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When one thinks of silver, the mind typically hones in on its use as a metal for jewelry, electronics, appliances and more. Using silver to enhance the immune system or heal cuts, scrapes or burns, may not immediately come to mind. However, the use of colloidal silver for immune health and surface injuries dates back thousands of years—and it continues to be used today.
Colloidal silver, according to health.clevelandclinic.org, is “a solution of tiny silver particles suspended in a liquid base.” The solution, which is used in dietary supplements and other products, has a long history of use for various medical ailments. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Library of Medicine’s National Center for Biotechnology Information, “Silver has been used for at least 6 millennia to prevent microbial infections … [and it] was the most important microbial agent available before the introduction of antibiotics.” Silver was first used in 1891 to sterilize wounds by a surgeon named B.C. Crede, and its use grew in popularity between 1900 and the 1940s before antibiotics supplanted it, NIH states, although it retains some use in medicinal compounds.
It was first introduced to the natural products market in 1999, according to Jason Mullins, brand manager, Natural Immunogenics (Sarasota, FL), the company that manufactures Sovereign Silver colloidal silver products. Presently, “Research suggests that the global colloidal silver market is expected to reach a valuation of U.S. $603.7 million by 2023,” said Mullins, and “[it is] expected to accelerate at a [compound annual growth rate (CAGR)] of 9.4 percent from 2023 to 2033.”
The Benefits of Silver
Audra Dunleavy, MBA, Natural Path Silver Wings (Nashville, TN), explained that “Colloidal silver provides a powerful form of immune support that is safe to take daily in the 50 ppm [(parts per million)] strength with mechanisms that are different and complementary to other herbal immune products.” Additionally, she noted, “recent research has shown that silver does not disrupt the gut microbiome’s diversity of species.”
Mullins stated, “From the well-established antimicrobial properties to the support of normal neurological activity and its use in healing and regeneration as evidenced in silver sulfadiazine crème, which is the standard in burn care, silver has a multitude of benefits.” Silver can also be used to treat other surface injuries, such as cuts, scrapes and wounds.
Despite the benefits that colloidal silver can provide, however, manufacturers have faced some challenges when trying to market it.
Marketing Challenges
According to Dr. Chris Meletis, director of clinical education, Trace Minerals (Ogden, UT),, “There are regulatory concerns regarding making claims on products such as silver. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has examined traditional claims of silver utilization and, at times, modern-day claims for silver utilization that go way too far and can be misleading to consumers,” he said. “As supplement companies, offering quality products that don’t mislead or over-promise results is paramount.”
He continued, “As with virtually all supplement/nutraceutical and, in this case, silver products, it comes down to quality. The potential clinical efficacy of a product does not come from the label and words on a bottle or packaging; instead, it is from ‘active constituents’ within the product purchased.” Emphasizing his point, Meletis referenced a study by NIH, which comparatively analyzed commercial colloidal silver products and concluded that “70 [percent] of the commercial products evaluated contain only ionic silver.
Mullins stated, “In order to comply with the U.S. laws governing claims on dietary supplements, [Natural Immunogenics] provides customers with facts on elemental silver particular to its sovereign antimicrobial activity, as acknowledged by federal agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), FDA and the World Health Organization (WHO), to name a few.”
According to Dunleavy, another challenge was debunking the myth that colloidal silver turns your skin blue. “This is extremely rare and is typically from DIY (do-it-yourself) people making their own ‘moonshine’ silver in their home with no third-party lab validating silver particle size nor formulated in a GMP (good manufacturing practice) certified facility.” Furthermore, another issue the company faced was “the new market entry of weaker 10 ppm ionic silver products that are five to 50 times weaker. Standard atomic colloidal silver is unadulterated the way nature intended. Many lower ppm silver brands want consumers to believe 10 ppm is as strong as 500 ppm, which is simply untrue.” Despite these challenges, consumer demand for colloidal silver products continues to grow.
