GoblinArXiv:2610.00001 [med.TX]
Colloidal Silver as an Oral Supplement: Evaluating Naturopathic Claims Against Clinical and Toxicological Evidence
MIT BrownPapers Desk · October 28, 2026
Oral colloidal silver has no physiological role in humans and no randomized trial showing that it treats or prevents any disease. Gastric chloride, digestive proteins and intestinal sulfides precipitate and aggregate it, so under 4% is absorbed. Fourteen days of dosing in healthy volunteers produced peak serum levels of 1.6 to 6.8 µg/L, roughly 600 to 1,200 times below the 4,000 to 8,000 µg/L needed to inhibit bacteria, while commercial products killed human liver cells in culture at 620 to 690 µg/L. Most retail "colloidal" products turn out to be mostly dissolved ionic silver. Regular use exceeds EPA and ECHA intake limits and risks permanent argyria, copper deficiency, interference with prescription drug absorption and, in rare cases, neurotoxicity.
Interactive edition · Full report