Journal  of Am erican Sci ence, 3(3), 2007, M a Hongbao, Horng Dengnan, C herng Shen, C olloidal Silver 
 
Colloidal Silver 
 
Ma Hongbao *, Horng Deng-Nan **, C herng Shen *** 
 
* Brookdal e Hospi tal, New York 11212, USA, mahongbao2007@gm ail.com, 347-789-4323  
 
** Departm ent of Electri cal Engineering, Chinese Military A cadem y, Fengshan, 830 Taiwan, ROC, 
horngdn@y ahoo.com   
 
*** Depart ment of El ectrical Engi neeri ng, C hengshi u Uni versity, Niaosong, Tai wan 833, R epublic of 
China, cherngs@csu.edu.t w, 011886-7731-0606 ext  3423  
 
 
 
Abstract: Colloidal silver is pure, m etallic silver (not a chem ical com pound) of particles 15 atom s or 
fewer, each with a positive electric char ge, and attached to a m olecule of  simple protein. There are three 
types of silver that are lab eled and sold on the market: (1 ) colloidal silv er (io nic silv er); (2 ) silv er protein; 
(3) true colloidal silv er. Co lloidal silv er can  be a drug in the clin ical treatm ent for many functions, but it is 
debat ed if Colloidal silver has t oxic or not . [The Journal  of American Science. 2007; 3(3): 74-77] . (ISSN:  
1545-1003). Keyw ords: colloid; medicine; nano; silver 
 
Introduction  
Silver (Ag) i s the num ber 47 at omic element, with an at omic weight of 108. It is one of t he heavy  
metals, along wi th lead, m ercury , cadm ium, and gol d. But unlike other heavy  metals silver is non-t oxic to 
animals, and i t has a l ong hi story as a m edicine dug (over 6000 y ears). Norm ally to say, silver is non-t oxic, 
and i t can be an ant ibiotic under t he suitable dosage (Al t, et al, 2004). All the living things are n aturally co lloidal. Acco rding to Thomas Grah am’ definition, colloidal had 
the following charact erizations: Subst ances t hat diffused t hrough wat er at very low rate in comparison with 
crystalline substances such as sodium  chloride, and the am orphous bodies were designated as colloids. The 
crystallin e substances were easily d iffused and were d esignated as crystallo ids. W hen a plant or animal 
consum es water, that water is then structured pri marily into highly organi zed oct agonal  shaped l iquid 
crystals, very few of the water m olecules consum ed remain unorganized. Living things accom plish this by 
using highly charged colloids, which form  the nucle i around which the highly organized crystalline lattice 
form s. The vol ume of l iving bodi es is mostly water, and we are col loids (Ling, 1988). Colloidal silver is a sm all amount of si lver molecules suspended i n water. Colloidal silver can be a natural 
antibiotic and healing agent , on the skin or dri nk that prom otes heal ing or fi ght disease i n the body . Silver 
has been used for t housands of y ears i n alternative healing pract ices and i n East ern m edicine. Colloidal 
silver also has ant i-fungal  and ant i-viral propert ies, and pl ay funct ion on t he immune sy stem. Colloidal silver was in com mon use until 1938. Peopl e use to put silver m oney in m ile and other 
solutions t o keep t hem fresh at  room  temperature. B efore t o 1938, col loidal silver was used as important 
antibiotic. A letter from  the Food and Drug Adm inistration (FDA) st ates: "These product s may cont inue t o 
be marketed . . . as long as they are advert ised and l abeled for t he sam e use as i n 1938 and as l ong as t hey 
are m anufact ured i n the ori ginal manner." (9/ 13/1991). Som e of the manufact uring methods used before 
1938 are still used today (Natural Health  and Longevity Resource Center, 2006). The argyria can be happened fol lowing the use of di etary suppl ements cont aining col loidal silver 
protein. Gul branson et  al observed a pat ient who was using a silver-cont aining product  for col d and al lergy 
prophy laxis. They  reviewed the past and present  medicinal roles of si lver and i nclude a di fferent ial 
diagnosi s for argy ria. The hy perpi gmentation of ar gyria was usual ly perm anent , and i t followed a sun-
exposed distribution. This case report  highlighted the pot ential for t oxicity following the use of di etary 
suppl ements and dem onstrates the importance of physician inquiry regardi ng alternative medicines. Finally, they exam ine the limited rol e of the Food and Drug Adm inistration (FDA) i n regul ating al ternative 
medicines m arketed as di etary suppl ements (Gul branson, 2000). 74
Journal  of Am erican Sci ence, 3(3), 2007, M a Hongbao, Horng Dengnan, C herng Shen, C olloidal Silver 
 
