Are More PPM Really Better?
PPM of colloidal silver needs to be understood in its entirety. PPM means parts per million. By definition 1 PPM is 1 milligram of silver deposited in 1 liter of water (1,000 ml). If one were to ingest that 1 mg. Piece of silver, it would not do much good. If you were to divide that 1 mg. Into 1,000,000 particles of silver, it would then have much more efficacy because it takes one particle of silver to disable 1 pathogen. The silver is now 1,000,000 times better than 1 piece of silver even though by definition it is still only 1 PPM. If one were to further divide the 1 mg piece of silver into 100,000,000 particles, it would be very beneficial indeed. And so as the silver is more finely divided the PPM by definition remains the same.
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So, what really counts is not how many PPM the silver is but how many particles the silver has been divided into.That is why it isn't necessary to have high PPM but it is important to divide the silver as finely as possible. It is not better to try to take high PPM colloidal silver but to take colloidal silver that is properly made. If you think more silver is necessary, just take more of better made, low PPM colloidal silver and you will be further ahead than if you took poorly made, high PPM colloidal silver.
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If the colloidal silver is properly made it will be crystal clear. This is because the particles are too small to reflect any light. If it shows any color, the particles are too large. The first color seen is yellow. As the particle size increases other colors such as red, green, blue, brown or black may be seen. Any color seen will indicate CS that is not very good.
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Constant Voltage vs. Constant Current Generators
Constant voltage generators operate as follows.
When an electrical source of voltage that is fixed in value such as 27 or 36 volts (the voltage supplied by 3 or 4 - 9 volt batteries in series connection) is used to generate colloidal silver, the voltage is connected to the silver electrodes which are in the water. A small amount of current then begins to flow. At this point the current is generally about one quarter of one milliampere (a milliampere is a measure of current flow). This allows some of the silver ions to be released from one electrode while hydrogen gas is formed and released from the other electrode. As the silver is released into the water, the conductivity of the water increases; allowing more current to flow. This in turn allows more silver ions to be sintered off the electrode. But what happens very quickly is this:
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The increased current flow allows the metal to be deposited into the water at a faster and faster rate as the conductivity of the water is increased by more silver being released. This is a vicious cycle because in a very few minutes the current passes the point where small colloidal particles are generated. Particle size is determined by many factors; one of them being current flow or more properly current density. Once the flow exceeds this critical point, you must stop the process or risk producing large particles.These particles are NOT colloidal. They will sink to the bottom of the liquid and will generally not stay in suspension. Constant voltage generators cannot be left on for long without producing large particles.
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If you ingest larger particles or silver salts in liquid such as silver nitrate you take the chance of acquiring a condition know as argyria. On the other hand, colloidal silver particles are so small they do not cause this condition. They are continually being excreted in your bodily waste. There has never been a case in which argyria has been attributed to ingestion of colloidal silver.
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Constant Current Generators work as follows:
The voltage source may be the same or higher as constant voltage generators at the beginning of the operation but the similarity between constant voltage and constant current generators diverges rapidly. As the current flow begins to increase with increased water conductivity, the "constant current" regulator begins to reduce the voltage in order to keep the current at the desired amount of flow. With the voltage being reduced in order to keep the current constant, the silver particle size remains uniform. As the water becomes very conductive, the voltage may be reduced to as little as 5 or 6 volts to maintain the desired current flow. With this type circuit, one may leave the generator connected to the electrodes and not worry that "runaway" will occur. You may leave the generator on until the strength of silver in parts per million is reached and be assured the particle sizes are uniform and colloidal. This is the secret of repeatable production of colloidal silver.
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Constant current equals constant size particles. Any concentrations higher than 50 ppm require the additions of stabilizers in order to prevent fallout. However, colloidal silver made over 15 PPM will usually agglomerate so it is recommended that you do not make it over that strength. An automatic generator with a stirring motor can make up to 20 PPM without agglomeration.
If the particles are as small as can be made and also colloidal, the water will be clear and will also show the Tyndall effect. If they are larger, the water color will shift toward yellow because of agglomeration. Still larger particles appear red; then green and the blue ones are the largest. The proper color for colloidal silver water is clear. If it is clear and has a weak Tyndall effect, the particle size is as small as can be made. That is the best way to know you have colloidal silver water. Make it yourself and then you will know and see what we mean! The proof is in the clear color and the Tyndall effect. Of course you can also test it using a meter to determine the total PPM.
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With an automatic generator, you just set the dial to the PPM (parts per million) desired and wait until the unit shuts off and you will have the best colloidal silver that can possibly be made. It will always be crystal clear and have a weak Tyndall effect.
