"Tea tree oil is an effective antiseptic, but is even better when mixed with silver. Researchers at England's University of Wolverhampton looked at putting tea tree oils or silver nitrate into liposomes. These microscopic spheres are made of phosolipids -- fats -- that occur naturally in cell walls' membranes. The liposomes greatly increased antimicrobial activity. Using liposomes allows controlled release, which lowers the concentrations of the agents needed to treat infected wounds, and could minimize any side effects. The discoveries were presented at the Society for General Microbiology meeting in Harrogate, England, by researchers Wan Li Low and colleagues. Both the tea tree oils and the silver -- in the form of silver nitrate -- each effectively fight pathogens involved in skin infections in laboratory tests. However, both became even more effective in lower concentrations -- when combined." http://www.raysahelian.com/teatreeoil.html
"The strong bactericidal effect could be linked to the diffusion of silver ions out of the AgNO 3 coating, leading to an important bactericidal concentration close to the membrane of the bacteria. A simple method to prepare antibacterial coatings loaded with a high and controlled amount of AgNO 3 is therefore proposed." http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18698855