Consumer Appeal/Demand
Silver is appealing to consumers, according to Dunleavy, because it is a naturally occurring mineral, is a quick and easy-to-take absorbing liquid, is virtually tasteless, offers broad spectrum immune support, and because thousands of studies have been published worldwide supporting silver’s benefits.
“The demand has certainly increased for immune support supplements, especially over the last three years,” Dunleavy explained. “Colloidal silver immune support supplements have also slowly begun reaching a wider and larger general population like never before.” She continued, “Fall through early spring months are typically high seasons for colloidal silver as an immune supplement, but the demand has not tapered off as drastically during late spring and summer months compared to pre-2020 years. From 2020 to present, more consumers are using colloidal silver year-round compared to seasonal usage only.” Silver topicals, however, “are year-round sellers but trend much higher during summer months. The higher demand is from more sun exposure and outdoor activities,” said Dunleavy.
Sovereign Silver, said Mullins, has also experienced growth and increased demand, “which is believed to be due to an increased awareness of the virtues of silver as a dietary supplement and heightened demand for naturopathic remedies with younger demographics.” He added, “Increased research and development investment has helped shed light on the safety and efficacy of silver when manufactured and administered properly.”
Beverly, MA-based Dr. Plotka’s Mouthwatchers has noticed an increase in demand for its silver toothbrushes, which is “largely part of the post-COVID-19 era where people are avid to bring products into their lives that help with reduction of bacterial contamination and reinfection,” explained Violaine Gillot, CEO. The silver toothbrushes are appealing to consumers, she continued, because “it is like using a new toothbrush every time you brush; [there is] no more cross-contamination, reinfection, or reintroduction of bacteria into the body; better oral health for better overall health; and because it is a natural antimicrobial that can be used safely by everyone.”
According to Meletis, “Even before the 2020 pandemic awareness … consumers have looked to have a well-stocked home first aid kit … and with the COVID concerns, this accelerated attempts at proactivity among the well-intentioned to find ways to gain peace of mind and empowerment in the face of what appeared to be worldwide cataclysmic news reports and death.”
Silver Sales at Health Food Stores
Retailer Susanne Engelbert, owner, Eterna Health Food Store located in Mansfield, TX, noted that “colloidal silver is a staple for many of my customers’ supplement cabinets. It is amazing for [immunity], recovery from illness and wounds.” Customers both young and old come to her store for silver products, and “Mothers especially love to have it around for their families.”
Engelbert added, “About 85 percent of my customers know what they are looking for in regard to colloidal silver. The remaining 15 percent have either heard about it and need education, or I educate them when they are looking for help and colloidal silver would be a great purchase.” She tells customers that it is a great natural antiviral, antibiotic, and helpful with infections and wound healing, such as sinusitis, bronchitis, ear infections, pink eye, shingles, warts and more.
“Here at Elk Grove Vitamins (Elk Grove, CA), colloidal silver has always been a ‘tried and true’ supplement,” said Dianna Singh, the store’s owner. “There was definitely a tremendous increase in sales in the last two years, while it still remains steady today.” She added, “It’s not often that you have a product in your cabinet that truly is multi-purpose for the entire family, including your pet! For parents with picky kids, it was a relief having it taste like water.” Information about colloidal silver spread by word of mouth, Singh added. “For many it was something very new … and we love to educate first and sell secondly. Knowing for most it was a wonderful immune product, sharing information on the wide range of healing and wellness properties was surprising to them. As we mostly cater to moms, we did see an increase of men as well—today, I would guess about a 20-30 percent increase in males is still coming in.”
Ramona Billingslea, marketing manager, Betsy’s Health Foods (Spring, TX), had a different take, noting that “With more people interested in immune health, the market for colloidal silver has widened, though more through our suggesting it than through customers coming in and specifically asking for the product.” However, “Looking back over the last 90 days, I see that we have had a substantial increase overall on our colloidal silver products, and that is despite the usual slowdown in immune health products sales as we approach summertime here in Texas.”
Billingslea concluded, “With its ability to help a person on the inside and on the outside, colloidal silver is truly a versatile, safe product for those interested in natural health options.”
