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Silver is a metallic element which is found naturally in ores and
as a free metal and is also in living organizms. Very small amounts
of silver occur in the diet. The daily dietary intake of silver from
food and water is approximately 300 micrograms. But don't be
mistaken, silver is not an essential nutrient for humans has it been
proven necessary for living organisms to survive.
Silver is
highly toxic to most microbial cells and can be used as an
antimicrobial agent. Silver-containing compounds, such as silver
sulfadiazine, which has broad antimicrobial as well as antifungal
activity, and silver nitrate, are used in medicine as topical
agents. Colloidal silver is a suspension of extremely small silver
particles and was used in medicine until the 1940s as both a topical
and an internal antiseptic. Colloidal silver was also known as
argentum colloidale, argentum credé and
collargolum.
Colloidal silver no longer has a role in
medicine but reappeared in the 1990s as a nutritional supplement.
Neither colloidal silver nor any form of silver has any valid role
in nutrition as a nutritional or dietary supplement. In response to
the growing popularity and unsubstantiated medicinal and nutritive
claims, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a ruling
on August 17, 1999, stating that all over-the-counter products
containing colloidal silver are not recognized as safe nor are they
to be considered effective. According to the ruling issued by the
FDA, a colloidal silver product for any drug use will first have to
be approved by the FDA under drug application
procedures.
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