Silver complex compounds and colloidal silver are believed to have therapeutic and antibacterial activity. Since about the time of the Vikings (800 A. D.), silver has been heralded for its bactericidal activity. In ancient times, for example, there was the belief that disease could not be transmitted by drinking from a silver cup. Today, eating utensils are still referred to their common name”silverware”even though their actual composition is typically stainless steel. In the early part of the 20th century, silver was ground into ultrafine particles and suspended in water for therapeutic uses.
In this form, it is commonly referred to as colloidal silver and it has been used for infections, diseases, and burns. When antibiotics were developed on a commercial basis, around the end of World War II, the use of silver waned.
Colloidal silver is a suspension of monovalent silver particles in a colloidal base, typically water. The silver particles are positively charged and have a minute particle size, approximately 0.001 to 0.006 microns. The smaller the particle size of the silver, the greater the therapeutic effect of colloidal silver is believed to be. To produce colloidal silver, a small generator emits a small D. C. current through an electrolyte with silver electrodes. A voltage of about 30 V is recommended.
Minute molecular sized particles, having a positive electrical charge, are drawn off of the positive electrode. The positive charge of the particles is important to maintain the therapeutic and antibacterial activity of the silver. Numerous ultrafine silver particles, which are positively charged, creates a large force of repulsion among the individual particles and prevents them from agglomerating. However, the electrical charge is unstable and gradually dissipates. The particle size of the silver increases as it loses its positive charge, and produces varying colors. The color of the suspension changes from yellow, to brown, to red, to gray, and finally to black as the particle size grows. Thus, the presence of color indicates that the silver particles are inferior.
Proteins are known to stabilize the silver ionic particles in suspension. The protein increases the viscosity of the colloidal solution and keeps the silver particles in suspension for a longer period of time. However, after time, the silver particles still settle out and the solution must be agitated to redisperse the particles. In addition, the use of stabilizers also has an adverse effect on the beneficial effects of the silver particles themselves. Other alternatives to colloidal silver which have been
proposed to avoid the stability problems associated with the monovalent silver ion are, for example, polyvalent forms of silver. In particular, silver (II, III) disinfectants have been reported as having improved activity compared to monovalent silver, and further, specific silver (II, III) compounds have been reported as being stable against photodegradation unlike monovalent silver.”Silver (II, III) Disinfectants”Soap/Cosmetics/Chemical Specialties, March, 1994, pgs. 52 to 59. The use of silver ion salts are also known to be irritating to the slcin, and mucous membranes. To protect silver from the light, because it is photosensitive, special packaging requirements must be employed such as the use of dark glass bottles.
The purity of the water in which silver ions are suspended is an important factor in making colloidal silver and also contributes to the size of the silver particles produced. High quality distilled water is preferable. However, the use of structured water has not previously been suggested in relation to the suspension of silver ions for use as an antimicrobial. Developments in water technology have led to the development of structured water, commonly referred to as I and S water. It has been postulated that water, itself, may in fact change structure and function once it has been taken into tissues and cells (see, e. g., Stillinger, F. H.,”Water Revisited”, Stillinger, Science, vol. 209: no. 4455, pp. 451-57,1980). Taking this theory into consideration, the use of I and S structured waters in compositions has increased. For example, several oil-in-water emulsions are disclosed in RO 107546, RO 107545, and RO 107544 using structured water. These compositions relate to the use of structured water in specific cosmetic products, for the treatment of oily skin, dry skin, or acne.
Different biological properties have been suggested for the two types of structured water. S water is said to have a stimulatory effect on enzymatic and other biosynthetic processes; whereas, I water is said to be inhibitory of the same processes. Substantial differences are found among the UV. spectra of I, S, tap and deionized waters, particularly in the 200 to 250 nm band. When their reactivities are measured in an electronographic field, I, S and tap waters also show significant differences. In particular, with respect to tap water, the total light flux emitted after electronographic stimulation with a positive impulse, I+, is substantially equivalent to its negative impulse, I-. For structured water, on the other hand, S water stimulated in the same way exhibits a very high light reactivity to a positive impulse, while its reactivity to a negative impulse is almost equivalent to that of distilled water, yielding a positive to negative ratio of greater than 1. Further in contrast, I water samples show a high light reactivity to a negative impulse, with reactivity to a positive impulse approximately equivalent to distilled water, and having a ratio of positive to negative less than 1.