Colloidal Silver Products
In response to consumer demand, manufacturers are keeping up with a variety of innovative products.
Natural Path Silver Wings offers its colloidal silver in liquid droppers, spray bottles, nasal sprays and topicals, according to Dunleavy. It is “available in 50 ppm for daily maintenance, 250 ppm for enhanced immune support and 500 ppm for extra strength,” she stated. “Natural Path Silver Wings has launched a new sinus relief nasal spray [that] cleanses the nasal passage, relieves sinus congestion by thinning mucus in the nose and improves air flow for clearer breathing.” The new product is available in 50 ppm.
Sovereign Silver’s “proprietary manufacturing process,” according to Mullins, “creates the smallest silver particle size seen with a Transmission Electron Microscope and verified by third parties. Smaller particle size equates to greater dispersion and easier absorption in the body.” This means, he continued, “we can keep our silver hydrosol at a low, 10 ppm for safety, but maintain the efficacy of higher ppm products.” The company offers colloidal silver products for adults, kids and pets, and offers liquids, first-aid gel and sprays.
Dr. Plotka’s silver antimicrobial toothbrush for oral health, according to Gillot, “eliminates 99 percent of microbes (bacteria, viruses, fungi) within six hours after use; suppresses a bacteria cell’s respiration and metabolism; and cleans the brush from bacteria growth during the day in a humid and warm environment of the bathroom.”
Trace Minerals offers liquid and spray bottles of colloidal silver in 30 ppm, as well as Sea Minerals with Silver, Mineral Mouth Rinse with colloidal silver and hand sanitizer containing colloidal silver. “Interest in education and the application of supplements as a source of augmentation to a health-promoting diet and lifestyle has yielded steady and sustainable growth,” said Meletis. “As I share with my patients, ‘You supplement a healthy diet and lifestyle; thus, this is why they are supplements and not substitutes.’” VR
For More Information:
Dr. Plotka’s Mouthwatchers, www.mouthwatchers.com
Natural Immunogenics, www.naturalimmunogenics.com
Natural Path Silver Wings, www.npswsilver.com
Trace Minerals, www.traceminerals.com
When one thinks of silver, the mind typically hones in on its use as a metal for jewelry, electronics, appliances and more. Using silver to enhance the immune system or heal cuts, scrapes or burns, may not immediately come to mind. However, the use of colloidal silver for immune health and surface injuries dates back thousands of years—and it continues to be used today.
Colloidal silver, according to health.clevelandclinic.org, is “a solution of tiny silver particles suspended in a liquid base.” The solution, which is used in dietary supplements and other products, has a long history of use for various medical ailments. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Library of Medicine’s National Center for Biotechnology Information, “Silver has been used for at least 6 millennia to prevent microbial infections … [and it] was the most important microbial agent available before the introduction of antibiotics.” Silver was first used in 1891 to sterilize wounds by a surgeon named B.C. Crede, and its use grew in popularity between 1900 and the 1940s before antibiotics supplanted it, NIH states, although it retains some use in medicinal compounds.
It was first introduced to the natural products market in 1999, according to Jason Mullins, brand manager, Natural Immunogenics (Sarasota, FL), the company that manufactures Sovereign Silver colloidal silver products. Presently, “Research suggests that the global colloidal silver market is expected to reach a valuation of U.S. $603.7 million by 2023,” said Mullins, and “[it is] expected to accelerate at a [compound annual growth rate (CAGR)] of 9.4 percent from 2023 to 2033.”
The Benefits of Silver
Audra Dunleavy, MBA, Natural Path Silver Wings (Nashville, TN), explained that “Colloidal silver provides a powerful form of immune support that is safe to take daily in the 50 ppm [(parts per million)] strength with mechanisms that are different and complementary to other herbal immune products.” Additionally, she noted, “recent research has shown that silver does not disrupt the gut microbiome’s diversity of species.”
