our use of silver
Silver Preparations: The History and Development
Over thousands of years civilizations throughout the world have used silver as a healing and anti-bacterial agent. Its medical, preservative and restorative powers can be traced as far back as the ancient Greek and Roman Empires. In recent history, silver preparations have been used for treatment and prevention of disease and infection. During times as late as the 1930's, Doctors were using silver as a germicide and antibiotic before the advent of modern antibiotics.
Consider these interesting facts:
- Prior to the introduction of modern germicides and antibiotics, it was known that disease-causing pathogens could not survive in the presence of silver. Consequently, silver was used in dish-ware, drinking vessels and eating utensils.
- In particular, the wealthy stored and ate their food from silver vessels to keep bacteria from growing.
- In the Middle Ages, silverware protected the wealthy from the full brunt of the plague.
- The Chinese emperors and their courts ate with silver chopsticks.
- The Druids have left evidence of their use of silver.
- The Greeks used silver vessels to keep water and other liquids fresh. The writings of Herodotus, the Greek philosopher and historian, date the use of silver prior to the birth of Christ.
- The Roman Empire stored wine in silver urns to prevent spoilage.
- The use of silver is mentioned in ancient Egyptian writings.
- Settlers in the Australian outback suspend silverware in their water tanks to retard spoilage.
- Pioneers trekking across the American West found that if they placed silver or copper coins in their casks of drinking water, it kept the water safe from bacteria, algae, etc.
- All along the frontier, silver dollars were put in milk to keep it fresh. Some of us remember our grandparents doing the same.
- In Ayurvedic medicine, silver is used in small amounts as a tonic, elixir or rejuvenating agent for patients debilitated by age or disease.
- Silver was used to combat infection in wounds sustained by troops during World War I.
- Before the introduction of modern antibiotics, Colloidal Silver was commonly used in hospitals and has been known for its effectiveness as a bactericide for at least 1200 years.
- In the early 1800s, doctors used silver sutures in surgical wounds with very successful results.
In their earliest usage, silver-based remedies were prepared in the form of silver salts, e.g. silver nitrate and silver acetate. Later, non-salt preparations have been included such as, silver sulfadiazine and colloidal silver. All of these remedies have been used primarily to treat infectious conditions.
Generally, the silver salt remedies have shown limited effect, usually requiring relatively high doses to achieve any effect. High dosages of such silver salts – especially after regular, long-term use – has produced reportable cases of silver toxicity, known as Argyria. On the other hand, low concentration silver colloid preparations are not associated with any reportable toxicity.
Argyria is characterized as a permanent ashen-gray (bluish) discoloration of the skin, conjuctival sclerae, and internal organs, resulting from long-continued use of high concentration silver salts – without any otherwise notable adverse effects on general metabolic health. Today it is difficult to find reference to Argyria in any standard medical textbook.
Recently, the use of low concentration, i.e., < 50 ppm, non-proteinaceous silver colloids have been found to be tremendously effective against localized cutaneous and upper respiratory infections. The levels of this silver colloid required to achieve satisfactory antimicrobial action are 100 times lower than that of the previously used silver salts or protein colloids. There has been no reported toxicity or adverse events linked to the use of these low concentration, pure silver colloids.