Ken Adachi (educate-yourself.org) on Colloidal Silver – FAQ

Peter Lindemann reports in his 1997 article, Colloidal Silver, A Closer Look that a study conducted in part by the Institute of Microbiology in Rome, Italy and published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology (Dec. 1992), stated that “Pure electro-colloidal silver out- performed silver nitrate, silver chloride, and silver sulfadiazine as a broad spectrum germicide. For all classes of bacteria, fungus, and mold samples tested, pure electro-colloidal silver worked better, and at much lower concentrations. They concluded that any additives reduced the effectiveness of the pure silver ion; the silver salts being as much as 100 times less effective.”

Dr Robert Becker, M.D., author of The Body Electric and Crosscurrents found that silver caused cells to dedifferentiate and re-differentiate in the process of regenerative healing.

” What we had actually done was rediscovered the fact that silver killed bacteria, which had been known for centuries…when antibiotics were discovered, clinical uses for silver as an antibiotic were discarded.” Becker said in a 1995 interview with Bio/Tech News.
Dr Becker conducted extensive research into the healing properties of silver for many years at the Upstate Medical Center, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York. The experiments concluded that silver works on a wide range of bacteria, without any known side effects or damage to the cells of the body. Becker discovered that the silver was doing something more than just killing disease causing organisms: He said it was also causing major growth stimulation of injured tissues. Dr. Becker concluded that the presence of the silver ions may help to regenerate tissue, eliminate old or cancerous cells, and other diseased or abnormal tissue conditions.

Dr. Henry Crooks (author, Use of Colloids in Health Disease) found that silver in the colloidal state is highly germicidal, quite harmless to humans and absolutely non-toxic. From his bacteriological experiments with silver he concluded, “I know of no microbe that is not killed in laboratory experiments in six minutes.”

Dr. Bjorn Nordenstrom, of the Larolinska Institute, Sweden, has successfully used silver as a component in his cancer treatments for many years. Dr. Leonard Keene Hirschberg, A. M., M. D. (John Hopkins) states, “Speaking generally, the colloidal metals are especially remarkable for their beneficial action in infective states.” Dr. Richard L. Davies, executive director of the Silver Institute, which monitors silver technology in 37 countries, reports: “In four years we’ve described 87 important new medical uses for silver. We’re just beginning to see to what extent silver can relieve suffering.”

What is the FDA’s standpoint on colloidal silver?
Since colloidal silver was in common use as an antibiotic prior to 1938 when the FDA was created, its use was grandfathered-in and not subject to FDA approval. Many promoters of colloidal silver had ballyhooed a 1991 letter authored by the FDA which they said (at the time) that they would not attempt to control colloidal silver as long as its uses were confined to pre 1938 published protocols. However, the growing popularity of colloidal since 1991, has created pressure from threatened pharmaceutical interests to get the FDA to regulate the availability of colloidal silver.[Update: Feb 2001 the FDA now claims jurisdiction over the sale of colloidal silver and will not allow any “medical claims” be made in association with the sale of colloidal silver.]

As a result, today the FDA is attempting to subvert the grandfather clause and is seeking to gain approval status over the use and production of colloidal silver on the outrageous premise that since colloidal silver has proven to be such an effective broad spectrum germ fighter in its ability to cure new strains of bacteria (not in existence in 1938), that its use should be subject to their jurisdiction! It’s clear to anyone who examines the subject, that the FDA is a champion for the pharmaceutical industry and on their behalf attempts to suppress the use of cheap, non-patentable, natural, alternative therapies at every opportunity. Silver, after all, is merely a metal. It’s a harmless element of Nature.