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With a constant current generator, you can leave the unit on as long as you want (within limits) and the PPM of the silver continues to increase without any increase in silver particle size. You can produce about 3.5 PPM per hour in a 1 pint (16 ounce) vessel. Double the time and you double the strength, etc. If you produce colloidal silver under about 10-12 PPM, it will be clear because the particle size is as small as can be produced and reflects no color. Over 12-15 PPM the CS will usually become pale yellow coloredover a 24 hour period. The reason for this time lag in color change is the particles are becoming more evenly dispersed in the solution and at the same time some of them are agglomerating. There would be less agglomeration if the water had been stirred during production. They rearrange themselves to maintain the same distance from each other by virtue of their electrical charge. Remember, "likes" repel each other. Once the particles are completely and evenly dispersed, the color will be seen. These particles reflect yellow light while clear colloidal silver will not reflect light because the particles are so small. The yellow color comes from the fact that higher PPM colloidal silver allows some of the particles to agglomerate together to form a slightly larger particle, allowing yellow light to be reflected while absorbing all other colors. Agglomeration means some of the silver atoms are starting to share electron rings.
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Making your colloidal silver clear will provide you with the largest amount of individual silver particles per unit measure of water. As an example, 1 milligram of silver dropped into 1 liter of water is equal to 1 part per million by definition. If you could turn that 1 milligram into 1 million individual silver particles and disperse it in the water, the PPM is still 1. However you now have many more individual pieces of silver in the water to attack microorganisms. If you could divide that 1 milligram of silver into so many pieces they barely reflected any light, then you would have the optimum amount of silver per unit measure of water. Typically those particles are about .001 to .005 microns in diameter. A micron is one millionth of a meter (or 26 millionths of an inch) so .001 microns is about 1/1000 of 1/1,000,000 of a meter.
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Another factor in colloid production is the surface area of the electrodes. If one uses wire as the electrodes as most manufacturers do, the surface area is quite small. As an example, 14 gauge wire, which is what most units are sold with, has a surface area of approximately .8 square inches if it is submersed 4 inches in the water. Two wires will give approximately 1.6 square inches of wetted surface area.
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If you use electrodes that are .25 inches wide and .013 inches thick, and they are submersed 4 inches, the total surface area will be 4.21 square inches. This is 2.5 times the wetted surface area of 14 gauge wires. Therefore the current density of 14 gauge wires will be 2.5 times higher than the larger electrodes. This means that the amount of silver released using the larger electrodes will be so spread out over the surface of the electrodes, it will be releasing at a slower pace. If the silver is released more slowly, the particles are smaller. They will also be more uniform in size because of the constant current regulator and stirring. The result is a more uniform, small particle size colloid.
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If one used a constant voltage source, such as the typical box with three batteries or a machine that uses a wall transformer to provide a constant DC voltage, the silver would begin to be ripped off the wire electrodes very quickly because of the high current density which continues to increase during production. The resulting silver particles would be a non-uniform size and would be composed of small to large size particles as the current began to rise with time. The color of the water would be yellow, red, brown or muddy looking and silver sludge will begin to drop out and fall to the bottom. The particles of silver are getting too large as the current begins to run away and rise dramatically.
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The Colors of Colloidal Silver
When examining the variety of bottled colloidal silver at a health food store, it becomes evident that most manufacturers favor yellow-colored silver. The very idea of silver being "yellow" is confusing for many people. Some individuals have speculated that the yellow color is the result of sulfur or iron contamination. Others say the yellow color is the result of stabilizers containing a yellow dye. The continuous change in color from yellow to blue corresponds to a change n the absorption maximum of the shorter to longer wave-lengths with a decreasing degree of dispersion. This is a general phenomenon in colloid chemistry illustrating the relation between color and degree of dispersion. It turns out that all metals have a yellow phase when they are broken down into sub-microscopic particles in water. This is because color is the result of a specific particle size--rather than the metallic content of that particle--and the spacing between the particles. Therefore, colloidal silver can produce a yellow appearance when the particles fall somewhere between .01 to .001 microns (10-100 angstroms) and are evenly dispersed. This is the result of the absorption of indigo light by the colloid, which leaves its inverse color, yellow, to be refracted. In short, color equals particle size plus dispersion. This is why yellow colloidal silver appears clear for the first few hours after its manufacture. It takes several hours for the particles to evenly disperse through the water, creating a gradual deepening of color. The density of the colloid produces the intensity of the color. From 1 to 20 ppm, the color will range from very light yellow to yellow to amber. A shift in color indicates a new silver particle agglomeration size plus dispersion.
