Update: New York Attorney General Letitia James sent a letter in early March to James Bakker warning him to stop making misleading claims about a produce he says is effective against the new coronavirus, HIV and other pathogens. As Bloomberg reports, she also directed him to add a disclaimer to all Silver Solutions products alerting customers that James’s claims have not been confirmed by the Food and Drug Administration.

Good heavens, you won’t believe what televangelist Jim Bakker is hocking now. He’s selling Silver Solution, which he and a guest on his show claim can kill the new coronavirus (COVID-19), SARS and HIV. And, at no extra charge, it also “gets rid of all venereal diseases.”

“We use it all the time,” Bakker says in a recent episode of The Jim Bakker Show that includes a promotion for a $125 Silver Solution starter kit and an $80 birthday special of four Silver Sol gels (the product also comes in lozenges and a liquid). “I don’t think I would have made it without silver,” Bakker continues before asking his guest, “Would you recommend, as a doctor, to have silver when there’s a pandemic?”

The guest is identified as Dr. Sherrill Sellman, ND, naturopathic doctor and natural health expert. (This is not the same as a medical doctor.)

“You never want to be without silver,” she tells him. “There’s so many reasons. This is a staple for your family.… It has been proven by the government that it has the ability to kill every pathogen it has ever been tested on, including SARS and HIV.”

She elaborates that Silver Solution hasn’t been tested on the new coronavirus, but that when it was used on other strains, it killed them within 12 hours.

If you visit JimBakkerShow.com—which we are not recommending—you’ll notice a link to a warning for California residents. As Newsweek reports, this is because the state’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 requires warnings on any product that “contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects and other reproductive harm.”

Silver Solution products were mentioned in a February 12 episode of The Jim Bakker Show titled “A Close Look at What’s Not Being Said About the Coronavirus (Day 1).” Day 2 aired on February 13.

Right Wing Watch, a project of advocacy group People for the American Way, posted clips from the show on its Twitter feed.

To clarify: Silver Solution will not cure HIV, coronaviruses or sexually transmitted infections.

But did you know there is a history of medical scams involving silver? To learn more, check out the fascinating writeup “Colloidal Silver: Risk Without Benefit” by Stephen Barrett, MD, on Quackwatch.org. (Hat tip to the Friendly Atheist).

On a related note, remember that bleach doesn’t cure HIV either. For the latest on that scam, read “GOP Firebrand Alan Keyes Helps Sell Toxic Bleach as an HIV Cure.”