Colloidal silver: quackery for credulous idiots

If there’s one thing that really annoys me, it’s quackery. Conspiracy theories can be entertaining; sometimes, they can be disturbing; occasionally, they are even true. But quackery can seriously damage your health—or your appearance.

One piece of dangerous pseudoscience that seems to be currently popular, especially in the more credulous corners of the internet, is colloidal silver.

Look at what the proponents claim for it:

Colloidal Silver is the only antibiotic known reportedly to kill all types of viruses, funguses and bacteria.

Well, no need to worry about vancomycin resistance then.

Colloidal Silver kills all viruses, precluding future mutations as it also kills the virus invaded cell within six minutes, and because of its catalytic nature Colloidal Silver is not affected in the reaction, continuing to kill other single celled pathogens nearby.

Good news! We can stop wasting money on HIV/AIDS research!

Colloidal Silver will react chemically with many of the 92 natural elements and compounds. While many of these compounds are toxic, pure silver is non-toxic. It acts only catalytically with the enzyme, or chemical lung of single celled organisms.

I’m pretty confident that any trained biochemist is going to have some issues with this statement.

Sounds too good to be true, right? That’s because it is.

None of this is to say that silver doesn’t have disinfectant properties. It does, and that’s why it’s being used in clothing to reduce odours. (Personally, I find hygiene to be equally effective. But I digress.) However, that does not mean that it is either safe or effective when taken internally.

In fact, this is what colloidal silver really does, if you take enough for it to have any effect. It turns your skin grey. Permanently.

Unfortunately, the charlatans who hawk this snake oil won’t tell you that. To them, batteries, silver and tapwater is a cheap way to profit, and they don’t care whom they discolour in the process.

2005-09-14 21:38 UTC. Comments: 5.

Comments

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  1. keith

    Wrote at 2007-02-19 01:08 UTC using Internet Explorer 6.0 on Windows XP:

    Well
    Ive cured my sons asthma with silver and he has never ever had a strep infetion . Gee , I wonder why ? I dont get sick , hmmmm , Im 48 years old . I should be getting sick every now and then shouldnt I ???? If I ever injested the amount of flouride , a rat poisen that claims to prevent cavities that I did with CS , I would be dead . hmmmmm , This is very interesting isnt it ? Oh and did I mention we dont use fluride either ? And no cavities ! hmmmmmmm , Things that make you go hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm . And if we do get a cavity rest assured we wont put mercury in our heads . Did you know you cannot get health insurance in sweden if you have mercury in your head ????? My guess is the same group the allows this too happen is the same group behing the anti CS movement . Ya think ?

  2. SilverLady

    Wrote at 2008-01-17 01:45 UTC using Internet Explorer 6.0 on Windows XP:

    you obviously know nothing at all about Colloidal Silver – or Colloidal Gold because if you did, you would not be writing all of this mindless bollocks about it. It will onlt turn your skin grey (aggria is the proper name for it) if you drink silver that is not pure, that means compounded with somehting else. If the CS is made using pure silver rods then there’s no chance of aggria occurring. A bit of advice – know your subject matter before speaking about it and making a bitch-ass of yourself as you have done here.

  3. Paul Battley

    Wrote at 2008-01-17 09:26 UTC using Firefox 2.0.0.11 on Linux:

    SilverLady, I’m not going to delete your comment despite its egregious offensiveness. (Just what is a ‘bitch-ass’, anyway?)

    The condition of grey skin is actually called ‘argyria’. Are you sure that you know what you’re talking about?

    > If the CS is made using pure silver rods then there’s no chance of aggria occurring

    Yeah, and you can’t get pregnant standing up. I don’t think your contention is supported by chemistry or biochemistry.

  4. Justin

    Wrote at 2008-02-25 20:54 UTC using Internet Explorer 6.0 on Windows XP:

    collodial silver works. I’ve used it since i was a child (not daily – only when needed). I’ve never had a problem unless never having a canker sore since the age of 8 is a problem. Or if getting a cold that lasts only one day once every few years is a problem.

    you are just some kid that has no idea what he’s talking about.

  5. frank

    Wrote at 2008-04-04 16:24 UTC using Firefox 2.0.0.13 on Windows XP:

    what really annoys me is quackery from the pharmaceutical establishment, there are a lot evidence going back for centuries that silver and silver water , are an effective anti-pathogen, don’t be fooled by the pharmaceutical mafia. do your home work before you put silver down, the only reason i can see that an intelligent person would put silver down is that they must be associated to the big mafia.more people die or become ill because of the medical pharmaceutical mafia and all their evil drugs that they push on to the public
    wake up and smell the sh.t
    love and light
    god bless

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