Study Shows Ionic Silver Is Up to 10,000 Times More Effective than “True Colloidal Silver”!

Guest article by R.D. Todd, former U.S. Army medic

Millions of people worldwide have been using the ionic form of colloidal silver with great success for at least six decades.  But in the late 1990’s several websites suddenly appeared marketing so-called “true colloids” or “true colloidal silver,” which is a form of colloidal silver composed largely of non-ionic metallic silver particles, which are also referred to as nanosilver or silver nanoparticles. 

The purveyors of so-called “true colloidal silver” routinely assert that when ionic forms of colloidal silver are ingested, they convert to silver chloride in the stomach due to the presence of hydrochloric acid (HCl), which in turn renders it useless.  

And they claim that silver in its metallic form will not convert to silver chloride in the stomach.  Therefore, they claim, their metallic “true colloidal silver” is effective in inhibiting the growth of microorganisms in the human body, whereas the ionic form is largely ineffective.

Ignoring a multitude of published studies to that prove the exact opposite – I’ve counted 158 of them, so far -- these promoters began to claim that their metallic “true colloidal silver” is the only truly effective form, while the ionic form of colloidal silver is completely useless in the human body.

To this very day, these marketers continue to disseminate misleading information about the nature of colloidal silver to the general public in an apparent (albeit vain) effort to corner the market on colloidal silver for themselves.  The purpose of this article is to put an end to this debate once and for all.  Which form of colloidal silver is the most effective against pathogens:  the ionic form, or the metallic form?  Here’s the answer:

The Laboratory Study that Ends the Debate!

In December of 2004, John W. Roberts, PhD of the Natural-Immunogenics Corporation conducted an in-depth laboratory study in which the so-called “true colloidal silver” (i.e., metallic silver, also called nanosilver, or silver nanoparticles) was pitted against ionic silver.

Dr. Roberts stated that the purpose of his study was to compare the antimicrobial effect of 'particulate' (i.e., metallic) versus (free) 'ionic' silver.  Dr. Roberts certifies that his comparative analysis study was conducted with full compliance to the standards established by the Food and Drug Administrations Office of Regulatory Affairs including 21 CFR part 58 (Good Laboratory Practices) and 21 CFR part 211.

The hypothesis of Dr. Roberts’ study is that, contrary to the claims made by the purveyors of so-called “true colloidal silver,” it’s the silver ion that’s primarily responsible for silver's antimicrobial efficacy and not the metallic silver particles being touted as “true colloidal silver.”   

Dr. Roberts and his team compared the antibacterial activity of both ionic silver and so-called “true colloidal silver” (metallic silver particles) by treating healthy cultures of the bacterial strains, separately, with both forms. 

The bacterial strains used in this study were identical concentrations and dilutions of Staphylococcus aureus (S-1 and S-2). These potent bacterial strains were allowed to culture (grow). This culture was then diluted to a standard 10:1 ratio using sterile purified lab water and placed on sterile plates.
Next, a solution of hydrochloric acid (HC1) was added to samples of both the ionic silver and the so-called “true colloidal silver” (i.e., metallic silver).

Lastly, the two treated samples of the silver product/ HCl mixture were added to the two bacterial strains samples. The mixtures were then agitated and allowed to react until spotted onto the plate.

The same tests were also conducted without the pre-treatment of the HCl mixture, to see how the two species of silver (ionic and metallic) performed without the hindrance of hydrochloric acid.

The results were astonishing! With or without the HCl mixture added, the Staphylococcus cultures (both S-1 and S-2) on the plates were virtually eradicated in just four minutes when treated with ionic silver!

But the culture plates treated with the so-called “true colloidal silver” showed only a very slight reduction in the bacterial count!

The principal conclusions from the study are as follows:

·       Before adding hydrochloric acid, the ionic form of silver achieves total kill of the Staphylococcus aureus pathogens in just four minutes.

