Surprising Benefits of Colloidal Silver: Skin Care, Infections, and Immune System Boost

Are you tired of doctors dismissing your symptoms or worse, even making you feel crazy? Even if your blood work comes back normal, it doesn't mean your health is where it should be. Think of your blood like a delivery truck carrying nutrients and hormones, but the real payoff happens when your cells open the package and use what's inside.

If your cells are stuck in what's called cell danger response, triggered by stress, toxins, or infections, they go into protective mode. In this state, cells close off and don't properly take in or utilize the hormones or nutrients they need from the bloodstream.

Now, this makes the blood work often appear normal, so doctors often miss the deeper issue, leaving you feeling tired, gaining weight, experiencing mood swings, and dealing with other symptoms while other cells remain in a state of limbo. Visit beyondbloodwork.com to learn how you can start changing this in as little as 30 days. Hey everyone, welcome to Dr. Josh Axe Show.

I'm your host, Dr. Axe. And each and every week on this show, we dive deep into the science and principles behind how to grow in body, mind, spirit, and take your health and your life to the next level.

On today's episode, we'll dive into the world of colloidal silver, particularly its natural antimicrobial and antiviral properties, and how to treat infections.

And I'll be going through everything from the dosages to the specific conditions it should treat and the dangers that you should be aware of, of colloidal silver. There's really not many, but I won't go into those on today's episode.

Also, before I dive into the content, make sure to subscribe to the podcast and sign up for my weekly newsletter at the link store in the show notes. By the way, it's crazy, a lot of people are not subscribed.

However, there are thousands and thousands that are, but if you're not, you're missing out on some incredible content. We've got some amazing people coming up— Dr. Marty Makary, Jordan Rubin, Jillian Michaels. We are talking about all things health and wellness and in your body, mind, spirit.

So if you want to grow spiritually, if you want to grow mentally, if you want to heal physically and support longevity, this show is going to help you do that. So thank you, all of you who are on mission with me that are subscribed to the podcast. We are all experiencing breakthroughs in our health, body, mind, and spirit together.

Okay, so what is colloidal silver?

Well, it is a suspension of tiny silver particles in a liquid base. Now here's something that surprises some people. Silver has been used historically as an antimicrobial agent and antibiotic long before modern antibiotics were ever invented.

Throughout history, silver has been utilized in water purification, wound care, bone prosthesis, reconstruction of orthopedic surgery, cardiac devices, catheters, and surgical appliances because It has antimicrobial properties, and today it's often used as a dietary supplement, mostly to help bolster the immune system and specifically fight off bacterial and viral infections.

And the great thing about silver ions is they can penetrate your cells or the cells of microbes, causing damage that leads to cell death of bad bacteria and viruses. And there was a 2018 medical study that was in the Journal of Antibiotics, and it explains that silver works against bacteria by disrupting their energy production and their metabolic processes and interfering with their DNA.

So it actually gets to the root, starts to destroy the DNA of pathogenic bacteria, and it can deactivate the enzymes that viruses and bacteria need to survive. Which is why colloidal silver is often touted for its antiviral and antibacterial properties. And research has demonstrated that colloidal silver can even fight dangerous bacteria that are resistant to common antibiotics.

We're seeing this today where there are more and more antibiotic-resistant bacteria because of the overuse of antibiotics today, and that's causing a major issue. In fact, you probably know this, but around 50% of people that go in with a common cold are prescribed an antibiotic. Yeah, only 1% of those, it's actually 0.5% to 2% of people actually have a viral infection.

So these antibiotics are just simply killing off good bacteria, weakening your immune system. They're not actually fighting the virus. And that's a problem because again, we're now having more of these antibiotic-resistant strains.

However, the good news is, Colloidal silver has been tested and it's been shown to be effective against many of these drug-resistant bacteria such as E. coli, Salmonella, and Staphylococcus. We know staph is one of those that it's a really big issue in things like MRSA.

Colloidal silver was found to be effective at inhibiting these bacteria even at very low concentrations, as it was particularly effective against these gram-negative bacteria, which are many of the bacteria I just mentioned. And it also increased the production of a very specific type type of reactive oxygen species, which is a type of molecule that can kill bacteria.

And this suggests that colloidal silver could be a valuable alternative for treating infections. And another medical study— this was published in the Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medicine— found this: that ionic colloidal silver works as a broad-spectrum antibiotic agent, or antimicrobial agent, against both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria.

And What's amazing about colloidal silver is it's found in nature. A lot of us don't think about this, but if you were to consume food from your local farmers market today, did you know that if it's good, clean, healthy soil, you're getting silver? Now, silver is not as commonly talked about as other minerals such as iron or zinc or copper.