Principle Applica tion 
Colloidal silver is pure, metallic silver (not a chem ical com pound)  of particles 15 atom s or fewer, each 
with a positive electric ch arge, and attach ed to a m olecule of simple protein. Orally, colloidal silver has 
been used to treat ear infections, em physem a, bronch itis, fungal infections, Lym e disease, Rosacea, sinus 
infections, stom ach ulcers, yeast inf ections, chroni c fatigue syndrom e, AIDS, and t ubercul osis, etc. It has 
been used orally for antibacterial, food poisoning, a llergies, appendicitis, arthritis, blood parasites, bubonic 
plague, can cer, ch olera, co litis, cystitis, co njunctivitis, ato pic dermatitis (crad le cap ), diabetes, dysentery, 
eczem a, gastritis, and gonorrhea. It also has been used  to prom ote rapid heali ng and subdue inflam mation, 
to treat gum  diseases, t o improve digestion, and to prevent  flu and col ds. Ot her uses i nclude i mpetigo; hay 
fever; herpes; leprosy; leukem ia; lupus; lymphangitis; malaria; m eningitis; parasitic infections; pneum onia; 
pneum ococci; psoriasis; prostatitis; rhinitis; ringworm ; scarlet fever; and septic conditions of the eyes, ears, 
mouth, and throat. It has been also  used for Salm onella, sep ticem ia, sh ingles, sk in can cer, syp hilis, 
tonsillitis, to xemia, tren ch foot, viruses, warts, an d yeast in fectio ns. Colloidal silv er has been used during 
pregnancy  to aid the baby 's growt h and heal th as well as the m other's delivery and recovery. Topically, 
colloidal silver has been used for acne, burns, ey e infections, fungal  infections, t hroat infections, skin 
infections, and St aphy lococcus i nfections. Colloidal silver near a vi rus, fungus, bact erium or any  other si ngle cel l pathogen di sables its oxygen 
metabolism enzy me. Within a few m in, the pat hogen suffocat es and di es, and i s cleared out  of the body  by 
the im mune, lym phatic and elim ination system s. Norm al pharm aceutical antib iotics possibly destroy 
anim als’ enzym es, but colloid al silver leaves these tissu e-cell enzym es intact, as th ey are radically different 
from the enzymes of primitive sin gle-celled  life. So  that co lloidal silv er is safe for humans, reptiles, plants 
and other multi-celled  living matter. High concentratio ns of silver do not kill disease g erms more effectiv ely th an the safe range of 3 to 5 
parts per million (ppm ). 1 teaspoon of 5 ppm  colloidal silver equals about 25 m icrogram s (mcg) of silver. 1-4 teaspoons per day (25-100 mcg) is generally considered to be a "nut ritional am ount" and is reported to 
be safe t o use for ext ended peri ods of t ime. Am ounts higher t han this are general ly consi dered "therapeut ic 
amounts" and should only be used peri odically. In cases of illness, natura l health practitioners have often 
recom mended taking double or triple the "nutritional amount" for 30 to 45 days, then dropping down to a 
smaller maintenance dose. Am ounts from  1-32 ounces per day  have report edly been used i n acut e 
condi tions. There are three types of silv er that are lab eled and sold on the market: (1 ) colloidal silv er (ionic silver); 
(2) si lver prot ein; (3) true col loidal silver. The t hree types of product s norm ally labeled as “col loidal silver” 
can be categorized as ionic silver solutions, silver protein, and true colloidal silv er. Silver is also wi dely used i n the bioassay s (Koshi , 2005). For exam ple, by  Zagoski na’s st udies, fi tness 
of dot immuno-anal ysis for detection of Brucella antigens l abeled wi th colloid silver was eval uated. Soluble lipopolysaccharides and protei n-saccharide antigen and corpuscular antigens of  22 Brucella strains 
(7 speci es) pat hogeni c for hum ans and ani mals in the S and R  form s were used. The speci ficity of the 
method was t ested on 10 het erologous m icroorgani sms whose antigens were closely related. The suggest ed 
test system  was sim ple, econom ic, highly sensitive (from 62 thousands to 8 m illion CFU/m l) and specific, 
requi res no expensi ve equi pment, and was an al ternative to enzy me immuno-assay  and dot immuno-
analysis with gold immunosol e (Zagoski na, et  al, 2002). In the silver appl ication, the size of si lver is important. As Chairman of Natural-Immunogeni cs Corp. 
Stephen L. Qui nto, emphasi zed at  3rd International Silver Conference (C hangsha, C hina, Oct ober 20t h-
21st, 2004):  “The si lver hy drosol  we have devel oped present s with almost perfect  dispersi on [in electron 
microscopy]. That dispersion dem onstr ates the powerful charge each partic le possesses. Thus isolated, they 
have a m ean di ameter of 0.8 nm  (or 8 Angst roms), al though t hat has been rounded up t o 1 nm  in the 
electron m icroscopy lab at the University of Miam i Medical School where such work was recently done. We won’t  quibble over 2 Angst roms!” (Qui nto, 2004). Research reports on colloidal silver 
Multiresistan t bacteria h ave become an important problem in prosthetic joint infectio ns. Their frequent 
resistance agai nst gent amicin, whi ch is com monly used i n antibiotic-loaded bone cem ents, makes a new 
prophylaxis necessary. In Alt’s st udy, NanoSilver bone cem ent did not show any significant differences 
compared to the non-t oxic control group. If these prom ising in vitro resul ts can be confi rmed in vivo, 
NanoSi lver bone cem ent may be of consi derabl e value in total joint arthroplasty (Alt, et al, 2004). 75
Journal  of Am erican Sci ence, 3(3), 2007, M a Hongbao, Horng Dengnan, C herng Shen, C olloidal Silver 
 