·       The so-called “true colloidal silver” could not match those results even when eight minutes were given.  The untreated ionic form proved to be at least 100 times more potent against the pathogens than untreated “true colloidal silver.”

·       When hydrochloric acid was added, the so-called “true colloidal silver” (i.e., metallic silver) lost almost all its antibacterial potency.  

·       Loss of potency to the ionic silver due to the same treatment with hydrochloric acid was comparatively negligible.

·       In fact, after being treated with hydrochloric acid under the same experimental conditions, the ionic-silver was shown to be a whopping 10,000 times more potent than the so-called “true colloidal silver” in terms of its antimicrobial effects against the two bacterial strains.

The results of this study clearly show that ionic form of silver dramatically outperformed the particulate/metallic “true colloidal silver” form, even in the presence of hydrochloric acid (i.e., stomach acid).  Ionic silver was demonstrated to be over 100 times more effective when tested head-to-head with the so-called “true colloidal silver.” And when hydrochloric acid was added to both forms of silver, the so-called “true colloidal silver” lost so much potency the ionic silver then tested to be an astonishing 10,000 times more potent against the pathogens!

So it’s not even close!

The facts are:  The ionic form of colloidal silver killed all Staphylococcus aureus microorganisms with only a four minute exposure while the metallic, so-called “true colloidal silver” form was only marginally bactericidal at best, even at eight minutes.

While the purveyors of so-called "true colloidal silver" continue to make the claim that ionic silver gets tied-up in the gut and neutralized by hydrochloric acid, even more recent clinical research confirms that it's actually the metallic form of colloidal silver -- so-called “true colloidal silver,” or silver nanoparticles -- that gets tied-up in the gut and neutralized by hydrochloric acid.

In fact, according to the True Colloidal Silver Facts website, this has been demonstrated clinically, time and time again, most recently by researchers from the University of Nevada in cooperation with scientists from the EPA's Office of Research and Development.

In their clinical study, the researchers exposed metallic silver nanoparticles to synthetic human stomach fluid to see how ingested metallic silver nanoparticles could be altered by the stomach's very acidic environment. According to the researchers:

"A variety of analytical methods showed that nanoparticles formed large aggregates and produced silver chloride when exposed to stomach fluid.  Changes in nanoparticle physical form and surface chemistry that occur in the stomach may affect how much silver will be absorbed across the gastrointestinal barrier."

In short, the researchers discovered that metallic silver nanoparticles (i.e., nanosilver, or so-called "true colloidal silver") formed large clumps and began converting to silver chloride when exposed to stomach acids. The researchers surmised that because of this, the human body would likely have significant trouble absorbing and utilizing metallic nanosilver particles.

Even the infamous Brown University clinical study on argyria, conducted in August 2012, found that metallic nanosilver was "not terribly likely to make it from the GI tract to the blood..." but that silver ions shed by the metal nanosilver in reaction to the acidic environment of the stomach were "easily absorbed into the bloodstream".  Again, that's the exact opposite of what the purveyors of "true colloidal silver" claim. Indeed, the Brown University researchers found that:

"...nanosilver corrodes in stomach acid in much the same way it does in other acidic environments. Corrosion strips silver atoms of electrons, forming positively charged silver salt ions. Those ions can easily be taken into the bloodstream..."

So in light of these studies and others like them, it would appear that the purveyors of the metallic nanosilver products which they erroneously call "true colloidal silver" are either ignorant of the actual science, or not always completely honest with their customers.

The evidence speaks for itself!

In the ensuing controversy after the Natural-Immunogenics lab tests by were made public, the purveyors of the metallic so-called “true colloidal silver” desperately tried to find a way to rebuke the findings of this study -- even claiming that four minutes was not long enough!  Here’s a direct quote from one of the purveyors of the so-called “true colloidal silver” with regards to the study results: “The narrow and unrealistically short time points do not reflect actual usage of either product.”

