Facts on Doses of Colloidal Silver

Silver is a natural metallic element usually found in combination with other elements, including chloride, nitrate and sulfide. Although the most well-known uses of the metal are to make such medical and consumer products as dental fillings, jewelry and silverware, some people take silver as a dietary supplement. However, the medical industry considers the practice ineffective and unsafe.

Function

Unscrupulous marketers make many claims about the benefits of colloidal silver, promoting the product's alleged ability to remedy myriad health conditions and issues, such as AIDS, cancer, congestion, diabetes, and the common cold. Some marketers also claim colloidal silver is an essential mineral. Yet, no research supports any of the claims for any dose of the supplement, according to numerous established medical entities, including Harvard Medical School, the Mayo Clinic, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, the National Institutes of Health and even the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Features

Colloidal silver is a liquid suspension that contains tiny particles of silver. Doses of silver in a liquid base are unstable, and despite marketing claims that silver is an essential mineral, the element actually has no physiological purpose in the human body. Silver particles in oral doses of colloidal silver are capable of binding with proteins in the body, a property that can inhibit the absorption and effectiveness of certain medications, such as the hormone thyroxine and the antibiotics penicillamine, quinolone and tetracycline.

Side Effects

Prolonged use of colloidal silver can cause the product to accumulate in the body, which may produce several extremely serious side effects, including kidney damage, neurological problems and seizures. One of the most unsettling and well-known complications of taking colloidal silver is the condition argyria. Irreversible, untreatable and permanent, argyria causes the skin, gums, nails, organs and deep tissue to turn a blue-gray color. Other less severe side effects of extensive colloidal-silver use include fatigue, headaches, irritated skin and upset stomach.

Considerations

Silver is not completely ineffective or unsafe for medicinal purposes; certain topical forms of the element applied to the body have been used successfully in conventional medicine. For example, silver sulfadiazine treats severe burns and silver nitrate can improve conjunctivitis and the condition of corns and warts. Even colloidal silver--which can be taken orally, used topically as a spray or injected--may produce no complications if used infrequently, for a brief period of time or strictly as directed on the packaging. You should still seek the advice of a qualified health care provider before taking the product just once, however.

Warning

Both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission have warned website administrators about making unproven claims regarding the supposed medicinal benefits of using colloidal silver. Moreover, pregnant women should never take any dose of colloidal silver because the substance can lead to abnormal development of fetuses.