Ionic colloidal silver is a liquid suspension of electrically charged silver particles that is used as a treatment for a variety of disorders. The most common use for this substance is to support good health and an active immune system. Some patients also take it to treat a specific condition such as a cold, the flu, or even cancer. There is, however, no medical evidence to indicate that ionic colloidal silver can treat disease, boost the immune system, or even fight off infection in the way that silver does.
In order to create ionic colloidal silver, single atoms of silver must be separated from a larger piece of silver. Atomizing silver is done in a bath of water. The water and the silver rods in it are electrified to ionize the silver atoms and particles and cause them to be repelled from the larger piece of silver. These small particles of silver become dispersed in the water, creating a fluid known as colloidal silver.
Making ionic colloidal silver requires colloidal silver that is composed of single atoms of silver rather than small particles that are made up of many silver atoms. In most cases, products labeled as colloidal silver contain a high percentage of silver ions but also contain some larger silver particles. The particles can be further broken down or removed from the colloidal silver in order to make a fluid containing just water molecules and silver atoms.
The silver atoms left in the water have been ionized, which means that they have, in this case, lost an electron and are positively charged. This charge prevents the atoms from recombining into larger pieces of silver. Some people claim that having a positive charge also makes the silver more reactive with biological organisms, though these claims have not been tested.
Silver has been shown to have antibiotic qualities that have, historically, made this metal useful in medicine. For thousands of years, liquid suspensions of silver have been given to patients internally or applied to the exterior of a wound or to the bandage placed over a wound to fight off or prevent infection. Despite its usefulness, silver has not been used by mainstream medicine since the middle of the 1900s. It is not considered to be as safe or effective as antibiotics and fell out of favor when these medications became readily available.
Though silver itself has proven medical usefulness, ionic colloidal silver has not been well studied, and doctors do not know whether it could fight infection or whether it is safe for patients to consume. It is also unknown whether this substance could interact with other medications. Patients should take colloidal silver with great caution and only under the guidance of a medical doctor.