Do you know the dangers of colloidal silver ?

Perhaps they are not "crazy", but they could be either deluded or frauds. If you ask them for independent, randomized, double blinded controlled clinical studies, that show efficacy, safety, risks and interactions, they can't produce anything. Instead they go off on a Big Pharma conspiracy rant.

And that should always raise red flags.

Given that people have known since the Civil War or possible even earlier that smoking tobacco was dangerous and they still continue to spend billions on it every year it doesn't surprise me that people continue to spend money on quackery like colloidal silver. What does surprise me is that the government hasn't stepped in and put a stop to it. People should have the right to waste their money on treatments that are not harmful, even if they don't work, like acupuncture. But people shouldn't be allowed to sell poison as medicine or claim that something is a cure when there is no proof of that.

Edit - An interesting historical note: in ancient China they believed that consuming powdered Jade would make one immortal. They believed Jade was indestructible and that if one consumed enough of it then it would replace all the vital organs with jade and you would live forever. Of course, not even the uneducated farmers still believe that.

I think this particular scam originated from the usual poor grasp of biology that herb-type people have. They think that as silver is anti-bacterial, it is also 'anti' other things like viruses. This has to be similar to saying 'disinfectant kills germs, let's drink it to cure a cold!' and makes about as much sense.

I was never sure how silver fitted into the 'natural' side of things either. It's extracted by an industrial process that produces hundreds of tonnes of poisonous lead, antimony and acid waste.

I don't believe in cure alls of any kind. Silver is a heavy metal, it accumulates in the body. I think it is unethical to sell it.

Here is a person that takes coloidal silver with no ill effects.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22536241/

Here is another one.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Y_Gvl_Q3SL0/R8hzYICqAiI/...

Yes, I do, and I did...

I would never take it.

I'm not surprised people sell it

What surprises me is the huge number of people that would sell you their own mother for $9.95 - with all kinds of extravagant promises to boot.

That always amazes me.

Your skin will turn a nice shade of blue if you use it long enough and you never turn back to your original color.