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Health

What is Colloidal Water?

By M. Haskins
Updated Feb 06, 2024
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Colloidal water refers to water used to produce a colloid, a term that describes a state when microscopic or sub-microscopic particles of one substance are evenly dispersed and suspended in another substance. When it comes to colloidal water, the water is the colloidal base and various other materials can make up the dispersed particles that stay suspended and dispersed in the water. In alternative medicine, a commonly used substance to suspend in colloidal water is silver, making what is called colloidal silver that is used for a wide range of remedies. Colloidal water can also be used as a base for other dispersed particles, for example zinc and gold, and these colloids are also available as alternative health remedies.

Silver has been used for medical purposes for centuries. It has proven antibacterial and antiseptic properties, and is used in regular medical treatments of external infections, for example in wound dressings, and is also used in certain medical appliances such as catheters and breathing tubes. Until the introduction of antibiotics in the 1940s, colloidal silver was used by doctors as a treatment for various bacterial and viral infections, but it has fallen out of use since then.

Colloidal water with silver ions has been used as a water disinfectant on the Russian space station and the international space station. It is also recommended for use in water filters by the World Health Organization. Alternative health practitioners claim that colloidal water with silver ions is a natural antibiotic that can be used to treat many different bacterial, fungal, viral and parasitic medical conditions. They claim it can be gargled to help a sore throat, used as drops to treat earaches and toothaches, and applied to the skin to treat cuts, rashes, acne, eczema, warts, sores, burns and a multitude of other ailments.

Much more controversial are claims that colloidal water with silver can be ingested to kill infections inside the body and cure a wide variety of diseases like HIV/AIDS, cancer and diabetes. Many medical authorities advise against this practice because silver is a heavy metal that can build up in the body's organs. One possible side effect is argyria, a condition where silver accumulates in the body and causes skin discoloration. There are no clinical studies done that prove that ingesting colloidal water with silver is beneficial for humans, and there is no scientific evidence for the effectiveness or safety of this practice.

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Discussion Comments

By SZapper — On Aug 05, 2011

@starrynight - I think it's a little extreme to say colloidal silver should be taken off the market. I've taken it before, and my skin isn't blue.

I was a little disturbed when I heard about argyria a couple of years ago, so I did some research. You have to take a lot of colloidal silver for your skin to turn blue. If you take it occasionally for a bacterial infection or something like that, you should be fine.

You wouldn't take antibiotics every single day. If you did, unpleasant side effects would also occur. Colloidal silver should be used the same way-sparingly, as needed!

By starrynight — On Aug 04, 2011

I actually saw something on TV awhile back about argyria. A naturopathic doctor had recommended this woman take extremely high doses of colloidal silver and it made her skin turn blue-permanently!

I believe now this lady campaigns against the use of colloidal silver, which is still recommended by a lot of herbalists and people who are into natural medicine. I think they should just take that stuff off the market personally or at least put some serious labeling on it!

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