However, silver is a natural trace mineral found in our soil, and just like the other minerals I mentioned, like iron and copper, which are essential nutrients needed for health, silver is in. Ingested in minuscule amounts when we consume plants grown in silver-rich soils, or when we ingest trace amounts of dirt.

And consuming tiny amounts of dirt is less common these days due to the over-sanitation of our environments and not eating as much local food. But this means most of us are lacking the silver in our diets compared to our ancient ancestors. And think about this, throughout history, most people consumed food locally.

They'd essentially rinse off most of the dirt, but some of it would remain and they would eat that food. And that was 100% of their diet. Almost every meal they got a little bit of that. Well, today most people will go an entire year and have none of that unless you do. Let me ask you this.

Do you have a garden in your backyard or do you eat every day from, you know, a local farmer where you're getting your food like at your local farmer's market? Is that every meal you consume?

No.

So most people are consuming well over 90% less silver and other trace minerals via their diet than people were a couple hundred years ago. And new studies suggest as well that combining silver with other trace minerals or these other powerful minerals that we tend to know we need in our diet, like copper, has additional benefits.

In fact, this study found the benefits of combining silver with copper oxide these nanoparticles provide even greater protection against certain conditions, especially against infections.

So if you're a person that struggled with Lyme disease or a bacterial infection or a viral infection or a parasitic infection, together copper and silver have been shown to provide antibacterial effects of up to 6 times stronger than when one is used alone especially against antibiotic-resistant strains like E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus.

And so, and I'm a big believer in this, and I want you to really pay close attention because this is very important. Nutrients are not meant to act in isolation, okay? A prime example of this is now we're seeing research around vitamin D. In order to properly absorb it, you need fat, you need magnesium, you need vitamin K. Right?

In order to absorb calcium, you need magnesium, you need vitamin D, you need boron, you need a number of other, you know, phosphorus and other minerals and vitamins. And so these nutrients do not function in isolation. And so most of the time when you are taking like an isolated vitamin C supplement, it's not that it's bad, it's just that it's not as effective.

There's synergy with minerals and vitamins and antioxidants working collectively to help you heal and build your health. And this is why eating an actual whole apple or blueberry is always going to be better than doing some sort of like— here's an example, just taking an isolated resveratrol supplement. You're better off just eating blueberries most of the time. Okay?

Now, if resveratrol is connected to, you know, 20 other compounds that are found in a common food, well, it's probably going to be much more effective, as we're seeing in this study. And this just goes to a bigger picture issue, is that it's not only that we're deficient in silver today, we're mineral deficient. We're deficient, most people, in copper and zinc, of course, in a big way.

Iron worldwide is one of the greatest deficiencies in the world. Iron and vitamin A are probably 2 of the top 5. And so we do see a lot of these minerals, and of course vitamins as well, where we are severely deficient. But if you want to get the best benefits, oftentimes you want to get these in food form or in combination with other minerals.

So for instance, if you go out and buy vitamin D, you definitely want to see vitamin K on the label and ideally magnesium as well. Those 3 work together to help heal the body. If you're going to take zinc, it's best if copper is with it.

If you're going to take silver— now you can take silver by itself, and if you want to just get extra copper, well then eat red meat or take a liver or glandular organ supplement with it. That's also going to get you a lot of those other minerals.

And that's why I prefer, for most people, if they're going to take a, a B vitamin, getting a liver or organ supplement has loads of B vitamins all together in their correct doses with other minerals. And so oftentimes it's more effective. Now, back to the topic here of silver. You know, think about it like this: silver and copper together are working like a wolf pack, okay?

They are going after their prey together— these viruses, these bacteria, to kill, and they're teaming up on them. And sometimes, you know, the silver ion alone can't win if there's too much for it. But the copper and silver together— again, think about that— 6 times more powerful and effective when silver and copper ions are taken together.

Now I want to mention some of the specific conditions that colloidal silver in the medical research has been shown to be the most effective at treating. Specifically bacteria, funguses, viruses, and parasites, and it's used to help prevent or also manage infections. Now, the most common reason I prescribe it today or use it myself is via infections such as the common cold, flu, or sinus infection.

So it tends to be viral infections, which is where I use colloidal silver the most. Now, in addition, I also really like it for skin conditions, cuts, wounds, burns, fungal infections, eczema. Silver is also great.

You know, one of the, one of the things that I've done for skin issues is I've mixed Manuka honey and colloidal silver, and it is very, very effective at any sort of open wound or cut or burn. So again, silver mixed with Manuka honey, rubbing that on eczema as well, dermatitis. It's a really, really great treatment for adults and for children.

