Polypodium leucotomos extract comes from a tropical fern plant grown in Central and South America. Native Americans have used the plant extract for centuries for the treatment of inflammatory disorders and skin diseases. Recently, clinical research has shown that it has antioxidant and photoprotective properties and taken orally provides protection against the harmful effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun and other sources.-Derm Net NZ
Today I started on Calaguala also known as “Kalawalla” from American Nutrition. It’s a blend of Polypodium Leucotomos and Samambaia Rhizome….now say that three times fast! Luckily, it’s in liquid form and this $15 bottle according to serving size, should last me ten days, which is a bit out of my means but if it works, then great! It’s also tasty thank goodness! I added it to my coffee and couldn’t even tell a difference. Each small droperfull has a naturally sweet flavor. I’m still on the lookout for something cheaper, so if anyone has any suggestions, do tell! I first heard about Polypodium Leucotomos in this months Shape magazine. It states:
Supplement your protection. Researchers have found that taking the extract of the South American fern Polypodium leucotomos (PL) in supplement form can help halt UV-induced skin damage and skin cancer. “In human studies, PL has been shown to decrease inflammation and prevent cellular mutations and photoaging,” says Leslie Baumann, M.D., a Miami Beach dermatologist.
Anything about inflammation and I immediate look it up. Just as I suspected, this extract not only does wonders for your skin but for autoimmune disorders such as Psoriasis, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Lupus, to name a few. I found dozens of people on the Internet that claim this stuff works. Here’s a quote from someone on Revolution Health:
This stuff is GREAT!For the first time in 4 years I am feeling almost normal. I mean when I used to sleep my legs were tingling and felt weird. Now I don’t notice them anymore. My stamina is increasing and I can almost walk again. My eyesight is greatly improved. I think I can now drive again! It has only been 1 month. I can’t wait till the end of 6 months. I’ll let you know what happens…….
News Flash! Kalawalla is ok as I mentioned. However this is still not fast enough.
It sounds like to me, like with everything else and autoimmune diseases, there’s simply no cure-all. Once you start feeling better you expect to continue to feel better, and better and better….. but it seems like a drug or a supplement can only do so much. It doesn’t matter if you’re on steroids, chemotherapy drugs, CRAB drugs, antibiotics, or supplements. The reality is, inflammation and the disease process is complicated. My thoughts are, if you find something that’s working for you and it improves your immune system, then stay on it because who knows how you’ll do in the future…maybe even better. I also find that a lot of people give up on supplements early on whereas if their doctor tells them that for example, methotrexate may not work for four months, they’ll stick with it for four months. I can tell you FOR SURE that both Low Dose Naltrexone and Serracor-NK work for me but it took at least two months. I still have inflammation. I don’t have flares but there is still some inflammation in my fingers and wrists. The longer the inflammation exists, the more damage that is done, plain and simple. Compared to where I was earlier in the disease process which meant I was nearly unable to bath and cloth myself, I feel like a million bucks. I am hoping that soon I can stop the inflammation for good in my fingers and wrists. I’m happy that Kalawalla comes in liquid form because it’s one less pill I have to take. And I’m happy that there’s yet one more option out there for me.
Supplements are tricky too. My brother told me over the weekend, “more isn’t necessarily better”. I explained to him that each supplement works differently and that inflammation is complicated. Inflammation can be caused by a variety of things and it can cause a variety of things! My journey can feel very alone at times as I try my best to make scientifically based decisions on what to put into my body. If you think about it, if you’re seeing a doctor for Rheumatoid Arthritis, something I understand well, you start out with NSAIDS. When those don’t work you ADD Prednisone. When the RA progresses, you ADD Methotrexate or Sulfasalazine. Then your doctor might suggest to ADD Plaquenil and later, a Biologic. It’s like there’s no end to adding and adding of the drugs. Some people may think I’m taking too many supplements but the reality is, if I were on normal RA drugs, I’d be on multiple ones. At one point in time, early on in the diagnosis, I was taking Prednisone, Sulfasalazine, NSAIDS and Methotrexate. And you know what? I STILL wasn’t in remission!!! That’s why I stopped everything and figured, Heck, maybe there’s something else out there that works and doesn’t ruin my body in the meantime. RA is damaging enough to my body and I’d rather not take on all the damage that happens when you take steroids, NSAIDS and DMARDS long term. A recent article inWebMD states, “Biologics for Rheumatoid Arthritis: No Cure-all” explains that Biologics aren’t all that promising either-WebMD. So that is why I’m always touting about supplements. I think they’re safer and make you feel better…..but this is my story and my journey so it’s up to you to decide what’s best for you.
