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Silver for Water Purification and Health

Silver for Water Purification and Health 1
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These days the word silver brings many different thoughts to each one of us.

Some instantly think colloidal silver, others jewelry. Some of us know today’s trading price for an ounce of silver. And others yet, see it as a safe haven for their wealth.

Unfortunately, I do not fall in the latter category (smile). I love the idea of precious metals. But here’s the thing, at the end of the day, my family and I cannot eat silver or gold.

However…

…we do hoard a few nice vintage silver dollars. Why, I hear you asking; for water purification purposes of course!

Sure we have our handy, high tech water filter we purchased for our backpacking trips. But the thing requires new filters every so often. And sure we have our water stores, but those are not sustainable (at least not here in the desert).

Throughout history, silver has been used across the world and in many a different civilizations as a monetary standard, a health remedy and a preservative. Truth be told, thousands of years before modern scientists and doctors understood microbes and how they cause illness, people knew the health benefits of colloidal metals, particularly that of silver.

Consider this historical timeline:

  • Egyptian writings are known to mention the use of silver.
  • The Greeks and Romans stored liquids in vessels crafted out of silver in order to prevent spoilage and to keep bacteria from
  • growing.
  • The Middle Ages brought the outbreak of the plague. However, the wealthy, because they ate with 100% silver forks, knives, and spoons, were protected from the full brunt of the disease.
  • The earliest American Pioneers, who settled the frontier, placed silver or copper coins in their drinking water and milk as they trekked westward. The coins kept the water safe from bacteria and algae and kept the milk fresh.
  • Presently, silver is being used in hospitals. It is found in newly manufactured wound dressings and various items used for patient care.
  • Colloidal silver is considered a medicinal powerhouse and regaining in popularity due to its healing properties.

The use of silver for water purification purposes still continues. Modern technologies are reviving the use of silver. It can now be found in various filtration systems. Even NASA has used silver in the water purification system on their space shuttle.

Bottom line, I’ve had many people ask for sustainable means of water purification. Boiling rain and surface water, along with a few silver dollars may be the way to go if there ever were to be a need. And from now on, we’ll be loading our water storage barrels with a coin or two. If it was good enough for centuries and centuries of people then hey…it’s good enough for me.

I realize this is not the end-all be-all solution and in no way am I suggesting that you forsake water testing and/or proper filtration. My goal here is to expose you historical truth (smile).

We could have some good discussions on this topic! And honestly, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. Please feel free to comment.

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  1. I'd seen a comment a few months ago about keeping a silver coin in raw milk to keep it 'pure', but I didn't actually give it any thought beyond a 'Huh, that's cool'. Very interesting, I'll have to check this out more 🙂

  2. @Kimberly Same here, that's exactly why I wanted to study it more and learn the science behind it. I do want to read more about how the pioneers did it:) I'm just happy to have this information stored away!

  3. doubt it does . . .but how about removal of fluoride?? I am looking for a natural way to remove the nasties from our public water. Thanks for the interesting post! Found you on HHE

  5. Jen, check out Berkey water filters, you can buy filters to filter out fluoride.

    I've not used silver coins to purify water but I do make colloidal silver and family members have used it internally and externally for a variety of "ailments." It is indeed great stuff. Every household should have the capability to make it. There are videos on youtube that will show how.

    • Hi, I just wanted to share a true story with you. I was doing clinical time in a hospital, and I came across a pt who had been ingesting silver for thirty years. Now, I can’t tell you how much the pt took each day, but I will tell you that ,,,are you ready?,,,,she was blue! I’m not kidding! She was blue from the build up of silver in her body. I think I remember my instructor telling me that your body doesn’t get rid of the silver. Just wanted to share that info with you all. Be careful, and research everything.

  6. Iodine is an excellent water purifier too. I've seen it recommended by Army water purification specialists. They like reverse osmosis the best, and iodine comes in second. It is definitely better than using bleach, and especially if you live far from the ocean, you probably aren't getting enough anyway.

    However, for someone who has autoimmune issues with their thyroid, sometimes iodine can aggravate that situation (you still need it but you have to watch your intake), so for them, silver might work better. And of course even if you have an iodine supply it won't last forever if supply lines break down.

  7. I am a firm believer in silver getting rid of any bacteria. I use a gel and a liquid called Silversol. Amazing stuff. It has silver in it. It will kill off all bacteria in a petre dish. Love silver!!!

  8. My mother, who is Korean, tells me that when she was growing up (in the ’40s), their family would go hiking in the mountains, this is what her mother would do: when they would drink from a stream, her mother would take out her silver hair comb, hold it in her hand, and then cup water in her hands, and have the kids drink from her hands. And she says they never got sick from drinking the water.

  9. This is super cool! I really had no idea. I’d known that colloidal silver was good for your health, I especially take it when I’m sick or have been around sickness. Do you have to let the silver sit in the water for a specific time to kill all the nasties? Do you have to boil the water in addition? That would feel redundant as boiling should purify the water and you wouldn’t need the silver. Great post! I’ve just discovered your blog and already LOVE it! Thanks! 🙂

  10. Ha, funny thing just happened… I read your post from today about making raisins from fresh grapes and down at the bottom of the page in your “you might also like” buttons there was this silver for water purification post, so I click on that and read this post. What makes it funny is that I saw something a while back about people dropping a silver coin into their milk bottles to keep it fresh and *just today* I remembered to do that!
    I just started getting raw milk again about a month ago and I was reminded of one of the reasons I stopped getting it in the first place: that we have a difficult time keeping our milk fresh tasting. I don’t know why, because I’ve tried everything from hand washing only to dishwasher washing only to first hand washing and then dishwasher washing. We keep our fridge set at 38 degrees, I put ice packs in the cooler to pick up our milk in and blah, blah, blah but still our milk tastes sour before the end of one week! So today I thought, oh yeah, let me go dig out some silver coins and give that a shot because honestly, I am at my wits end. I have asked others in the milk co-op if they have this problem and so far, no one else does. I’m also wondering if my family and I are “super tasters”, who taste things that others just don’t. We also can’t drink goat milk because it ALWAYS tastes like goat to us after the first two days of getting fresh milk. What the heck?
    Hopefully the silver coin will be the magic bullet. I’ll keep you in the loop.