You don’t need to be a scientist to see how ridiculous this statement is! Ionic silver killed all of the bacterial cultures in just four minutes and the so-called “true colloidal silver” product didn’t even come close!

Are the purveyors of so-called “true colloidal silver” suggesting that this test should allow more time for their product to prove its worth as an antibacterial agent? In this study, the so-called “true colloidal silver” was given up to 8 minutes to perform and still it did little damage to either of the Staphylococcus cultures. How much time do they need? 

The purveyors of the so-called “true colloidal silver” could have saved themselves a lot of humiliation and embarrassment if they had first read up on some of the many scientific studies that have already proven that it is indeed the ionic charge that is primarily responsible for silver's antimicrobial efficacy. 

This includes studies like the ones conducted at Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas, which is home of the world renowned Army Burn Center operated by the United States Army Institute of Surgical Research. The Army Burn Center has been at the forefront of research and development of burn treatments and has been researching the use of silver in medicine for decades. To quote Albert T. McManus, MD, Chief of Microbiology at the Army Burn Center who conducted one such study, “…conversion of silver to silver ions is necessary for efficacy”.

In other words, for silver to be effective against pathogens, it must be in the ionic form.  If metallic silver (i.e., so-called “true colloidal silver”) is used, it is only effective to the extent that the metal shed silver ions in the presence of pathogens.

To learn more about the profound differences between the superior ionic form of colloidal silver, and the less-than-stellar metallic “true colloids” form, see the True Colloidal Silver Facts website.  

There you’ll learn why millions of people worldwide have been using ionic forms of colloidal silver with great success for decades!  Simply put, silver ions rule!  They are the active, infection-fighting form of silver, as dozens of top colloidal silver researchers agree.   

Case closed!!!

*See details of the Natural-Immunogenics laboratory study "Comparative Bacteriology Analysis: Particulate vs. Ionic Silver, here.

           

Helpful Links:

FREE Colloidal Silver Safe Dosage Report

Colloidal Silver Secrets Group on Facebook

Make Your Own Colloidal Silver for Pennies

.999 Pure Silver Wire for Making Colloidal Silver

Subscribe to the Colloidal Silver Secrets Ezine

Videos on Making and Using Colloidal Silver

Real-Life Colloidal Silver Success Stories

Colloidal Silver Update (News & Views)

The Ultimate Colloidal Silver Manual

The Colloidal Silver Secrets Video

Colloidal Silver Cures MRSA

Colloidal Silver Kills Viruses

Colloidal Silver Secrets blog

Meet Steve Barwick

Colloidal Silver

                                                                                                                                                 

Important Note and Disclaimer:  The contents of this Ezine have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  Information conveyed herein is from sources deemed to be accurate and reliable, but no guarantee can be made in regards to the accuracy and reliability thereof.  The author, Steve Barwick, is a natural health journalist with over 30 years of experience writing professionally about natural health topics.  He is not a doctor.  Therefore, nothing stated in this Ezine should be construed as prescriptive in nature, nor is any part of this Ezine meant to be considered a substitute for professional medical advice.  Nothing reported herein is intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.  The author is simply reporting in journalistic fashion what he has learned during the past 17 years of journalistic research into colloidal silver and its usage.  Therefore, the information and data presented should be considered for informational purposes only, and approached with caution.  Readers should verify for themselves, and to their own satisfaction, from other knowledgeable sources such as their doctor, the accuracy and reliability of all reports, ideas, conclusions, comments and opinions stated herein.  All important health care decisions should be made under the guidance and direction of a legitimate, knowledgeable and experienced health care professional.  Readers are solely responsible for their choices.  The author and publisher disclaim responsibility and/or liability for any loss or hardship that may be incurred as a result of the use or application of any information included in this Ezine. 

Copyright 2016 | Life & Health Research Group, LLC | PO Box 1239 | Peoria AZ 85380-1239 | All rights reserved.

What’s the Best Brand of Colloidal Silver?