From small to large, the spectrum reads as follows: clear, yellow, red, green and blue. While trace elements can affect conductivity and, therefore, influence agglomeration rates, color is not always a function of trace elements per se. Of all the various colloids of the spectrum, clear colloidal silver is the highest quality simply because it consists of the smallest particle size. The yellow colloidal silver may be less effective than the clear colloid because of the slightly larger silver particles. Colloids are by nature the smallest particles matter can be divided into while still retaining individual characteristics of that matter. Reducing a piece of metallic silver into a cloud of submicroscopic particles greatly extends its total surface area, and so its healing properties, while deepening its penetration into the body. The minute particles also afford ease of elimination and therefore the absence of toxicity. Upon ingesting the silver colloid, the silver particles quickly pass through the stomach lining and into the bloodstream, where they circulate for about a week before elimination. There is also evidence that the majority of silver particles are eliminated within 24 hours, though this can vary with particle size and body chemistry.
Making Clear Colloidal Silver
Colloidal silver generators are available for home use. For a 12-ounce glass of distilled water at 72° F, (room temperature), approximately 30 minutes of applied current at 27 volts DC will produce 5 ppm. For a 16-ounce glass of distilled water at 72° F, approximately 45 minutes will be needed to achieve the same concentration of 5 ppm. Larger electrodes are helpful for working with larger volumes of water and for making higher concentrations.Do not add saline drops for making clear colloidal silver.
While it has been discovered that 30 volts is the ideal for Silver Colloid production, 27 volts is very effective and happens to be the convenient result of wiring three 9-volt batteries together. Therefore, you'll need three 9-volt transistor radio batteries, three battery snap-on lead connectors, 2 insulated alligator clips, 1 24 volt 40 mA sub miniature incandescent bulb (28 volt 40 mA will also do fine), a foot of 3/32" heat shrink insulation tubing, a foot of 2-conductor stranded insulated zipper wire for clip-leads, a small box to put it all in, and 10" of pure silver wire (.999 fine). This should cost under $30.00 for everything. Assuming some skill with a soldering iron, you should spend about thirty minutes constructing the generator.
Solder your three snap-on battery clips in series (red to black) to provide 27 volts. Connect a 24V incandescent lamp in series with either positive or negative output lead. Solder the red insulated alligator clip to the positive (anode) and the black insulated clip to the negative (cathode) 2 conductor lead wires. Insulation is shrunk over soldered connections using a heat gun or hair dryer.
Cut your 10" of silver wire in half. Bend top ends of your two 5" silverelectrode wires so they can clip over the top rim of a plastic or glass cup (not metal). About 4" of each wire should be submerged. WARNING! Use ONLY pure silver (.999 fine) electrodes. #14 gauge is the preferred thickness. Pure silver is sometimes available at electroplating supply companies. Or, inquire at a jewelry store specializing in silver about who their wholesale supplier is. Do not confuse sterling silver (.9275) with pure silver since sterling also contains other metals. With this in mind, you may want to have a chemical analysis (assay) of your purchased silver in addition to the written word of your supplier.
History & Health Benefits
Colloidal silver is the result of an electromagnetic process that pulls microscopic particles from a larger piece of silver into a liquid, such as water. These microscopic particles can more easily penetrate and travel throughout the body. Colloidal silver is pure silver divided so finely that fewer than 15 atoms of it cluster together in a particle.The FDA considers it a dietary supplement and does not restrict its sale in any way as long as it is properly manufactured. Colloidal silver works as a catalyst, disabling the enzyme that all one-celled bacteria, fungi and other microorganisms use for their oxygen metabolism.In short, the bad guys suffocate. Colloidal silver is nontoxic, making it safe for children and adults, as well as pets.
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Anything bigger than one cell seems to like it. Ayurvedic, Chinese and homeopathic practitioners use silver regularly. In ancient Greece and Rome, people used silver containers to keep liquids fresh. Throughout history, royal families have eaten from silver plates and cups, with silver utensils, and they've stored food in silver containers. In 1919, Alfred Searle, founder of the pharmaceutical conglomerate wrote that "applying colloidal silver to human subjects has been done in a large number of cases with astonishingly successful results. For internal administration, orally or hypodermically it has the advantage of being rapidly fatal to parasites without toxic action on its host. It is quite stable. It protects rabbits from10 times the lethal dose of tetanus or diphtheria toxin." Mainstream physicians used colloidal silver extensively as an antibiotic treatment up to 1939.But back then it cost a lot to produce highly effective colloidal silver. The pharmaceutical industry wanted drugs that were cheaper and patentable.
