· Look at the ingredients to see it contains only silver and de-mineralized or distilled water. If the ingredients include a stabilizer or any other trace elements, it might be a good idea to research this product well.

· If it is suggested that the Colloidal Silver be refrigerated, this is an indication of another element present that could spoil. Colloidal Silver needs no refrigeration and should always be protected from freezing.

· The ideal color of Colloidal Silver should be a golden yellow, unless it is produced in concentrated form to be diluted, in which case it may be a dense looking greenish gray with an orange cast in the light. (Concentrated Colloidal Silver should return to the clear, golden yellow after dilution) A darker color could indicate larger particles of silver, or that the water used contains minerals... so check the product out.

· Colloidal Silver should be packaged in amber or cobalt blue glass, and the product should be stored in a cool dark place.

· Question the product if the directions state: 'shake well before using'. Colloidal Silver should not be shaken or stirred.

Colloidal Silver is sold and packaged in a variety of ways. There are sprays and misters; nasal sprayers and droppers; salves and compress solutions.

Colloidal Silver- Particle Surface Area: Other factors to consider when researching a Colloidal Silver product are: Particle Size and Particle Surface Area, if the information is available. Colloidal Silver products which are actually compounds do not accurately reflect the amount of Silver in the product. Also, it is the surface area of the Silver that must be exposed to the bacteria or microbe, and proteins or salts attached to the Silver particle actually block the Silver from it's environment.

So, Particle size is extremely important, but for a reason you may not expect. When it comes to Colloidal Silver, the smaller the particle the better.

Typically, manufacturers of Colloidal Silver list the Silver concentration in ppm's- parts per million. This measurment actually refers to weight; the weight of 1 part silver to a million parts water. If the particles are large, the surface area is actually smaller than if that particle were broken down to smaller particles. Picture a Rubik's Cube. In one piece it has a definite surface area; but take it apart and measure the surface area of the smaller parts; break those down again and so on... and the surface area is multiplied exponentially.

Colloidal Silver Production at Home: There is good reason to purchase a generator and produce your own Colloidal Silver at home. You can control the quality and the price. Colloidal Silver can be made at home for the cost of distilled water and your time. These days Colloidal Silver Generators practically run themselves once they are turned on and will turn themslves off, so your time may not be a factor. There are other generators which may require constant attendance to change the voltage polarity every couple minutes when producing concentrated Colloidal Silver to be diluted into large volumes.

If you have decided you are going to produce your own Colloidal Silver at home, there are some things to consider. If you want to produce good Colloidal Silver, a suggestion is to choose a system that uses silver rods and distilled water as the only ingredients.

You will want to use high quality distilled water in producing the Colloidal Silver. Not tap water, well water, mineral water, purified water or de-ionized water. These waters all have too many chemicals and minerals in them and de-ionized water is not sufficiently conductive. The water is very important if you want control over your production. Choosing your brand of distilled water can sometimes be a gamble. A good rule of thumb: don't buy the cheapest. You may also have to experiment with brands of distilled water. If your Colloidal Silver turns grey or brownish, the distilled water has too many minerals remaining and will not do. If this happens, you should start over with your production.

If the generator manufacturer suggests adding salt during the process to increase electrical conductivity and lessen production time, be warned that you will be producing a silver compound and not pure Colloidal Silver. Silver Chloride will always form in the presence of any salt. Also, by speeding up the production time with salt, you risk having silver particles that are too large to remain suspended in the water for very long and the silver particles will settle to the bottom of the container. It also takes longer for compounds to pass through the body.

As a sidenote... a typical suggested dose for Colloidal Silver is a teaspoon a day. This topic will not be dealt with here, because that is up to the individual. But start out with a low dose to keep the body from detoxing too quickly. Once the Silver goes to work and the body starts dumping the toxins into the bloodstream to be eliminated, you might actually begin to feel under the weather if you ingest larger quantities. If you are sick at the time of starting to take Colloidal Silver, you still want to keep your consumption rate reasonable.

In Closing: Everything we need was given to us from the beginning. Silver was given to us for a reason, and probably not just for fancy dishes and jewelry. There is an abundance of information available on the topic of Colloidal Silver, both positive and negative. Decipher the information carefully and keep in mind, there are no documented cases of a human being having negative consequences from true Colloidal Silver that has been produced with good water and no additives, stabilizers, salts, or proteins. But don't stop your research here with this writing. Read more; and then some more, and decide for yourself. I did.