Mullins stated, “From the well-established antimicrobial properties to the support of normal neurological activity and its use in healing and regeneration as evidenced in silver sulfadiazine crème, which is the standard in burn care, silver has a multitude of benefits.” Silver can also be used to treat other surface injuries, such as cuts, scrapes and wounds.
Despite the benefits that colloidal silver can provide, however, manufacturers have faced some challenges when trying to market it.
Marketing Challenges
According to Dr. Chris Meletis, director of clinical education, Trace Minerals (Ogden, UT),, “There are regulatory concerns regarding making claims on products such as silver. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has examined traditional claims of silver utilization and, at times, modern-day claims for silver utilization that go way too far and can be misleading to consumers,” he said. “As supplement companies, offering quality products that don’t mislead or over-promise results is paramount.”
He continued, “As with virtually all supplement/nutraceutical and, in this case, silver products, it comes down to quality. The potential clinical efficacy of a product does not come from the label and words on a bottle or packaging; instead, it is from ‘active constituents’ within the product purchased.” Emphasizing his point, Meletis referenced a study by NIH, which comparatively analyzed commercial colloidal silver products and concluded that “70 [percent] of the commercial products evaluated contain only ionic silver.
Mullins stated, “In order to comply with the U.S. laws governing claims on dietary supplements, [Natural Immunogenics] provides customers with facts on elemental silver particular to its sovereign antimicrobial activity, as acknowledged by federal agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), FDA and the World Health Organization (WHO), to name a few.”
According to Dunleavy, another challenge was debunking the myth that colloidal silver turns your skin blue. “This is extremely rare and is typically from DIY (do-it-yourself) people making their own ‘moonshine’ silver in their home with no third-party lab validating silver particle size nor formulated in a GMP (good manufacturing practice) certified facility.” Furthermore, another issue the company faced was “the new market entry of weaker 10 ppm ionic silver products that are five to 50 times weaker. Standard atomic colloidal silver is unadulterated the way nature intended. Many lower ppm silver brands want consumers to believe 10 ppm is as strong as 500 ppm, which is simply untrue.” Despite these challenges, consumer demand for colloidal silver products continues to grow.
Consumer Appeal/Demand
Silver is appealing to consumers, according to Dunleavy, because it is a naturally occurring mineral, is a quick and easy-to-take absorbing liquid, is virtually tasteless, offers broad spectrum immune support, and because thousands of studies have been published worldwide supporting silver’s benefits.
“The demand has certainly increased for immune support supplements, especially over the last three years,” Dunleavy explained. “Colloidal silver immune support supplements have also slowly begun reaching a wider and larger general population like never before.” She continued, “Fall through early spring months are typically high seasons for colloidal silver as an immune supplement, but the demand has not tapered off as drastically during late spring and summer months compared to pre-2020 years. From 2020 to present, more consumers are using colloidal silver year-round compared to seasonal usage only.” Silver topicals, however, “are year-round sellers but trend much higher during summer months. The higher demand is from more sun exposure and outdoor activities,” said Dunleavy.
Sovereign Silver, said Mullins, has also experienced growth and increased demand, “which is believed to be due to an increased awareness of the virtues of silver as a dietary supplement and heightened demand for naturopathic remedies with younger demographics.” He added, “Increased research and development investment has helped shed light on the safety and efficacy of silver when manufactured and administered properly.”
Beverly, MA-based Dr. Plotka’s Mouthwatchers has noticed an increase in demand for its silver toothbrushes, which is “largely part of the post-COVID-19 era where people are avid to bring products into their lives that help with reduction of bacterial contamination and reinfection,” explained Violaine Gillot, CEO. The silver toothbrushes are appealing to consumers, she continued, because “it is like using a new toothbrush every time you brush; [there is] no more cross-contamination, reinfection, or reintroduction of bacteria into the body; better oral health for better overall health; and because it is a natural antimicrobial that can be used safely by everyone.”
According to Meletis, “Even before the 2020 pandemic awareness … consumers have looked to have a well-stocked home first aid kit … and with the COVID concerns, this accelerated attempts at proactivity among the well-intentioned to find ways to gain peace of mind and empowerment in the face of what appeared to be worldwide cataclysmic news reports and death.”
