Silver is a natural element that can be found in whole grains, edible and medicinal mushrooms, mammalian milk, spring water, sea water and tap water. Used medicinally for more than 2,000 years, silver has played an integral role in safeguarding human health.
Ancient civilizations learned that silver possessed powerful anti-microbial effects. Phoenicians stored water, wine and vinegar in silver bottles to prevent spoiling. In the Middle Ages, silver spoons were given by wealthy godparents to babies as christening presents. Those “born with a silver spoon in their mouths” benefited from silver’s purifying and antibiotic properties.
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.