Harvard Health warns against colloidal silver

The August 2007 issue of the Harvard Health Letter warns that there are no legitimate reasons for taking the dietary supplement colloidal silver, which is used as a cold medicine, decongestant and all-round germ fighter, and even suggest that the commonly-used ingredient may cause some serious and strange side effects.

Silver has several uses in conventional medicine. Silver sulfadiazine is used to treat serious burns, fabric impregnated with silver is sometimes used as a dressing for wounds or skin infections and silver nitrate is occasionally used to treat warts and corns. But there is no proof that taking colloidal silver by mouth has any benefits, states the report, noting that, while brain and nerve damage from silver exposure is rare, colloidal silver can cause kidney damage, stomach distress and headaches.

The most common problem associated with silver exposure is argyria: the skin turns a bluish gray as granules of silver accumulate in the body. The conjunctiva, the clear membrane that covers the eyes, and internal organs may also be affected. Once silver is deposited, there is no way to remove it so the discoloration may be permanent.