    • A couple of things that can help with the taste of goat milk……. keeping the billie goats (males) as far away as possible (miles) from the nannies being milked is imperative. The milk will take on a musk flavor (what you’re referring to as tasting like a goat) if the nannies can smell the billy goat. Second, the milk should be cooled quickly to reduce spoilage and “off taste”. Freezing can help to keep it tasting more fresh but you have to remember, this milk is “fresh” milk and there are no preservatives so it’s not going to keep as well as grocery store milk and has not been pasteurized so there will be growth of microbes (both good and bad).

      So, buy only from people who know what they’re doing, that do not keep the billy goat anywhere near the milking nannies. They only need to be present when needed at breeding time. Cleanliness goes without saying, clean udder, clean hands, sanitized containers etc. Cooled quickly and kept cold. And, remember it’s going to begin to deteriorate slowly and the other factors will determine how quickly. Try finding an old “silver” tea pot for storage, It might help but in the end, fresh milk has an expiration date and that’s the beauty of it. Find a use for the aged milk and don’t waste it 😉

      • Thanks for the words of wisdom. I’ve been getting milk straight from the farm for over fifteen years, (actually longer if I go back to when I would get goat milk from my friend 22 years ago) and in that time I’ve tried goat’s milk from several different sources and heard all the above from my sources over the years. I’ve watched as the udders and hands were washed, the milk expressed, strained and put immediately to cool in sterilized jars. To no avail. I can taste the goatiness after 2-3 days in the best handled milk, as can my children, so I think it’s got to be our taste buds.
        I have switched farms again and have had no issues with milk going bad early. I understand that fresh milk is a different beast than pasteurized and cleanliness is important. As far as what to do with “aged” milk I give it to my chickens and *gasp* pour it on my compost pile and lawn as fertilizer!

    • Are you washing your jugs in Dairy Soap? I was having the same problems until I started using the dairy soap, now we have no problems keeping our milk fresh. Hope this helps.

      • What exactly is dairy soap? I’ve never heard of it. I have been getting milk straight from the farm for over fifteen years and never had a problem with milk going bad before its time until I started with this particular farm. I think it has something to do with the fact that their milk went into a bulk tank.

        • Dairy soap is specially formulated to clean the milk solids off of containers used to store milk. You can buy it from cheese making supply websites. Just google it. I always use it and never have problems with spoiled milk anymore. We do milk our own cows, though, so don’t know about getting milk from a farm.

          • Oh wow, I learn something new every day. Thank you so much for replying. I will definitely google it… maybe it’s something the new farm we are getting our milk from uses too. I love this new farm and their milk is awesome. They have Irish Dexters, which I’ve never had milk from before. Nice cream line. 🙂 And the owner has generously agreed to my request to teach me how to milk (by hand). So excited.

  11. I work with a cash register and I’m always on the look-out for silver coins. In about 6 months time, I’ve found one silver quarter and 2 silver dimes. I also “inherited” a few silver dimes from my neighbor’s trash. (Her family put her in a nursing home and put all of her stuff out on the curb for anyone to go through.) Then I bought a few grams of “.9999 pure silver shot” from a “trusted seller” (who has excellent feedback) on ebay. Now I would like to buy a kit to make my own colloidal silver, but that’s out of my price range. I haven’t looked into it, but I wonder if it would help to put a coin in my mouth when I have a sore throat or a mouth ulcer?

    Since you’re in the desert, you might be interested to know about Moringa trees. They grow in poor soil (any poor soil except super heavy clay). They send a tap root all the way down to the water table, essentially digging their own well, and so are drought resistant (as opposed to being merely drought tolerant). They LOVE heat and brutal sun, and do not compete with other plants for nutrients or water. In fact, they are nitrogen fixers, like legumes are. They provide a lacy shade for more tender vegetation. It is among the richest vegetables in the world (please google its nutritional content!), and one of the fastest growing biomasses on the planet. And speaking of keeping milk fresh, Moringa has more calcium and protein than milk!

    But best of all, the seeds can be used to purify water! Any homesteader can do it just by boiling the seeds and using a few tablespoons of the leftover seed cake to mix in turbid water. Let it settle, then pour off the clean (bacteria, virus, and microbe – free) water. Even the leaves can be used to make an all-purpose cleaner. The only thing is that you would have to water it carefully until it finds its own water source, but once it is established, it will never need to be watered again. That can take up to 2 – 4 months, depending on various factors. You would also need to keep the seedling protected from harsh conditions until then. But it is worth the investment. One tree per family member is supposed to get you through any food crisis. I think that’s a good goal, but I would recommend around 5 per family member, including livestock!

    Please google it, and if you like what you see, I do sell cuttings from my trees on ebay. It’s quicker than growing from seed. But I do also send seeds along with every cutting, too.

    Blessings!
    Jeannie

  13. Our family has a silver generator that my husband build almost 20 years ago. I am allergic to antibiotics and this has saved me many times. We use silver water when we have sick animals. This is the best thing for anyone and easy to make. If it was good for the “blue bloods ” it is good for me too!