Argy ria is a rare cause of cut aneous di scolourat ion caused by silver deposi tion. In 2003, W hite and t he 
colleagues report ed a case of dram atic and diffuse argyria secondary  to ingest ion of col loidal silver prot ein 
over a 1-y ear peri od. St ained el ectron m icroscopy  with spectral analysis was used to confirm the clin ical 
diagnosi s. Silver-prot ein com plexes are deposi ted in the skin and reduced t o inert silver sal ts by sunl ight in 
a process si milar to that harnessed i n phot ography  (White, et al, 2003). Accordi ng to Gosheger’s report : Infect ion of m egaprostheses has a seri ous com plication in orthopedi c 
tumor surgery . Despi te the use of sy stemic and l ocal antibiotic prophy laxis the report ed infection rat e is 
between 5% and 35%. Si lver-coat ed medical devi ces proved t heir effect iveness i n reduci ng infections. Their studies exam ined in vivo th e antim icrobial efficacy and possibl e side-effects of a silver-coated 
megaprosthesis. In a first study, 30 rabbits (15 titanium  versus 15 silver-coa ted Mutars-endoprostheses) 
were infected with Staphy lococcus aureus. In a second st udy, toxicological side effect s were anal yzed i n 
10 rabbi ts with a si lver-coat ed megaprost hesis. The silver group showed si gnificantly (p<0.05) lower 
infection rates (7% versus 47%) in com parison with the titanium  group. Measurem ents of the C-reactive-
protein (CRP), neutrophilic leukocyt es, rectal tem perature and body we ight showed significant (p<0.05) 
lower si gns of i nflammation in the silver group. The anal ysis of the silver concent ration in blood (median 
1.883 ppb) and i n organs (0.798-86.002 ppb) showed el evated si lver concent rations wi thout pathologic 
changes i n laborat ory param eters and wi thout histological changes of organs. In concl usion, the new si lver-
coated M utars-megaprost hesis resul ted in reduced i nfection rat es wi thout toxicological side effect s, 
suggesting that this prosthesis m ight be a prom ising device in tum or surger y exhibiting antim icrobial 
activity (Gosheger, 2004). Colloidal silv er preparations are m arketed on the internet as om nipotent antimicrobial agent s, but  
scientific support  for t hese cl aims is lacking. In 2004, van Hassel t, et al report ed the resul ts of in vitro tests 
of col loidal silver's antimicrobial activity against several  pathogeni c or non-pat hogeni c microorgani sms. They  took t hree sam ples of col loidal silver: one avai lable com mercially on t he internet (silver 
concent ration of 22 ppm ) and t wo sam ples (concent rations of 403 and 413 ppm ) whi ch were prepared in 
our l aborat ory using st andard chem ical methods. Thei r resul ts showed that in an agar-wel l diffusion assay  
none of the three colloidal silver sol utions had any  effect  on t he growt h of the test organi sms. Al l tested 
bacterial strain s were sen sitive to ciprofloxacin. Colloidal silv er 22 ppm showed no bactericid al activ ity in 
phenol  coeffi cient tests. Thus, t hey concl uded t hat as the tested colloidal silver solutions did not show any 
antimicrobial effect  in vitro on t he microorgani sms, claims of colloidal silv er's antim icrobial potency are 
misleading and there is no place for it as an  antiseptic (van Hasselt, et al, 2004). In 2003, Tobi n and B ambauer publ ished a revi ew. I t he revi ew art icle they descri bed that 
complications resul ting from  infection remained a major probl em for hem odialysis catheters, wi th 
significant num bers of catheters be ing rem oved due to catheter-related sepsis. Num erous strategies had 
been employed to reduce the occurrence of infection and i mprove l ong-t erm outcomes, wi th vary ing 
degrees of success. One prom ising approach was coating the external surface of cathe ters with silver using 
physical vapor deposi tion processes. This article reviewed results of anim al and clinical experim ents 
conducted to assess efficacy a nd biocom patibility of silver-coated dialys is catheters. It is concluded that 
silver coatings can reduce bacterial colonization and occurrence of i nfection associated with these devices 
(Tobi n, 2003). Discussion 
Even t he history of si lver col loid(s) appl ication in medical appl ication has been over 6000 years and 
the m edical effects are clear for the silver colloid(s), when we checking the Index Medline we can see that 
most publicatio ns on the silv er co lloid(s) are th e topics to  show the applicatio n of silver co lloid(s) in  the 
analytic techniques, rather than in the m edical practice. It needs m ore scien tific research es on the silv er 
colloid(s) medicine. Most report s on the clinical silver studies are about  silver coat ing rat her than col loidal 
silver. There are d ebates o n the topics if silv er co lloid(s) is  toxic or not . For t he medical appl ication of si lver 
colloid(s), the toxic needs further e xplores. Silver is a heavy m etal. It needs m ore cell culture studies, 
anim al studies, and also hum an studies, in cluding clinical trials. Atomic absorpt ion, t ransm ission el ectron m icroscopy  (TEM ) and ultraviolet-visible absorpt ion 
spect roscopy  are wi dely used i n the silver det ection (Pergol ese, et  al, 2005). As C hairman of Nat ural-Immunogeni cs Corp. St ephen L. Qui nto, emphasi zed at  the 3rd International 
Silver C onference (C hangsha, C hina, Oct ober 20t h-21s t, 2004):  “There i s an urgent  need for wi der 
 76
Journal of American Science, 3(3), 2007, Ma Hongbao, Horng Dengnan, Cherng Shen, Colloidal Silver 
 
