The History of Silver
Silver has been used for more than 2,000 years to help safeguard human health. Silver occurs naturally in mushrooms, whole grain, water and mammalian milk.
Evidence of silver mining dates back to 4,000 B.C. and the earliest recorded human histories include stories about using silver for currency.
Herodotus, the Father of History, reported that Persian kings only drank water stored and transported in silver vessels. Ancient Mediterranean civilizations used silver for preserving food, water, vinegar and wine.
Hipoocrates, the Father of Modern Medicine, wrote about the healing properties of silver in 400 B.C. A Roman pharmacopoeia, written in 69 B.C., includes the first report of silver nitrate. In 78 A.D., Pliny the Elder described the healing properties of silver as an ingredient in plasters to help close up wounds.
In the Middle Ages, silver spoons were given by wealthy grandparents to babies as christening presents. Those “born with a silver spoon in their mouths” benefited from silver’s purifying and antibiotic properties.
In the 1500s, Paracelsus used silver internally and externally as a treatment for wounds. Silver was one of the few antimicrobial treatments available before the discovery of antibiotic drugs. By the 1800s, silver nitrate was used to treat wounds and skin ulcers. In 1852, it was discovered that using fine silver wires for sutures helped heal repaired flesh.
During the Civil War, silver was used to treat syphilis, and in the 1880s, the use of silver nitrate in the eyes of newborn infants to prevent post-delivery infections was introduced. Silver was used to treat infections on World War I battlefields.
In the mid-1960s, Johnson Space Center developed a lightweight generator to dispense silver ions into drinking water aboard Apollo spacecraft to kill bacteria.
The U.S. and Russian space program use silver-based water purification and storage systems to prevent bacterial contamination, including aboard the International Space Station
As people search out natural ways to support their health and well-being, silver is gaining more widespread recognition for immune support.
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