Many people worldwide, including a number of Earth Clinic posters, have been using (and making) colloidal silver for years.  Colloidal silver is used as a natural remedy for minor skin issues and more severe digestive and cardiovascular problems as well as being a reliable cold and flu treatment. Silver has been long known to be effective against bacteria.

Nano Silver Particles are Much Smaller than Colloidal Silver Particles

Recently, there has been increased interest in nano silver.  Nano silver particles are incredibly small (1 nm or 1 nanometer = 1 billionth of a meter).  To illustrate just how small that is, imagine that if a human hair was a mile wide, a nano silver particle would be an inch wide. Colloidal silver particles are still very small, most being well under 100 nanometers, but the colloidal silver particles are still up to 100 times larger than the nano silver particles.

Why Size Matters…

As many bacteria become increasingly resistant to conventional antibiotics, the benefits of silver are being researched because silver is not a ‘normal’ antibiotic.  Silver in the form of nanoparticles is the most effective because the particles are small enough to pass through the outer cell membranes and disrupt the cell’s functioning.  AIDs researchers are studying how nano silver particles can prevent the HIV virus from binding to host cells.  Another study showed that nano silver was highly toxic to bacteria colonized in the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients. The tiny size of the nano silver particles allows the silver to be ‘delivered’ to where it is needed.

If you've used nano silver, please let us know what you think! We want to know if it's really more effective than colloidal silver. Earth Clinic’s long-time poster, Ted from Bangkok, has been researching the effectiveness of nano silver and sent us a report of his findings, which you will find in our feedback section below.

Additional Links of Interest:

http://www.earthclinic.com/supplements/colloidal_silver.html
http://www.earthclinic.com/remedies/colloidal-silver-blue-man-or-miracle-supplement.html