 77research into silver now, for it brings with it a timely lifesaving promise. You see, we have not only 
inherited a daunting quagmire of crises; we are also re sponsible for them. We were taught that Nature had 
only to be conquered! in a belief system that got it ve ry wrong. And actually continues to believe that these 
threats can, and will be, solved th rough an ever-developing technology….. For those who cling to this 
belief, consider the problem of nuclear waste…. An issue that was raised 60 years ago, and is no closer to being solved today then it was then. How long are we going to pursue empty belief? Where is the desire, let alone the will, to protect us  from the increasing danger of expos ure to technology?”  (Quinto, 2004). “China is the fifth largest primary silver producer and one of the largest secondary silver makers in the world”. The 3rd International Silver Conference was held in Changsha of China on October 20th-21st, 
2004 (Quinto, 2004). Correspondence to:  
Cherng Shen  
Department of Electrical Engineering  
Chengshiu University  
Niaosong, Taiwan 833, Republic of China  
Email: cherngs@csu.edu.tw   
Telephone: 011886-7731-0606 ext 3423  
 
Received: August 25, 2007  
 
References 
1. Alt V, Bechert T, Steinrucke P, Wagener M, Seidel P, Di ngeldein E, Scheddin D, Domann E, Schnettler R. Nanoparticulate 
silver. A new antimicrobial substance for bone cement. Orthopade 2004;33(8):885-92. 2. Gosheger G, Hardes J, Ahrens H, Streitburger A, Buerger H, Erren M, Gunsel A, Kemper FH, Winkelmann W, Von Eiff C. 
Silver-coated megaendoprostheses in a rabbit model--an analysis of  the infection rate and toxicol ogical side effects. Biomateri als 
2004;25(24):5547-56. 3. Gulbranson SH, Hud JA, Hansen RC. Argyria following the use of di etary supplements containing colloidal silver protein. Cutis 
2000;66(5):373-4. 4. Koshi R, Coutinho-Silva R, Cascabulho CM, Henrique-Pons A, Knight GE, Loesch A, Burnstock G. Presence of the P2X(7) purinergic receptor on immune cells that invade the rat e ndometrium during oestrus. J Re prod Immunol. 2005; 66(2):127-40. 5. Ling GN. A physical theory of the living state: application to water and solute distributi on. Scanning Microsc 1988;2(2):899-
913. 6. Natural Health and Longevity Resource Ce nter. Colloidal Silver - The Rediscove ry of a Super Antibiotic? http://www.all-
natural.com/silver-1.html . 2006. 7. Pergolese B, Bigotto A, Muniz-Miranda M, Sb rana G. Gold/palladium and silver/palla dium colloids as novel metallic substrates 
for surface-enhanced Raman scattering. Appl Spectrosc. 2005;59(2):194-9. 8. Quinto SL. The Renaissance of Silver in Human Health. Presented to the 3rd International Silver Conference. http://www.natural-immunogeni cs.com/chinatrans.html . Changsha, China, October 20 to 21, 2004. 9. Tobin EJ, Bambauer R. Silver coating of dialysis catheters to  reduce bacterial colonization a nd infection. Ther Apher Dial 
2003;7(6):504-9. 10. van Hasselt P, Gashe BA, Ahmad J. Colloidal  silver as an antimicrobial agent: fact or fiction? J Wound Care. 2004;13(4):154-5. 11. White JM, Powell AM, Brady K, Russell-Jones R. Severe generalized argyria secondary to ingestion of colloidal silver protein. Clin Exp Dermatol. 2003;28(3):254-6. 12. Zagoskina TIu, Kalinovskii AI, Markov EIu, Dokorina AA, Golubi nskii EP. Use of specific anti bodies labelled with colloid 
silver particles for detection of Brucella antigens w ith dot immune analysis. Klin Lab Diagn 2002;(6):38-9.
Chinese_CS_study.txt
Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        Journal  of Am erican Sci ence, 3(3), 2007, M a Hongbao, Horng Dengnan, C herng Shen, C olloidal Silver 
 