Colloidal silver brands come in all shapes and sizes. And each of them tout special bells-and-whistles they claim make them “the best” or “the most effective,” or the “most potent” brand of colloidal silver on the market.

But what’s the truth? How can you cut through the marketing hype and conflicting claims, and find the right brand for yourself and your family? Well, frankly, it’s about as easy, or difficult, as choosing the right laundry detergent. Here’s what I mean…

Hi, Steve Barwick here, for www.TheSilverEdge.com...

If you choose to use a commercial brand of colloidal silver rather than making your own colloidal silver with a high-quality Micro-Particle Colloidal Silver Generator, you can easily find yourself overwhelmed with choices.

There are literally hundreds of brands of colloidal silver on the market, and therefore literally hundreds of choices.

What’s more, just about every brand of colloidal silver claims to be “the best,” or the “most effective,” or the “only good” form of colloidal silver on the market.

How to wade through all of the conflicting claims?

It’s no different than if you were deciding upon which laundry detergent to use. You have to try a few out until you find the one you like best.

The Marketing Hook

First, keep in mind that just about every colloidal silver vendor uses a marketing "hook." This means they tout some unique feature about their product that differentiates it from all of the other colloidal silver products on the market.

The “hook” is what colloidal silver vendors use to make their product sound different or better than others, so that you’re “hooked” into buying the product.

While some “hooks” are legitimate, many are just pure marketing hype.

For example, some colloidal silver vendors claim their silver is superior because it's composed chiefly of ionic silver. Some claim theirs is superior because it's composed chiefly of particulate or metallic silver.

Some claim theirs is superior because it's “nano-silver.” Some claim theirs is superior because it's infused with oxygen. Some claim theirs is superior because it’s more “electrically active.”

Some claim theirs is superior because it’s infused with a particular electrical frequency in a certain mega-hertz range that is part of the “universal healing code.”

(Honest! At least one colloidal silver vendor actually makes that claim, and another claims to be infused with an even “better” electrical frequency that closely mimics the electrical frequency of human cells! And how’s anyone ever going to prove those claims? Hmmm.)

Other colloidal silver vendors claim their brand is more effective because it’s more highly 
concentrated. Some even claim theirs is a “unique species” of silver unlike anything the world has ever seen.

While still others claim theirs is more effective because it has a protein coating, or a silver oxide coating, or utilizes a citric acid binder…well, you get the idea, right?

Finally, one colloidal silver vendor even goes so far as to make the laughable claim that all other brands of colloidal silver are largely “ineffective,” and only his is the “real” colloidal silver.

The bottom line is that there are just about as many different claims -- some quite wild and fanciful, and some at least remotely legitimate -- as there are different brands of colloidal silver.

Because of this, I urge readers to look beyond the marketing "hooks" and recognize that it’s not the marketing hook that does the healing. It’s the SILVER that does the healing.

In general, silver does 98% of the healing, and maybe the marketing hook (to the extent it's true) adds another 2% if you’re lucky.

There are, of course, exceptions to that general rule-of-thumb, particularly if you’re comparing a major, privately-manufactured brand of colloidal silver to a brand produced by bulk wholesalers.

In such a case, the difference in quality and effectiveness can be significant, because bulk wholesalers tend to manufacture colloidal silver in a rapid, haphazard manner using only minimal testing and quality control procedures…

…whereas the major private manufacturers of colloidal silver tend to take great care in the manufacture of their product, utilizing extensive testing and keeping numerous quality control procedures in place throughout the entire colloidal silver-making process and afterwards.

So if you stick with the major brands, I think you’ll find my generalization above to be pretty close to the truth.

While all of the major colloidal silver brands have their own marketing “hook” that’s used to differentiate their product from the rest, when push comes to shove they’re generally pretty darned close in quality and effectiveness.

And that’s because SILVER is their foundational ingredient.

Again, this is no different than trying to figure out which major brand of laundry detergent to use. They all contain the very same basic “soap” ingredients. And they all have some extra ingredient they tout, in order to differentiate their product from all of the others.