As a result, colloidal silver fell out of favor. But in the 1970s, doctors at Washington University in St. Louis searching for effective treatments for burn victims stumbled upon colloidal silver after trying many other medicines, and it became valued once again. In 1988 a bio-medical research team at UCLA's School of Medicine showed that destructive bacteria, virus and fungus organisms died within minutes of contact with silver.The EPA approves colloidal silver water filters. NASA uses a silver water purification system for the space shuttle, as do the Soviets.Japanese firms remove cyanide and nitric oxide from the air with silver. Because it doesn't sting the eyes, it often replaces chlorine in swimming pools. British Airways, Swissair, Scandinavian Airlines, Lufthansa, Olympic, Air France, Canadian Pacific Airlines, AlItalia, KLM, Japan Airlines and Pan Am use silver water filters to curtail waterborne diseases.
Because no known pathogenic organism can live in the presence of even minute traces of the chemical element metallic silver, colloidal silver is effective against more than 650 different pathogens, whereas a broad-spectrum antibiotic kills perhaps a half dozen different disease organisms.It does this by attaching itself to the cell membrane of a bacterium, which disables its oxygen-metabolism enzyme, its chemical lung. Because it can no longer breathe, within a few minutes the pathogen suffocates and dies and is cleared out of the body by the immune, lymphatic and elimination systems. Many strains of pathogenic microbes, viruses, fungi, bacteria or any other single-celled pathogen resistant to other antibiotics are killed on contact by colloidal silver, and are unable to mutate. However, silver is virtually non-toxic and does not harm tissue-cell enzymes and friendly bacteria. Unlike antibiotics, colloidal silver does not weaken the body's immune system. In fact, it is said to give the body a second immune system, creating a shield against disease of all kinds. Physicians use silver compounds in seventy percent of all the burn centers in the United States. All pathogenic organisms that have been tested were sensitive to the electrically generated silver ion, including some that were resistant of all known antibiotics. In no case has any undesirable side effects of the silver treatment been apparent. Silver doesn't interact with any other medications. It doesn't upset the stomach, and, in fact, is a digestion aid. It does not sting in the eyes.
Medical journal reports and documented studies spanning the past 100 years indicateno known side effects from oral or I.V. Administration of colloidal silver in animal or human testing.Silver stimulates bone-forming cells into growing new bone where it had not healed for long periods of time. Silver profoundly stimulates healing of skin and other soft tissues in a way unlike any known natural process.An average adult dose might be anywhere from a tablespoon per day to a sixteen-ounce glass, or more, since no toxic dose is known. When you apply current to silver in solution, metallic silver will always break off no larger than 1.26 angstroms or about 1/10,000 of a micron (0.0001 microns). This is misleading, however, because no colloid consists of individual silver ions or atoms of silver. Single atoms would by definition be dissolved. After the silver breaks off at 1.26 angstroms, atoms of silver aggregate into clusters that form new particles. The smallest aggregate of clusters creates a silver particle approximately 0.001 microns, or ten times larger than the smallest atom. These particles create colloidal silver that appears clear. Over time, as more electric current is applied, silver particles will aggregate into larger and larger particles much like in a silver plating process.
For systems with particles with diameters less than one-twentieth the wavelength of light, the light scattered from a polychromatic beam is predominantly blue in color and is polarized to a degree that depends on the angle between the observer and the incident beam. The blue color of tobacco smoke is an example of Tyndall blue. As particles are increased in size, the blue color of scattered light disappears and the scattered radiation appears white. The end result is that each particle size will interact with light at a specific wavelength, creating a variety of colored colloidal solutions. The Tyndall Effect is the visible scattering of light along the path of a beam of light as it passes through a system containing discontinuities. The luminous path of a beam of light is called a Tyndall Cone. Any true colloid of silver, or any other metal, will produce a Tyndall Cone once a narrow beam of light pierces the medium. A laser pointer works best. As the light passes through the colloid, each particle of silver refracts the light across other silver particles. The colloid becomes a sea of submicroscopic mirror balls, creating a glowing tunnel of light much wider than the original beam. Therefore, even clear colloidal silver can be given a visual test that will prove the incredibly tiny particles are there. Because clear colloids contain the smallest silver particles, the Tyndall cone will be faint, but still visible to the unaided eye.
These are from the early Kahuku. About 6 weeks from pollination.