Silver Sales at Health Food Stores
Retailer Susanne Engelbert, owner, Eterna Health Food Store located in Mansfield, TX, noted that “colloidal silver is a staple for many of my customers’ supplement cabinets. It is amazing for [immunity], recovery from illness and wounds.” Customers both young and old come to her store for silver products, and “Mothers especially love to have it around for their families.”
Engelbert added, “About 85 percent of my customers know what they are looking for in regard to colloidal silver. The remaining 15 percent have either heard about it and need education, or I educate them when they are looking for help and colloidal silver would be a great purchase.” She tells customers that it is a great natural antiviral, antibiotic, and helpful with infections and wound healing, such as sinusitis, bronchitis, ear infections, pink eye, shingles, warts and more.
“Here at Elk Grove Vitamins (Elk Grove, CA), colloidal silver has always been a ‘tried and true’ supplement,” said Dianna Singh, the store’s owner. “There was definitely a tremendous increase in sales in the last two years, while it still remains steady today.” She added, “It’s not often that you have a product in your cabinet that truly is multi-purpose for the entire family, including your pet! For parents with picky kids, it was a relief having it taste like water.” Information about colloidal silver spread by word of mouth, Singh added. “For many it was something very new … and we love to educate first and sell secondly. Knowing for most it was a wonderful immune product, sharing information on the wide range of healing and wellness properties was surprising to them. As we mostly cater to moms, we did see an increase of men as well—today, I would guess about a 20-30 percent increase in males is still coming in.”
Ramona Billingslea, marketing manager, Betsy’s Health Foods (Spring, TX), had a different take, noting that “With more people interested in immune health, the market for colloidal silver has widened, though more through our suggesting it than through customers coming in and specifically asking for the product.” However, “Looking back over the last 90 days, I see that we have had a substantial increase overall on our colloidal silver products, and that is despite the usual slowdown in immune health products sales as we approach summertime here in Texas.”
Billingslea concluded, “With its ability to help a person on the inside and on the outside, colloidal silver is truly a versatile, safe product for those interested in natural health options.”
Colloidal Silver Products
In response to consumer demand, manufacturers are keeping up with a variety of innovative products.
Natural Path Silver Wings offers its colloidal silver in liquid droppers, spray bottles, nasal sprays and topicals, according to Dunleavy. It is “available in 50 ppm for daily maintenance, 250 ppm for enhanced immune support and 500 ppm for extra strength,” she stated. “Natural Path Silver Wings has launched a new sinus relief nasal spray [that] cleanses the nasal passage, relieves sinus congestion by thinning mucus in the nose and improves air flow for clearer breathing.” The new product is available in 50 ppm.
Sovereign Silver’s “proprietary manufacturing process,” according to Mullins, “creates the smallest silver particle size seen with a Transmission Electron Microscope and verified by third parties. Smaller particle size equates to greater dispersion and easier absorption in the body.” This means, he continued, “we can keep our silver hydrosol at a low, 10 ppm for safety, but maintain the efficacy of higher ppm products.” The company offers colloidal silver products for adults, kids and pets, and offers liquids, first-aid gel and sprays.
Dr. Plotka’s silver antimicrobial toothbrush for oral health, according to Gillot, “eliminates 99 percent of microbes (bacteria, viruses, fungi) within six hours after use; suppresses a bacteria cell’s respiration and metabolism; and cleans the brush from bacteria growth during the day in a humid and warm environment of the bathroom.”
Trace Minerals offers liquid and spray bottles of colloidal silver in 30 ppm, as well as Sea Minerals with Silver, Mineral Mouth Rinse with colloidal silver and hand sanitizer containing colloidal silver. “Interest in education and the application of supplements as a source of augmentation to a health-promoting diet and lifestyle has yielded steady and sustainable growth,” said Meletis. “As I share with my patients, ‘You supplement a healthy diet and lifestyle; thus, this is why they are supplements and not substitutes.’” VR
For More Information:
