Known throughout the world for its high anti-bacterial properties, silver has been used in almost all cultures for healing, restorative or preservative purposes. As antibiotics are an invention of our modern times, ancient civilizations turned to the rich variety of plants and minerals with therapeutic effects. There are facts about silver that prove its medical uses in traditional medicine throughout the centuries; we find such information in written medical records or oral traditions in the case of local cultures. Both interesting and advanced knowledge of the therapeutic effects of silver appear in Greek, Roman and even Egyptian traditions.
The Greek philosopher and historian, Herodotus, mentions silver as being used long before the birth of Jesus Christ. Furthermore, only silver containers were used to keep water and food fresh, due to the preservative properties of the metal. Let’s not forget that even holy water in the various Christian rites has always been stored in silver vessels, since no bacteria can resist to the high vibration of the metal cells. In fact, the chemical explanation of the anti-bacterial properties lies in the formation of silver positive ions that purify anything they come into contact with.
Due to scientific studies, we now know that the wealthy that used silver cutlery and vessels to store their food were better protected against plagues particularly during the Middle Ages. Used all around the globe, silver appears mentioned in Egyptian writings and in Chinese royal customs as well. Moreover, for at least a millennium and a half, colloidal silver has been used in traditional medical facilities to prevent open wounds from getting infected. This powerful bactericide has made quite a history to this day when it is included in a variety of homeopathic products meant to improve serious health conditions.
Medicine started taking a revived interest in the therapeutic effects of silver at the beginning of the 19th century when several cures were created on its basis. Surgeons even started using silver sutures to protect operations from bacterial infections. Topical, injectable or oral forms of silver started to diversify on the market as the anti-germ properties of the mineral appeared even more obvious during the two world wars. In the 1900s, authoritative journals in the medical world recognized not only the great therapeutic action of colloidal silver but its lack of side effects as well. Presently, colloidal silver is part of hundreds of products specific to homeopathy and alternative medicine.