Colloidal Silver 
 
Ma Hongbao *, Horng Deng-Nan **, C herng Shen *** 
 
* Brookdal e Hospi tal, New York 11212, USA, mahongbao2007@gm ail. com, 347-789-4323  
 
** Departm ent of Electri cal Engineering, Chinese Military A cadem y, Fengshan, 830 Taiwan, ROC, 
horngdn@y ahoo. com   
 
*** Depart ment of El ectrical Engi neeri ng, C hengshi u Uni versity, Niaosong, Tai wan 833, R epublic of 
China, cherngs@csu. edu. t w, 011886-7731-0606 ext  3423  
 
 
 
Abstract: Colloidal silver is pure, m etallic silver (not a chem ical com pound) of particles 15 atom s or 
fewer, each with a positive electric char ge, and attached to a m olecule of  simple protein. There are three 
types of silver that are lab eled and sold on the market: (1 ) colloidal silv er (io nic silv er); (2 ) silv er protein; 
(3) true colloidal silv er. Co lloidal silv er can  be a drug in the clin ical treatm ent for many functions, but it is 
debat ed if Colloidal silver has t oxic or not. [The Journal  of American Science. 2007; 3(3): 74-77]. (ISSN:  
1545-1003). Keyw ords: colloid; medicine; nano; silver 
 
Introduction  
Silver (Ag) i s the num ber 47 at omic element, with an at omic weight of 108. It is one of t he heavy  
metals, along wi th lead, m ercury, cadm ium, and gol d. But unlike other heavy  metals silver is non-t oxic to 
animals, and i t has a l ong hi story as a m edicine dug (over 6000 y ears). Norm ally to say, silver is non-t oxic, 
and i t can be an ant ibiotic under t he suitable dosage (Al t, et al, 2004). All the living things are n aturally co lloidal. Acco rding to Thomas Grah am’ definition, colloidal had 
the following charact erizations: Subst ances t hat diffused t hrough wat er at very low rate in comparison with 
crystalline substances such as sodium  chloride, and the am orphous bodies were designated as colloids. The 
crystallin e substances were easily d iffused and were d esignated as crystallo ids. W hen a plant or animal 
consum es water, that water is then structured pri marily into highly organi zed oct agonal  shaped l iquid 
crystals, very few of the water m olecules consum ed remain unorganized. Living things accom plish this by 
using highly charged colloids, which form  the nucle i around which the highly organized crystalline lattice 
form s. The vol ume of l iving bodi es is mostly water, and we are col loids (Ling, 1988). Colloidal silver is a sm all amount of si lver molecules suspended i n water. Colloidal silver can be a natural 
antibiotic and healing agent, on the skin or dri nk that prom otes heal ing or fi ght disease i n the body. Silver 
has been used for t housands of y ears i n alternative healing pract ices and i n East ern m edicine. Colloidal 
silver also has ant i-fungal  and ant i-viral propert ies, and pl ay funct ion on t he immune sy stem. Colloidal silver was in com mon use until 1938. Peopl e use to put silver m oney in m ile and other 
solutions t o keep t hem fresh at  room  temperature. B efore t o 1938, col loidal silver was used as important 
antibiotic. A letter from  the Food and Drug Adm inistration (FDA) st ates: "These product s may cont inue t o 
be marketed. as long as they are advert ised and l abeled for t he sam e use as i n 1938 and as l ong as t hey 
are m anufact ured i n the ori ginal manner. " (9/ 13/1991). Som e of the manufact uring methods used before 
1938 are still used today (Natural Health  and Longevity Resource Center, 2006). The argyria can be happened fol lowing the use of di etary suppl ements cont aining col loidal silver 
protein. Gul branson et  al observed a pat ient who was using a silver-cont aining product  for col d and al lergy 
prophy laxis. They  reviewed the past and present  medicinal roles of si lver and i nclude a di fferent ial 
diagnosi s for argy ria. The hy perpi gmentation of ar gyria was usual ly perm anent, and i t followed a sun-
exposed distribution. This case report  highlighted the pot ential for t oxicity following the use of di etary 
suppl ements and dem onstrates the importance of physician inquiry regardi ng alternative medicines. Finally, they exam ine the limited rol e of the Food and Drug Adm inistration (FDA) i n regul ating al ternative 
medicines m arketed as di etary suppl ements (Gul branson, 2000). 74
Journal  of Am erican Sci ence, 3(3), 2007, M a Hongbao, Horng Dengnan, C herng Shen, C olloidal Silver 
 
