Silver, always been a lucrative metal for human beings. It shines and can be used to make ornaments. No wonder our ancestors got attracted to it and even successfully used it as a medicine.
Over the period of six millennia, it is being used to treat infectious and non-infectious health conditions. In the current era of antibiotics, one might find it difficult to believe that the silver was one of the most important agents that played the role of as an antimicrobial remedy even before the antibiotics were introduced in the medicine. [01]
Does Colloidal Silver help with warts?
Several anecdotal evidence and one placebo-controlled clinical study did shows the positive results about the effectiveness of colloidal silver for warts while other study suggested that silver nanoparticles can help to kill the viruses. [02][03] But it should be used with caution as the topical products that contain the colloidal silver are not being controlled by FDA.
How colloidal silver works?
Though the exact working mechanism of silver nitrate is yet to be understood, the scientist believes that the colloidal silver attaches itself to the cell-wall protein and damages the cell membrane. Once the cell membrane breaks, silver ions enter the cell, damages the DNA strands which leads to cell death. [04]
Over-the-counter silver nitrate product contains the colloidal silver and they work on the same principle described above. Though the few clinical studies show positive results using the silver nitrate as anti-microorganism, none of them suggest taking it orally as it may cause more harm than its benefits. Also, taking silver nitrate orally may lead to argyria (in which colloidal silver built up within the tissues and mucous membrane turns grayish in color) [05]
How to use Colloidal Silver to Remove the Warts?
To remove warts using the colloidal silver topical application, follow the given steps:
- First of all, wash the wart and surrounding area with lukewarm water and let it dry.
- Now take the colloidal silver cream/gel on a sterile cotton swab and apply directly to the wart.
- Repeat the procedure twice a day for a week and see the result.
- If you don’t find any noticeable change in warts then consult your doctor for further treatment.
- If you notice any irritation or allergic reaction then wash out the application and consult your doctor immediately.
Get this colloidal silver gel from Amazon and apply it over the wart as stated above. If you are not allergic to colloidal silver you can even use the colloidal silver soap to wash the affected area. It might yield fast results. You can buy this colloidal silver soap from Amazon.
Should you use Colloidal Silver orally?
The effect of any colloidal silver product depends upon the composition of colloidal silver it has. The more the nano-particles it has the better the results will be. But considering the fact that the silver has no useful benefits when consumed orally. Also, the lack of scientific evidence about its claimed benefits and the risk (argyria) it may cause, using colloidal silver orally is not a recommended practice.
References:
[01] History of the Medical Use of Silver. J. Wesley Alexander. Published Online:30 Jun 2009 https://doi.org/10.1089/sur.2008.9941
[02] Efficacy of Silver Nitrate Pencils in the Treatment of Common Warts. Şahin Yazar, Erdal Başaran. First published: May 1994 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1346-8138.1994.tb01748.x.
[03] Silver Nanoparticles: Synthesis, Characterization, Properties, Applications, and Therapeutic Approaches. By Zhang XF, Liu ZG, Shen W, Gurunathan S. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms17091534
[04] Mechanistic Basis of Antimicrobial Actions of Silver Nanoparticles. By Tikam Chand Dakal, Anu Kumar, Rita S. Majumdar and Vinod Yadav. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2016.01831
[05] Colloidal Silver: Risk Without Benefit. By Stephen Barrett, M.D. https://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/PhonyAds/silverad.html