Roll Call

“Silver?”Here!colloidal silver

Mineral

Hasn’t appeared in a scanned product yet.

As a supplement

Talk to your doctor or pharmacist.

Roll Call does not check drug interactions or assess personal safety.

A metallic element sometimes sold as tiny particles suspended in liquid (colloidal silver) for oral use.

Why it’s used

Taken by some as a general antimicrobial or immune-support measure.

What the evidence says

We haven’t found a source for this one that you can open and check, so we’re not summarizing the evidence.

Look it up yourself

We would rather point you at the shelf than summarize something you can’t check. These are the same places we search:

  • PubChem — what the substance is, chemically — names, synonyms and structure
  • PubMed — every paper indexed by the US National Library of Medicine that names it
  • NIH Office of Dietary Supplements — the plain-language fact sheets, if this one has been written up

These are starting points, not our findings — we haven’t run them for you. A substance whose name is also an ordinary word (“Heart”, “Alanine”, “Water”) will return papers that are not about the ingredient at all.

Context

No studied dosing protocol exists to describe, because oral silver supplementation is not supported by clinical research as beneficial.

Insufficient dataToo little has been studied to say either way.

Rumors

  1. Colloidal silver makes some antibiotics and thyroid medication (thyroxine) less effective.

    Supports — suggestivehealth and safety evidence

    Measured as an outcome.

    Who’s saying this

    • UVA Health — a university or research body: academic health system providing patient care; part of the University of Virginia
      How we know who this is
      • “UVA Health is an integrated health system with a world-class academic medical center that includes a Level 1 trauma center, a Level IV neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), the first NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in Virginia, and UVA Health Children’s — the #1 pediatric hospital in Virginia.” (their page)
      • “As a health system rooted in academic medicine as part of the University of Virginia, our clinical excellence is integrated with the UVA School of Medicine, UVA School of Nursing and the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library.” (their page)

  2. Colloidal silver is effective against antibiotic-resistant germs such as MRSA.

    Not gradedhealth and safety evidence

    Sources cited — no verdict reached.

    What was measured is not yet noted.

    Who’s saying this

    • NHC.com, LLC — a retailer: sells vitamins and supplements; subsidiary of Renew Wellness Brands LLC
      How we know who this is
      • “NHC.com, LLC is a subsidiary of Renew Wellness Brands LLC.” (their page)

  3. Drinking colloidal silver causes argyria, turning skin, eyes and organs permanently blue-gray.

    Supports — establishedhealth and safety evidence

    Measured as an outcome.

    Who’s saying this

    • UVA Health — a university or research body: academic health system providing patient care; part of the University of Virginia
      How we know who this is
      • “UVA Health is an integrated health system with a world-class academic medical center that includes a Level 1 trauma center, a Level IV neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), the first NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in Virginia, and UVA Health Children’s — the #1 pediatric hospital in Virginia.” (their page)
      • “As a health system rooted in academic medicine as part of the University of Virginia, our clinical excellence is integrated with the UVA School of Medicine, UVA School of Nursing and the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library.” (their page)

  4. Colloidal silver is a natural antibiotic that cures most infections quickly and safely.

    Does not support — establishedhealth and safety evidence

    Measured as an outcome.

    Who’s saying this

  5. Colloidal silver taken as a supplement supports the immune system and protects against harmful microbes.

    Does not support — establishedhealth and safety evidence

    Measured as an outcome.

    Who’s saying this

    • NHC.com, LLC — a retailer: sells vitamins and supplements; subsidiary of Renew Wellness Brands LLC
      How we know who this is
      • “NHC.com, LLC is a subsidiary of Renew Wellness Brands LLC.” (their page)