Principle Applica tion 
Colloidal silver is pure, metallic silver (not a chem ical com pound)  of particles 15 atom s or fewer, each 
with a positive electric ch arge, and attach ed to a m olecule of simple protein. Orally, colloidal silver has 
been used to treat ear infections, em physem a, bronch itis, fungal infections, Lym e disease, Rosacea, sinus 
infections, stom ach ulcers, yeast inf ections, chroni c fatigue syndrom e, AIDS, and t ubercul osis, etc. It has 
been used orally for antibacterial, food poisoning, a llergies, appendicitis, arthritis, blood parasites, bubonic 
plague, can cer, ch olera, co litis, cystitis, co njunctivitis, ato pic dermatitis (crad le cap ), diabetes, dysentery, 
eczem a, gastritis, and gonorrhea. It also has been used  to prom ote rapid heali ng and subdue inflam mation, 
to treat gum  diseases, t o improve digestion, and to prevent  flu and col ds. Ot her uses i nclude i mpetigo; hay 
fever; herpes; leprosy; leukem ia; lupus; lymphangitis; malaria; m eningitis; parasitic infections; pneum onia; 
pneum ococci; psoriasis; prostatitis; rhinitis; ringworm ; scarlet fever; and septic conditions of the eyes, ears, 
mouth, and throat. It has been also  used for Salm onella, sep ticem ia, sh ingles, sk in can cer, syp hilis, 
tonsillitis, to xemia, tren ch foot, viruses, warts, an d yeast in fectio ns. Colloidal silv er has been used during 
pregnancy  to aid the baby's growt h and heal th as well as the m other's delivery and recovery. Topically, 
colloidal silver has been used for acne, burns, ey e infections, fungal  infections, t hroat infections, skin 
infections, and St aphy lococcus i nfections. Colloidal silver near a vi rus, fungus, bact erium or any  other si ngle cel l pathogen di sables its oxygen 
metabolism enzy me. Within a few m in, the pat hogen suffocat es and di es, and i s cleared out  of the body  by 
the im mune, lym phatic and elim ination system s. Norm al pharm aceutical antib iotics possibly destroy 
anim als’ enzym es, but colloid al silver leaves these tissu e-cell enzym es intact, as th ey are radically different 
from the enzymes of primitive sin gle-celled  life. So  that co lloidal silv er is safe for humans, reptiles, plants 
and other multi-celled  living matter. High concentratio ns of silver do not kill disease g erms more effectiv ely th an the safe range of 3 to 5 
parts per million (ppm ). 1 teaspoon of 5 ppm  colloidal silver equals about 25 m icrogram s (mcg) of silver. 1-4 teaspoons per day (25-100 mcg) is generally considered to be a "nut ritional am ount" and is reported to 
be safe t o use for ext ended peri ods of t ime. Am ounts higher t han this are general ly consi dered "therapeut ic 
amounts" and should only be used peri odically. In cases of illness, natura l health practitioners have often 
recom mended taking double or triple the "nutritional amount" for 30 to 45 days, then dropping down to a 
smaller maintenance dose. Am ounts from  1-32 ounces per day  have report edly been used i n acut e 
condi tions. There are three types of silv er that are lab eled and sold on the market: (1 ) colloidal silv er (ionic silver); 
(2) si lver prot ein; (3) true col loidal silver. The t hree types of product s norm ally labeled as “col loidal silver” 
can be categorized as ionic silver solutions, silver protein, and true colloidal silv er. Silver is also wi dely used i n the bioassay s (Koshi, 2005). For exam ple, by  Zagoski na’s st udies, fi tness 
of dot immuno-anal ysis for detection of Brucella antigens l abeled wi th colloid silver was eval uated. Soluble lipopolysaccharides and protei n-saccharide antigen and corpuscular antigens of  22 Brucella strains 
(7 speci es) pat hogeni c for hum ans and ani mals in the S and R  form s were used. The speci ficity of the 
method was t ested on 10 het erologous m icroorgani sms whose antigens were closely related. The suggest ed 
test system  was sim ple, econom ic, highly sensitive (from 62 thousands to 8 m illion CFU/m l) and specific, 
requi res no expensi ve equi pment, and was an al ternative to enzy me immuno-assay  and dot immuno-
analysis with gold immunosol e (Zagoski na, et  al, 2002). In the silver appl ication, the size of si lver is important. As Chairman of Natural-Immunogeni cs Corp. Stephen L. Qui nto, emphasi zed at  3rd International Silver Conference (C hangsha, C hina, Oct ober 20t h-
21st, 2004):  “The si lver hy drosol  we have devel oped present s with almost perfect  dispersi on [in electron 
microscopy]. That dispersion dem onstr ates the powerful charge each partic le possesses. Thus isolated, they 
have a m ean di ameter of 0. 8 nm  (or 8 Angst roms), al though t hat has been rounded up t o 1 nm  in the 
electron m icroscopy lab at the University of Miam i Medical School where such work was recently done. We won’t  quibble over 2 Angst roms. ” (Qui nto, 2004). Research reports on colloidal silver 
Multiresistan t bacteria h ave become an important problem in prosthetic joint infectio ns. Their frequent 
resistance agai nst gent amicin, whi ch is com monly used i n antibiotic-loaded bone cem ents, makes a new 
prophylaxis necessary. In Alt’s st udy, NanoSilver bone cem ent did not show any significant differences 
compared to the non-t oxic control group. If these prom ising in vitro resul ts can be confi rmed in vivo, 
NanoSi lver bone cem ent may be of consi derabl e value in total joint arthroplasty (Alt, et al, 2004). 75
Journal  of Am erican Sci ence, 3(3), 2007, M a Hongbao, Horng Dengnan, C herng Shen, C olloidal Silver 
 
