Colloidal silver is a water based solution that has microscopic particles of ionized silver suspended in it. Most people have never heard that silver as an element and a metal is actually healthy for the body, but metals are very often a regular and vital part of the body's normal function. Iron is a great example. Very small iron particles are integral to blood and the formation of hemoglobin. Other metals serve similar functions.

So what exactly is an ion? Ions are tiny particles that have either a positive or a negative electrical charge associated with them. Unless water is deionized, it already contains many common elements and minerals, like copper, iron, sodium, calcium and others. Cations are ions with a positive charge, and anions have a negative charge. Water by itself has no positive or negative charge.

But how does a particle of metal, like silver particles, become ions suspended in water? This particular process has been known about and used for many years. Metal plating, also known as electroplating, is a process whereby an electric charge is applied to a piece of metal in water, which slowly strips away its atoms and ionizes them one by one, and another piece of metal with the opposite charge attracts the floating metal ions and they plate and stick to the other charged piece of metal. Ionized colloidal silver water is made in a similar way, which you'll see below.

Making your own homemade colloidal silver isn't really considered all that difficult. A few silver rods and a slow trickle of electricity will do the trick. Many silver generators for making your own colloidal silver water, are basically just simple batteries that use electricity to slowly strip silver particles away from the rods, ionizing them and suspending them in water. If you are interested in going in that direction, you'll want to read more information of the subjects of making the proper strength of colloidal silver, the proper ppm or parts per million of the solution, how to make sure that the majority of the silver particles are ionized, and what the right dosage is for your particular solution. Most of your standard colloidal silver generators will come in a kit that contains some silver rods or thread, and specific instructions on how exactly to use the machine to make the right concentration of homemade colloidal silver.

Many studies have been done on the health benefits of colloidal silver water. You'll find the results to be fairly surprising. Colloidal silver has antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties. It's used by the body's immune system to attack single celled organisms and inhibit their mode of respiration, thereby killing them. I can tell you from personal experience that colloidal silver is the only thing I've found that has been effective against food poisoning. I spent the better part of a whole year in a third world country and stumbled across food poisoning on regular occasions. After I started taking colloidal silver when I felt the onset of symptoms, the silver worked quickly enough to stop the food poisoning without having to spend the night in the bathroom throwing up.

Beyond that there are no other studied health benefits of colloidal silver water. Though many may take it every day as a normal dietary supplement, studies have shown that colloidal silver is generally only effective as an immune system booster and doesn't need to be a part of a daily diet. I'll take it every time I feel the symptoms of an ailment, and I can honestly tell you that I've not been sick in over half a decade.