Once widely prescribed, silver-based remedies went out of vogue after modern antibiotics such as penicillin became available. But the silver elixirs left a permanent mark on many people who took them: skin stained in colors ranging from light blue to cadaverous black as the metal accumulated in their epidermis. The so called remedies have surface online over the last few years and are posing problems to health officals.
Despite modern medicine and a ruling by the Food and Drug Administration that such remedies are ineffective, companies selling silver remedies have resurfaced online in recent years, hawking their products as a cure-all for everything from cancer to herpes.
Although it is perfectly legal for silver sellers to advertise their products as “health supplements,” many cross the line by making specific medicinal claims about their merchandise.
Meanwhile, doctors across the country have seen a surge in argyria cases, which is caused by silver in the body.
Change in skin color makes the victims reclusive as the skin turns blue.
The sellers claim that the reason for the change in color is because of over dose and that the medicine works perfectly if taken properly. They claim to be more effective than todays antibiotics.