Unfortunately, there hasn’t been much research on PL. According to About.com,
“Studies on Polypodium leucotomos, which have mainly been animal or test tube studies, have found that Polypodium leucotomos is an antioxidant and has anti-inflammatory and immune effects.”
I’m not one to shy away from experimentations ever since LDN, a drug that sounded too good to be true, and decreased dramatically the amount of inflammation in my body. Hopefully soon I’ll know whether PL is really working. For now, all I can do is hope that total remission is just around the corner.
Filed under: Alternative Medications and Solutions, Arthritis, Fibromyalgia, Multiple Sclerosis, Osteoarthritis, Parkinson's, Psoriasis and other skin dissorders, Pulmonary Fibrosis, Recent Blogs, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Sarcoidosis Tagged: | alone, alternative medications, Alzheimer's, anapsos, anti-aging, antioxidant, Arthritis, attention, autoimmune disease, autoimmune diseases, blog, brother, calaguala, clinical research, disease, diseases, doctor, fear, health, hopeful, I feel like a million bucks, immune system, improve your immune system, inflammation, inflammatory disorders, journey, kalawalla, Low Dose Naltrexone, Lupus, medicine, mom, natural alternatives, natural solutions, photoprotective properties, polypodium leucotomos, protection against the harmful effects of UV radiation, Psoriasis, quest, RA, remission, researching, Rheumatoid Arthritis, samambaia rhizome, samambia, scientifically based decisions, Serracor-NK, skin diseases, supplement, supplements, swelling, tropical fern, unable to bath, unable to cloth myself
Very informative, Thanks. 8 brb
Sarah, Wishing you well and rid of RA. I’m into Polypodium myself. Not for RA. I’ve had great luck in the past using it via the dry powdered form. I have made an extract adding it to purified H2O boiled for 10 minutes and lidded over night to settle the murk out. Then decantered off as it’s very difficult to strain through a paper strainer and too much murk comes through a sieve. So I bottle this and store in fridge. One can take by tea or in my case I add to shampoo and hair conditioners. I found a base for conditioner I like and intend to use this technique to add the liquid and make it the thickness I prefer. It’s a conditioner base you can leave on your hair or make into a mudd/paste or rinse out as usual. A variety of choice there. This helps with my scalp problems. But I’m senstive to the sun too. I make my own pills out of the same dry Polypodium and take 1-2 per day during the spring through fall and it helps my sun sensitivity like nothing else ever has. I’m working on developing an ointment or salve with the polypodium. I’d like to be able to apply the dried ingredient straight into the ointment material and use on my splittng fingernails. It’s in the thinking it over stage right now. http://www.rain-tree.com/samambia.htm you can purchase it in bulk. It gives ideas how to make your own infusions etc. too. You can make your own extract saving a bundle believe me. I’ve bought it elsewhere in bulk for a tad bit lesser. Just goggle Polypodium and you’ll find too that it’s in different species and some better than others. I have yet to play around with the different species to date. Later perhaps. Hope this helps and curious if it’s continued to help with your RA?
Hi Las,
Thanks so much for the suggestions! I tried it for a while for my RA but I didn’t notice anything in terms of reducing inflammation. Sometimes things take a long while and it’s possible I just didn’t give it enough time. I was taking enough that I felt it was too expensive for what I was getting, but with your suggestions, I might re-consider taking it on a regular basis. I have been thinking about buying some again however, simply because I think I should take it for sun protection. Do you know what the right amount should be for sun exposure? I’ve been getting more sun exposure on a regular basis lately, and plan on it over the summer, so I’m definitely going to buy some, and perhaps do as you suggested, in the powder form. I never liked sunscreens because of how oily it would make my skin along with causing breakouts. As well, I hated the smell and carrying sunscreen sometimes could be a problem when it spilled accidentally in places you didn’t want, like your purse. So it’s been on my mind, especially since sunscreen has recently been said to cause cancer. I always knew those chemicals couldn’t be good but it’s nice to have the validation. Knowing that Polypodium can fight Alzheimers and inflammation, among other things is just added reason why I should buy some for my summer trips to the beach. Thank you so much for the suggestion, I truly appreciate it!
thanks and hugs,
Sarah
very nice picture. i like it
Very informative, Thanks.
