The quality of a colloidal silver
product can
be determined by following the items outlined on this
page. All
of these items are important in choosing a high quality
product.
They include: the manufacturing process, purity, size of
the
silver particles, concentration (ppm, that is, parts per
million),
absence of chemical additives/chemical stabilizers and
food coloring,
pH, stability (shelf life) of the product, and efficacy.
The
product you purchase should meet the following criteria:
1. Manufacturing Process: It
should be manufactured
by the electro-colloidal process, meaning that
ultra-fine particles
of silver are suspended in pure water by an electrical
charge
placed on the silver. This process is done without the
use of
chemical solvents or chemical stabilizers.
2. Purity: High quality colloidal
silver consists
of pure water and 99.999% pharmaceutical grade silver.
Manufacturers
are required to conduct microbiology testing to
guarantee that
the product is free of contamination.
3. Particle Size: To insure proper
absorption
and assimilation, the particles of silver should be less
than
one (1) micron in diameter.
4. Concentration: For use on a
regular basis
the concentration should be between 5 and 20 ppm of
silver. Highly
concentrated colloidal silver products may be a health
risk if
taken internally on a regular basis and should only be
used under
a medical doctor?s supervision.
5. Additives: Colloidal silver
should not contain
any silver proteins, chemical stabilizers like E.D.T.A.,
P.V.P.,
carbopol resin, or any other chemical additive.
6. Color: The rule of thumb in
colloidal chemistry
is the smaller the silver particle size the lighter the
color.
Colloidal silver produced by modern technology should be
clear
to light yellow in color. Avoid products that are murky,
brown,
grey, black, or that contain yellow food coloring.
Golden yellow
solutions are indicative of products containing a larger
particle
size, silver protein, or stabilizers, similar to the
type of
colloidal silver that was produced in the early 1900s.
7. PH: The pH should be neutral
(alkaline). Low
pH (acidic) products can indicate the use of chemicals.
It can
also be an indication that the silver particles are
?falling
out? of solution.
8. Shelf Life: A quality colloidal
silver product
should have a guaranteed shelf life of more than one
year. The
solution should be free of any sediment or particles of
silver
floating in the liquid or settled on the bottom of the
bottle.
High quality colloidal silver can be bottled in plastic
or glass
without any effect on the product.
9. Outdated Technology: Colloidal
silver was
commonly used in the early 1900s prior to the advent of
antibiotics.
At that time technology was not advanced enough to
create colloidal
silver without the use of chemical or protein
stabilizers. These
stabilizers ?block? the charge on the silver particles
and bind
to the silver to help keep it in suspension; however, it
can
cause the silver to be retained in the body too long.
With today?s
advanced technology it is no longer necessary to
manufacture
colloidal silver using chemical or protein additives.
10. Concentrates: Concentrates of
colloidal silver
should not be diluted. Colloidal silver should be used
in the
same concentration in which it is formulated. When
colloidal
silver is manufactured correctly, the electrical charge
is passed
through the water and silver simultaneously. When
colloidal silver
concentrate is diluted by water the disruption in the
electrical
charge can significantly decrease the efficacy of the
product.
11. Tyndall Effect: The Tyndall
test is outdated.
It was used decades ago by chemists to determine if a
colloidal
silver product contained any silver suspended in the
solution.
This method can still be used, but it only works for
products
containing large silver particles. In order to get a
Tyndall
effect the particles must be large enough to refract
light. The
new ultra-fine colloidal silver products that contain
silver
particles less than one micron in diameter will exhibit
very
little, if any, Tyndall effect, therefore rendering this
type
of test obsolete.
12. FDA: According to Federal
regulations, colloidal
silver must be manufactured in a registered FDA facility
and
be subject to strict quality control. Distributors of
colloidal
silver should be issued a certificate of analysis from
the company
from which they buy colloidal silver. This analysis
should specify
purity, microbiology testing, silver particle size,
concentration
(ppm), and use of chemical stabilizers, pH, and color.
Information provided by Bob Beck
and G. Henry
Collins. For more information call 310-452-8649.