Mixing that colloidal silver with the honey or just doing silver by itself. Eye infections— it's sometimes used as drops for conditions like conjunctivitis. Our daughter had conjunctivitis last year, and so we did colloidal silver in her eye. We actually bought a spray, and we also did the drops.

You know, one thing I want to mention here is, you know, colloidal silver is oftentimes considered by those looking for alternative medicine treatments. I do want to say Did you know that this word alternative medicine was made up by the American Medical Association to try and discredit natural ways of healing? I mean, think about it.

Up until 150 years ago, all medicine was natural medicine for the most part. Now, outside of— now, conventional medicine was using leeches and other barbaric, you know, bloodletting. I mean, those are some things that they would do a long time ago.

Uh, you know, when you look at natural medicine, if you'd go into a pharmacy, which the other word for that is apothecary, 150 years ago, you're going to find things like silver, organ meats, mushrooms, and predominantly herbs and spices, maybe even essential oils. That's what you're going to find in a medicine cabinet. Now today it's full of pharmaceuticals that have major side effects.

I just wanted to point that out, is colloidal silver is oftentimes seen as being non-mainstream, an alternative. But it's got a far greater history and a really strong— and a stronger efficacy than conventional medications in terms of its effectiveness without the side effects.

And again, the great news about colloidal silver is you're not going to have the drug-resistant issues, the allergies, the side effects of conventional medications like antibiotics. We know antibiotics greatly weaken the immune system, increase your risk of cancer, Increase your risk of things like C. diff, inflammatory bowel disease, and a number of other medical issues.

And so colloidal silver is a great natural alternative. It's one that I use regularly.

Hey everyone, Dr. Josh Axe here. Listen, if you're struggling with restless nights and daily stress, I have a revolutionary solution for you. I'm talking about the SolTech System, which has been expertly designed to transform the way you sleep and manage stress.

Developed by experts in sleep technology, SolTech system syncs with your nervous system rhythms, enhancing deep sleep and helping you wake up refreshed and recharged. Deep, or delta sleep, is our most important stage of sleep. Unfortunately, delta sleep declines sharply as we age, impacting physical performance, recovery, and healing, which in turn leads to an increased incidence of disease.

Not good. Using advanced frequency technology, improving delta sleep can now be restored with the Soltec system. And when it comes to stress, the Soltec system helps you relax and maintain focus throughout the day. Say goodbye to sleepless nights and hello to stress-free living with Soltec Health. Discover how better sleep and less stress can lead to better days.

Visit www.soltechhealth.com to learn more and save $100 off your purchase using the code AXE. That's AXE for $100 off your purchase. Experience the difference for yourself with a 60-day risk-free trial. Soltec Health— rest, recover, and rejuvenate. Now, there are several ways to use colloidal silver: topically and orally.

Now, topically, it's applied to the skin for, as I mentioned, infections, burns, and wounds to aid in healing and reduce the risk of infection. And you can buy it as a gel Which is something that I'll do to put it directly on a burn. And oftentimes, again, I like doing it with a little bit of Manuka honey, use the silver gel, and then cover the area.

Or you can leave it in the open, but if you're going to sleep or something like that, cover it and then take it off after that. But it is really, really good for long-term healing, preventing issues such as scarring. Even for acne, if you have a wound on your face or you get a cut, or let's say somebody has cystic acne, using silver and Manuka honey together on there is really powerful.

Orally, it can be ingested to support the immune system, and some proponents suggest it to help fight colds, flu, and other infections, as I personally have recommended to people for about 20 years now. One of the most common questions I get is, what is the dosage of colloidal silver that I should be doing? And also, I do want to mention it varies depending upon product that you're buying.

But when it comes to colloidal silver dosages, the recommendations are often provided in terms of what are called PPM, that stands for parts per million, which indicates the concentration of silver particles in the liquid. But here are the most common recommendations by healthcare professionals, including myself.

Adults should take a concentration of 10 to 30 parts per million, and that's going to be 1 teaspoon daily. So 5 milliliters daily is the daily dosage. Now, if you are sick and not feeling well, some physicians recommend up to 4 to 7 teaspoons daily as the maximum dosage for a short period of time. For children 12 years and older, it's 10 to 30 ppm, a half a teaspoon, 1 to 3 times daily.

And for children under 12 years old, it's 10 to 30 ppm, a fourth a teaspoon, once to twice daily are the recommendations according to medical professionals. And so the reality is that, uh, silver— I do want to mention tends to be very safe, very effective for, uh, for, for most everybody.