That’s their marketing “hook.”

But the truth of the matter is this: It’s the basic ingredients in the soap that do the vast majority of the heavy lifting. And those same basic ingredients are in every brand of soap.

Similarly, with colloidal silver it’s the silver that does the healing, and not so much the added bells and whistles, which is to say, the marketing “hook.”

The Best Brand of Colloidal Silver

So if you're looking for the "best" brand of colloidal silver, it's the one that works best for you.

All you can do is try a few brands out over time, and settle on one that works best for your family.

In my opinion, after 16 years of trying different colloidal silver products, Sovereign Silver from Natural-Immunogenics Corp is certainly one of the best of the major commercial brands out there.

Sovereign Silver is widely considered to be the #1 best-selling brand of colloidal silver on the market today – and for very good reason, i.e.,

…it’s not a “bulk” product created in big vats and sold in 55 gallon drums to wholesale distributors who then bottle and re-sell it to dozens of different companies that in turn put their own company brand labels on it as if they were the actual producers of the product.

Instead, Sovereign Silver is manufactured in the company’s own private manufacturing facility, under their direct supervision, to their precise specifications, and batch tested for uniformity and quality control before it’s bottled, labeled and sold to the public.

Sovereign Silver is definitely at the top of my list of the major brands for both quality and effectiveness.

Another good brand is ASAP Solution colloidal silver, which is sold under the Silver Biotics label and several others labels, including Silver Sol.

ASAP is also privately manufactured, and to date has the most impressive clinical testing behind it. The company even has EPA registration and regulation of some of their topical colloidal silver products.

Opti-Silver from Invision International is also a high-quality, privately-manufactured product that’s quite effective. And there are a number of others.

My point here is not to choose your brand of colloidal silver for you. My point is to educate you to the fact that there are many great brands, and that just about any of the major brands will give you a good introduction to colloidal silver usage.

Again, the general rule-of-thumb is this: When you do your research into the various colloidal silver vendors, look for brands that are manufactured in-house, and not purchased in bulk from some unidentified wholesale vendor.

Bulk purchased products are generally the most poorly manufactured, and thus will be the least effective. And unfortunately, they constitute the vast majority of colloidal silver products on the market today.

A good major colloidal silver vendor that manufactures their own product to their own specifications will generally say so on their company web site, whereas a colloidal silver vendor who purchases in bulk from a wholesaler and simply bottles and labels the product as their own will not mention their product’s origin.

It’s the Silver…

In spite of the conflicting claims and bewildering array of marketing “hooks,” all brands of colloidal silver attack pathogens in the same basic ways, i.e.:

• electro-chemical discharge of oxygen (i.e., oxidation or “disinfection” of the pathogen from the outside, also called “catalytic oxidation”); this is similar to the way hydrogen peroxide works in that the pathogen is literally destroyed by the oxygen “burst” upon coming into contact with the silver…

• blocking cellular “respiration”; in this case, atomic (nascent) oxygen absorbed onto the surface of silver ions in solution will readily react with the sulfhydryl (-S-H) groups surrounding the surface of bacteria or viruses to remove the hydrogen atoms (as water), causing the sulfur atoms to form an R-S-S-R bond; blocking respiration and causing the bacteria to expire from lack of energy…

• penetration of the pathogen resulting in disruption of cellular function from the inside out…

• and in the case of viral pathogens, disruption of DNA function (i.e., preventing the virus from reproducing itself inside of red blood cells).

What this means is that you have to take all of the claims of superior performance with a grain of salt – some may be true, many are not -- and simply try a few good brands over time until you find the one you really like.

Learning More About Colloidal Silver

To get some ideas of the many different ways colloidal silver can be used, and the many different illnesses and diseases it can help heal, check out the Colloidal Silver Success Stories web site.