Argy ria is a rare cause of cut aneous di scolourat ion caused by silver deposi tion. In 2003, W hite and t he 
colleagues report ed a case of dram atic and diffuse argyria secondary  to ingest ion of col loidal silver prot ein 
over a 1-y ear peri od. St ained el ectron m icroscopy  with spectral analysis was used to confirm the clin ical 
diagnosi s. Silver-prot ein com plexes are deposi ted in the skin and reduced t o inert silver sal ts by sunl ight in 
a process si milar to that harnessed i n phot ography  (White, et al, 2003). Accordi ng to Gosheger’s report : Infect ion of m egaprostheses has a seri ous com plication in orthopedi c 
tumor surgery. Despi te the use of sy stemic and l ocal antibiotic prophy laxis the report ed infection rat e is 
between 5% and 35%. Si lver-coat ed medical devi ces proved t heir effect iveness i n reduci ng infections. Their studies exam ined in vivo th e antim icrobial efficacy and possibl e side-effects of a silver-coated 
megaprosthesis. In a first study, 30 rabbits (15 titanium  versus 15 silver-coa ted Mutars-endoprostheses) 
were infected with Staphy lococcus aureus. In a second st udy, toxicological side effect s were anal yzed i n 
10 rabbi ts with a si lver-coat ed megaprost hesis. The silver group showed si gnificantly (p<0. 05) lower 
infection rates (7% versus 47%) in com parison with the titanium  group. Measurem ents of the C-reactive-
protein (CRP), neutrophilic leukocyt es, rectal tem perature and body we ight showed significant (p<0. 05) 
lower si gns of i nflammation in the silver group. The anal ysis of the silver concent ration in blood (median 
1. 883 ppb) and i n organs (0. 798-86. 002 ppb) showed el evated si lver concent rations wi thout pathologic 
changes i n laborat ory param eters and wi thout histological changes of organs. In concl usion, the new si lver-
coated M utars-megaprost hesis resul ted in reduced i nfection rat es wi thout toxicological side effect s, 
suggesting that this prosthesis m ight be a prom ising device in tum or surger y exhibiting antim icrobial 
activity (Gosheger, 2004). Colloidal silv er preparations are m arketed on the internet as om nipotent antimicrobial agent s, but  
scientific support  for t hese cl aims is lacking. In 2004, van Hassel t, et al report ed the resul ts of in vitro tests 
of col loidal silver's antimicrobial activity against several  pathogeni c or non-pat hogeni c microorgani sms. They  took t hree sam ples of col loidal silver: one avai lable com mercially on t he internet (silver 
concent ration of 22 ppm ) and t wo sam ples (concent rations of 403 and 413 ppm ) whi ch were prepared in 
our l aborat ory using st andard chem ical methods. Thei r resul ts showed that in an agar-wel l diffusion assay  
none of the three colloidal silver sol utions had any  effect  on t he growt h of the test organi sms. Al l tested 
bacterial strain s were sen sitive to ciprofloxacin. Colloidal silv er 22 ppm showed no bactericid al activ ity in 
phenol  coeffi cient tests. Thus, t hey concl uded t hat as the tested colloidal silver solutions did not show any 
antimicrobial effect  in vitro on t he microorgani sms, claims of colloidal silv er's antim icrobial potency are 
misleading and there is no place for it as an  antiseptic (van Hasselt, et al, 2004). In 2003, Tobi n and B ambauer publ ished a revi ew. I t he revi ew art icle they descri bed that 
complications resul ting from  infection remained a major probl em for hem odialysis catheters, wi th 
significant num bers of catheters be ing rem oved due to catheter-related sepsis. Num erous strategies had 
been employed to reduce the occurrence of infection and i mprove l ong-t erm outcomes, wi th vary ing 
degrees of success. One prom ising approach was coating the external surface of cathe ters with silver using 
physical vapor deposi tion processes. This article reviewed results of anim al and clinical experim ents 
conducted to assess efficacy a nd biocom patibility of silver-coated dialys is catheters. It is concluded that 
silver coatings can reduce bacterial colonization and occurrence of i nfection associated with these devices 
(Tobi n, 2003). Discussion 
Even t he history of si lver col loid(s) appl ication in medical appl ication has been over 6000 years and 
the m edical effects are clear for the silver colloid(s), when we checking the Index Medline we can see that 
most publicatio ns on the silv er co lloid(s) are th e topics to  show the applicatio n of silver co lloid(s) in  the 
analytic techniques, rather than in the m edical practice. It needs m ore scien tific research es on the silv er 
colloid(s) medicine. Most report s on the clinical silver studies are about  silver coat ing rat her than col loidal 
silver. There are d ebates o n the topics if silv er co lloid(s) is  toxic or not. For t he medical appl ication of si lver 
colloid(s), the toxic needs further e xplores. Silver is a heavy m etal. It needs m ore cell culture studies, 
anim al studies, and also hum an studies, in cluding clinical trials. Atomic absorpt ion, t ransm ission el ectron m icroscopy  (TEM ) and ultraviolet-visible absorpt ion 
spect roscopy  are wi dely used i n the silver det ection (Pergol ese, et  al, 2005). As C hairman of Nat ural-Immunogeni cs Corp. St ephen L. Qui nto, emphasi zed at  the 3rd International 
Silver C onference (C hangsha, C hina, Oct ober 20t h-21s t, 2004):  “There i s an urgent  need for wi der 
 76
Journal of American Science, 3(3), 2007, Ma Hongbao, Horng Dengnan, Cherng Shen, Colloidal Silver 
 
