Choosing the Right Silver

Choosing the
Right Silver

Shopping for a quality colloidal silver product can be confusing. Every brand claims it’s superior because it has “higher ppm” or is more “concentrated.” But what do those terms really mean? And how do you properly evaluate and compare each brand to ensure that your family is getting the safest, most effective product available?

We’d like to clear the confusion with 5 key points to consider when making this decision. Below you’ll learn the correct terminology and how to evaluate each brand. Just remember these five “Ps” and you’ll be a silver expert.

1. Positive Charge

According to the medical literature, positively charged silver ions are the bioactive species of silver and are more bioavailable (or useful). Therefore, you always want to look for a high ratio of positively charged silver – as close as possible to 100%. The scientific community has found that positively charged silver ions create an environment which is unfriendly to unwanted organisms, whereas the neutral silver metal particles have a “negligible effect” (Xiu et al., 2012).

2. Purity

Purity refers to how clean and pure the silver is that is used to make the product. Is it contaminated with other metals, or is silver the only detectable metal in it? Silver is not naturally 100% pure, but it can be refined up to 99.999% pure – Ask for a Certificate of Analysis from the manufacturer. Since in a colloidal preparation the silver is suspended in a water base, you also want to be sure that pharmaceutical-grade purified water, meeting USP standards, is used in the manufacturing process. To be sure of the purity, look for silver manufactured in a GMP Certified facility and bottled in dark amber glass.

3. Particle Size

Here’s one case where smaller is better! The smaller the metal particle, the easier it is for it to be converted from an inactive reservoir of silver metal into positively charged bioactive silver during silver’s normal half-life in the body.* Additionally, the smaller the size of each individual particle of silver that is suspended in the liquid, the better absorbed* and more surface area it has, which are both factors in being more effective.*

Think about it in terms of shaker salt versus chunky rock salt. The tiny grains of shaker salt cover food more evenly and provide consistent flavor. If you put chunky rock salt on your food, some bites would be too salty, and some would have no salt flavor at all. Silver nanoparticles are much smaller than shaker salt and are measured in nanometers. Just to give you a sense of how small a nanometer is, the head of a pin is one million nanometers across! Only the smallest of the neutral silver metal particles (for example, those less than one nanometer) are converted in the body to bioactive positively charged silver. This means silver hydrosol, a mixture of positively charged silver ions and silver nanoclusters, provides the maximal 1-2 punch for immune support.*

4. PPM (Parts Per Million)

Less is more with silver PPM. PPM refers to the mass of a substance per unit volume of water. Technically, one part per million equates to 1 milligram (of a mineral) per one liter of liquid. What is on the label of all silver dietary supplements is the TOTAL silver concentration. Yet the BIO-ACTIVE silver concentration is the part that helps you (yes, the positively charged and smallest particles!). When particles are nanometer sized, it allows for better distribution, even in a low concentration. When a silver product contains the most active species of silver, coupled with the smallest particle size and greatest amount of positively charged silver, then a safe low concentration of 10 to 23 ppm bio-active silver is all that you will ever need. Higher concentrations of total silver can lead to increasing risks for toxicity. So, you want to look for a formula with the maximum bio-activity and thus lower concentration. Remember: Less is more with silver PPM. In fact, prior research has indicated that silver is a substance which can actually be more effective at lower concentrations as compared to high concentrations, because particle size matters. Be cautious about products which claim to have incredibly high concentrations, in the thousands of parts per million.

5. PASS (or Fail)

A high-quality silver product is a combination of ALL the best qualities listed above, not just one or two. Be sure the manufacturer clearly identifies each of the four Ps on the label. If they do, then the product PASSes the test. If the first four Ps aren’t met, PASS on purchasing that product.