Now, I do want to mention there are some risks that people have concerns about, and I do want to address the biggest one, and it's called argyria. And it's a condition where silver accumulates in the body and skin, turning the— your skin a blue-gray color, which in some cases or many cases can be permanent.

Now, let me say, there have only been a few, and I'm talking about Like a couple times where this has ever happened. And the people that were doing this were drinking bottles and bottles and bottles of colloidal silver long-term. I mean, very, very high doses.

And so, if you're not— the only way that this is going to happen to you is if you're drinking, you're filling up your Stanley Cup and drinking that every day for a month. I mean, that's how this happened to the person or a couple people. That this happened to throughout history. And so just know that it's extremely rare. But again, here's the reality, it is a form of natural medicine.

And so you do want to be cautious, you do want to be wise. Again, for adults, a teaspoon, you know, between 1 and typically, you know, up to 7 times. But I would say most cases, 1 to 3 times daily. For kids, a half a teaspoon over 12. For kids below 12, a fourth of a teaspoon. Can go a long way at helping them fight a cold or infection without all the side effects.

And when I have people in my family that are not feeling well, or myself, I tend to use colloidal silver, and I also use other things. So for instance, if I have a cold or flu, I will do a colloidal silver throat spray or the drops internally. And in addition to that, what I'll do is I will tend to do some elderberry, I might do echinacea, I'll probably do vitamin D. I might do some zinc.

I might get in my infrared sauna. So I'm going to do some of those things, and I'll do a lot of chicken soup and maybe ginger herbal tea. So, so it's, it's part of my protocol using colloidal silver when I'm not feeling well. And it's also— I'll use it again if there's a cut or burn. I mix the silver gel with the Manuka honey. Sometimes I add essential oils like lavender to that.

Okay.

To help that area as well. And so it's just part of my natural medicine protocol. And silver is one of the things that I can— you can use that should be part of your natural medicine cabinet.

Again, if you would walk in the Axe household, it's like multiple cabinets, but you're going to see mushrooms, you're going to see vitamins, you're going to see minerals, you're going to see essential oils, you're going to see colloidal silver, you're going to see Manuka honey, you're going to see all of these things, organs, you're going to see, you know, and when I say organs, you're going to see tablets, but you're going to see those in our shelf.

So anytime we're not feeling well, we can grab a hold of that, be prepared ahead of time. And I want to encourage you, go out and get some colloidal silver for when you're not feeling well in the future, or for if you have a child get a cut or scrape. Again, get the gel, get the spray. Listen, there are several good brands out there.

One of the brands I really like is called Silver Biotics, and so that could be a good option for you as well. And again, there are several. If you go to your local health food store, they're going to have a great brand there. But if you want to buy online, Silver Biotics is the one I'm I'm currently using. Really love the brand. And so that's a great option as well.

And I always get questions about, Dr. Axe, what's the brand that you take? Well, right now it's SilverBiox. Again, they got a great gel and a great, uh, you know, liquid that I also like to use there.

So, um, okay, well, remember, anytime you're using colloidal silver, make sure you're safe, make sure you're effective, make sure you're following those recommendations by your healthcare practitioner or something that you feel good about where you know the research behind it or the recommendations.

And I hope this episode has brought you tremendous value.

I want to say thanks so much for tuning in here to the Dr. Josh Axe Show. Remember, each and every week we're diving deep into how to heal and how to transform yourself, body, mind, and spirit.

Make sure to subscribe, like, and share.

You know, uh, we've got some great episodes coming up. We got Jillian Michaels coming up, a close friend of mine. She's been growing like crazy. You know, recently we had Alex Clark on. We got Jordan Rubin coming up. And next year we're going to have just blow your mind with some of the amazing episodes. So make sure to subscribe.

You don't want to miss these absolutely incredible episodes we have coming up, like how to balance your hormones naturally. We'll be getting into things like how to grow your mindset. We'll be getting into how to do things like boost testosterone in men. We'll be going through how to heal the gut.

We'll be going through so much of that, and we'll be going through things like We've talked about this year silver and the healing power of honey, the top longevity foods, and so much more. So thank you to all of you that are subscribed.

Also, thank you to all of you that are sharing this.

I constantly hear people say, I heard about your show through a friend of mine shared a YouTube video or an iTunes or Spotify via text message or shared it on our group chat and said, you've got to listen to this. So I just want to say thank you to all of you who are helping. This show grow.

And by the way, every time you share this, it allows the show to grow, and then I can bring on more high-profile guests, um, like the Dave Ramseys and Carrie Underwood who we had on this year, and the Jillian Michaels and others. And so again, thank you so much for being part of the show. Thank you for being part of the movement, and I'll see you on the next episode.