 77research into silver now, for it brings with it a timely lifesaving promise. You see, we have not only 
inherited a daunting quagmire of crises; we are also re sponsible for them. We were taught that Nature had 
only to be conquered. in a belief system that got it ve ry wrong. And actually continues to believe that these 
threats can, and will be, solved th rough an ever-developing technology…. For those who cling to this 
belief, consider the problem of nuclear waste…. An issue that was raised 60 years ago, and is no closer to being solved today then it was then. How long are we going to pursue empty belief. Where is the desire, let alone the will, to protect us  from the increasing danger of expos ure to technology. ”  (Quinto, 2004). “China is the fifth largest primary silver producer and one of the largest secondary silver makers in the world”. The 3rd International Silver Conference was held in Changsha of China on October 20th-21st, 
2004 (Quinto, 2004). Correspondence to:  
Cherng Shen  
Department of Electrical Engineering  
Chengshiu University  
Niaosong, Taiwan 833, Republic of China  
Email: cherngs@csu.
It is not mentioned in the passage that Thomas Graham defined colloidal silver. The passage does not provide any information about the definition of colloidal silver by a specific person.
What is colloidal silver, according to the definition by Thomas Graham?
Colloidal silver (ionic silver), silver protein, and true colloidal silver.
What are the three types of silver products labeled and sold on the market?
The passage does not explicitly state the main concern regarding the use of colloidal silver. However, it does mention that there are debates on whether colloidal silver is toxic or not.
What is the main concern regarding the use of colloidal silver?
The passage does not provide specific information on the recommended dosage of colloidal silver. However, it mentions that 1-4 teaspoons per day (25-100 mcg) is generally considered safe for extended periods of time, and that some natural health practitioners recommend taking double or triple the nutritional amount for 30-45 days, then reducing the dose.
What is the recommended dosage of colloidal silver?
The passage does not provide information on the purpose of the study by Zagoskina et al.
What is the purpose of the study by Zagoskina et al. (2002)?