why silver vessels are used

[Guest guest]

Dear,

Justification for use of silver vessels has been provided in terms scientific

interpretations in the attachment.This is another proof of our ancestor's wisdom

and perfection in their choice of practises and rituals.Our younger generations

must be enlightened by current -knowledge based justifications such as

this,�to follow�our �practises and rituals with confidence and�total

faith.

Regards,

Sampath

 

Medicinal Uses of Silver

Silver has a long and illustrious history of medicinal use. A brief history

follows:

• The ancient civilizations of Greece and Rome used silver to control bodily

infection and prevent food spoilage. In the fifth century B.C., Hippocrates

(known as the Father of Medicine) used silver to heal wounds. Medicine's dad

also used silver as an ulcer treatment.

• In the same century, the King of Persia (now known as Iran) used silver

container to carry water to prevent contamination.

• Approximately seven decades before the birth of Christ, the Roman scholar

Pliny the Elder wrote of the ability of silver to heal wounds by preventing

infection. No mention was made of Neosporin.

• In the 8th through 10th centuries, silver became a very popular treatment in

the Middle East for many ailments, from cardiovascular disease to bad breath.

• In the 16th Century, a Swiss alchemist and physician by the name of

Theophrastus Philippus Aureolus Bombastus von Hohenheim (no kidding!) used

silver and other elements as medicines. He is often know as the Father of

Toxicology, and believed that things became poisonous in large doses He wrote,

" All things are poison and nothing is without poison; only the dose makes that a

thing is no poison. "

• In the early 1700s, Angelus Sala used silver nitrate (AgNO3) to treat

syphilis and chorea.

• Throughout the Middle Ages in Europe, it had been noticed that royalty, who

consumed their food and drink from silver tableware, utensils and cups, tended

to develop a bluish skin tone. (Ever heard of the phrase " blue bloods " ?) This

was thought to be due to the silver that entered their bodies during

consumption. Furthermore, the lower rate of plague-related deaths among royalty

led to the inference that silver could be protective.

• As a result, silver became a popular material for tableware, goblets,

cutlery, and food storage containers. It was believed that the silver in these

items could kill germs. Russia's army likewise used silver lined containers to

cleanse river water before drinking it. Modern science has confirmed that low

levels of silver in water can indeed kill some types of bacteria.

• In America's Wild West, silver coins were placed in containers of water and

milk to prevent spoilage.

• Over the past couple of hundreds of years, scientists continued to document

silver's anti-bacterial properties.

• Virtually everyone reading this probably had a drop of silver nitrate

solution dropped into their eyes to prevent blindness, in the event that mommy

had a venereal disease. Indeed, our great grand parents probably got the same

treatment, which became standard practices at the end of the 19th century.

• In more recent years, silver (along with copper) has been incorporated into

many water purification systems.

• Stainless steel is used to create most surgical instruments, but fifty or

sixty years ago, such instruments were made of silver, again to prevent

infections.

• At present, several companies are marketing " break through " food storage

containers that include Antibacterial silver nanoparticles to prevent spoilage.

These products are touted as modern day miracles.

• The antibacterial properties of silver were recognised even before an

understanding of bacteria had developed. From ancient times it was known that

water kept in silver vessels would remain drinkable for quite along time. These

anti bacterial properties were not due to the actual metal but the release of

Ag+ ions into solution.

• Silver nitrate and colloidal silver preparations began to be used during the

last century to prevent infection of wounds. However, silver chloride was not

very soluble producing a precipitate of this compound. This lead to ionic

imbalances in the body, producing undesirable side effects.

• In the late sixties a new silver compound was introduced, silver

sulphadiazine. This is an insoluble compound which is formulated as a cream. The

silver ions are released from the compound slowly at a very low concentration,

so avoiding most of the side effects. This cream is still being used today to

prevent infection when treating burns. Silver ions display a broad spectrum of

activity against bacteria, but how it does so is still not known for certain.

Silver ions may bind to DNA; they may also affect the cell membrane of bacteria.

• Developments are underway to try to use silver as coating for devices

implanted in the body, such as replacement joints. It is critical for the

success of these applications that silver ions should be released slowly over a

long period, and this release is not blocked by absorption of proteins onto the

surface of the implant. Whether this will be successful or not is unclear but it

is certain that more silver compounds with antibacterial properties will be

developed in the future and will play an important role in the world of

medicine.