Throughout history silver has been used for treating various diseases and infections, to disinfect water and food, as well as treat burns and wounds. Today, silver-containing products are well established antiseptics.
Silver acts as an antiseptic because its ions are active and can penetrate bacterial membranes. By interacting with bacterial enzymes and proteins, silver can break down bacteria’s cell profile, causing cellular distortion, loss of viability and inhibit the process of bacterial replication.