the color will naturally have an orange hue.)
   
6. You can use colloidal silver internally, externally, and can even add it to your neti pot or nebulizer. If you’re using it internally, make sure you follow the dosage recommendations. Although it is safe for pets, pregnant women, and children, do not double or triple the dose and don’t take it if you don’t need it. Colloidal silver should only be used as needed and for no longer than 14 days at a time.

Now that you know what colloidal silver is, why you should use it, and what to look for when buying it, make sure you add colloidal silver to your natural medicine cabinet. It might save you a trip to the doctor, a ton of money, and protect your gut from the effects of having to take an antibiotic.

 This article was updated on March 4, 2020. 
You can check out the recently launched Living Whole Supplement line HERE.