This is where hundreds of experienced colloidal silver users have written in and explained exactly what they used colloidal silver for, how they used it and how successful they were.

Another important informational resources on colloidal silver is the Clinical Studies and Reports page on TheSilverEdge.com web site, where you’ll now find dozens of actual medical studies and reports in downloadable PDF format, each demonstrating the powerful infection-fighting qualities of colloidal silver.

And if you’re interested in reading what bona-fide medical and clinical experts have to say about colloidal silver, be sure to check out the What the Experts Say About Colloidal Silver page at TheSilverEdge.com.

This page has hundreds upon hundreds of quotes from modern-day experts as well as from colloidal silver pioneers going all of the way back to the early 1900’s.

And if you’re a real information junkie, then you’ll want to dig through the literally dozens of great articles about colloidal silver usage at this link.

Finally, be sure to join the Colloidal Silver Secrets Community on Facebook, where you’ll find late-breaking news and information on colloidal silver, and where over 1,690 avid colloidal silver users share their favorite ways of using colloidal silver!

Good, Better, Best?

In her hit song, The Best, singer Tina Turner croons, “You’re simply the best, better than all the rest.”

Well, in my view, silver is simply the best all around natural germ fighter in existence.

But which brand of colloidal silver is better than all of the others?

As I’ve stated earlier, my personal favorite commercial brand is Sovereign Silver. But I’ve used most of the major brands at one time or another over the past 17 years…

… And I’ve found them all to be effective. I honestly can’t say I’ve found one major brand to be astonishingly better than any of the other major brands.

The key, in my opinion, is to stick with the major brands that manufacture their own colloidal silver.

If you stick with the major brands you should do alright. And by trying a few of them, you’ll inevitably find one that works best for you.

Regardless of whether you purchase a commercial brand of colloidal silver, or choose to save money by making your own high-quality colloidal silver, you’ll inevitably find colloidal silver to be one of the most beneficial and helpful natural substances you’ve ever used.

Yours for the safe, sane and responsible use of colloidal silver,

Steve Barwick, author

The Ultimate Colloidal Silver Manual

Helpful Links:

Join the Colloidal Silver Secrets Community on Facebook

Video: Learn How to Make Micro-Particle Colloidal Silver

Get Your FREE Colloidal Silver “Safe Dosage” Report

.999 Fine Pure Silver Wire for Making Colloidal Silver

The New Micro-Particle Colloidal Silver Generator

Subscribe to the Colloidal Silver Secrets Ezine

Make Your Own Colloidal Silver Inexpensively

Real-Life Colloidal Silver Success Stories

Colloidal Silver Update (News & Views)

The Ultimate Colloidal Silver Manual

The Colloidal Silver Secrets Video

Colloidal Silver Kills Viruses

Colloidal Silver Cures MRSA

Colloidal Silver Secrets blog

Meet Steve Barwick

Important Note and Disclaimer: The contents of this Ezine have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Information conveyed herein is from sources deemed to be accurate and reliable, but no guarantee can be made in regards to the accuracy and reliability thereof. The author, Steve Barwick, is a natural health journalist with over 30 years of experience writing professionally about natural health topics. He is not a doctor. Therefore, nothing stated in this Ezine should be construed as prescriptive in nature, nor is any part of this Ezine meant to be considered a substitute for professional medical advice. Nothing reported herein is intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. The author is simply reporting in journalistic fashion what he has learned during the past 17 years of journalistic research into colloidal silver and its usage. Therefore, the information and data presented should be considered for informational purposes only, and approached with caution. Readers should verify for themselves, and to their own satisfaction, from other knowledgeable sources such as their doctor, the accuracy and reliability of all reports, ideas, conclusions, comments and opinions stated herein. All important health care decisions should be made under the guidance and direction of a legitimate, knowledgeable and experienced health care professional. Readers are solely responsible for their choices. The author and publisher disclaim responsibility or liability for any loss or hardship that may be incurred as a result of the use or application of any information included in this Ezine.