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Moderate riskCirculating cure claim

Colloidal silver

Claimed for: Infections, cancer, immune support

A pre-antibiotic remedy that never quite went away.

01The claim

That ingesting suspended silver particles kills all pathogens including those resistant to antibiotics, and treats cancer, without harming the body.

02Origin

Silver genuinely was used medicinally before antibiotics, which gives the claim its plausible surface. Modern promotion runs through prepper and alternative-health commerce, and it surged during COVID-19 to the point of FTC and FDA warning letters. Alex Jones's Infowars store was among the sellers ordered to stop.

03What's known

Silver is a real antimicrobial and is still used clinically in exactly two ways: impregnated wound dressings and topical silver sulfadiazine for burns. That is topical use on a surface. Swallowed, it does not produce useful antimicrobial concentrations in blood without also accumulating in skin and organs, which is what causes argyria. The NIH states plainly that colloidal silver is not safe or effective for any internal condition. There is no evidence for the cancer claim.

Documented risk

Causes argyria, a permanent irreversible blue-grey discolouration of the skin. Interferes with absorption of some antibiotics and thyroid medication.