Dearest Sarah,
Thank you so much for answering my questions. The flare now is in one knee & can feel it trying to get over to the other one. I’m so grateful to know that the Serracor is probably causing these excruciating (can’t walk tonite) symptoms. Your explanation makes so much sense, have read it over and over in your responses- am referring to the cleansing and detoxing process and the flaring up of symptoms. Thank you again for your info.
How do you keep up with it all and still produce the beautiful artwork?????????
Hope that you are feeling well. Thank you for your kind response and all of the good ideas re: ginger root etc. will try it. Hugs back to you
Joanie
Hi Joanie!
It sounds like your RA flare is on the fast track, which is really a great thing! It’s making it’s way through your body. The body has a natural tendency to heal vital organs first and move outward, meaning the very last things on your body that will notice a change will be what is farthest from your heart, those being your toes and your fingers.
How do I keep up with it all? Well I give up a lot. I might give up exercise for a week to work on a painting or vice-versa. This past weekend I didn’t exercise or paint. So it does in fact take it’s toll. But the good news is, is that once your supplements kick in, you will notice a major boost in energy and you’ll think you’re practically back to normal. Unfortunately, any time we over do ourselves we realize that we’re not back to normal. So I have learned to be good to my body where I can be. For instance, I don’t drink alcohol except on special occasions these days and I let myself sleep in as much as possible whenever possible. If I feel like I’m too tired to exercise, often I won’t. So it’s really just a matter of learning what you can and can’t handle, and that is something I may not ever officially get the hang of, but I’ve certainly gotten better at it over time.
I look forward to hearing how great you are feeling very soon!
many hugs,
Sarah
Glad to have found your website. Probably have RA, according to blood work, but have not gone to rheumatologist because everything I’ve read about the drugs is frightening. Just really started pain & swelling january, 2010. I’m taking many supplements and have recently added Serracor nk, glad to read your input about it..have only been taking it for a few days – just 6 per day right now, but am having awful flaring up in hands, so glad to hear that it is possible that this is probably ? normal. As if we could every really figure out what that means. Am staying the course and thank you again for your informational website.
Hi Joanie!
So sorry to hear that you are having symptoms and blood work of RA. I’m so glad though that you are catching it early and treating it with alternative meds. Personally, I think that’s the ticket to reversing this disease all together. I know a young woman who went on Enbrel and it didn’t work for her. She ended up taking LDN and antibiotic therapy and now she is completely off of all medications. I think because she caught it early and also did a lot of other things like fasting, exercising and eating anti-inflammatory foods, that her strictness and willingness to try alternatives got her to where she is now.
As far as your flare up and Serracor-NK goes, yes that’s completely normal. I really appreciate taking this pill because it’s made the biggest difference for my RA out of everything I’ve ever tried. I flared up quite a bit for two to three weeks (I’m not sure) before I finally started seeing a tremendous difference in inflammation. As with any natural remedy, there’s simply no way around it. Traditional drugs will “turn off” your body, while natural remedies will get to the root of the problem. Serracor-NK lowers your cholesterol too, as well as decreases varicose veins, etc. so there are many reasons to feel encouraged to keep on taking it. Recent studies prove that Cholesterol lowering drugs are known to reduce RA symptoms. Traditional meds that turn off symptoms just isn’t a good thing in my opinion, because your body needs to tell you if something is going wrong. I’m sure since you’re only experiencing the flare up in your hands, that your flare will be short and your road to recovery will be sooner than mine came around. Keep in mind that Serracor-NK works by reducing Fibrin, a major contributor in Rheumatoid Arthritis. If for some reason, it doesn’t completely do the trick, then you may want to add other supplements that will reduce other types of inflammation contributors. I call this “stacking” supplements because with traditional meds, it’s more common than not to “stack” medications. You almost never meet someone with a disease who’s only on one medication. They usually start with one and then keep adding. So let me know if you don’t get the relief you need because I can recommend other ways to reduce your inflammation by tackling other inflammation contributors happening in your body besides just Fibrin.
One thing, right off the bat is you should go out and buy yourself some ginger root. Chop it up and boil it for some tea. I like mine chilled. Many cultures traditionally drink ginger tea on a daily basis. I do recommend doing this daily and I know chopping will be hard for you right now, so don’t worry so much about getting the pieces small. You can continue to add water and boil the ginger throughout the week. I don’t recommend adding honey because sugar in all forms is inflammatory. If you have to add something, Stevia is probably your best choice. I do recommend however, that after a week, you use a fresh new piece of ginger root. I also recommend using ace bandages for your wrists if they’re hurting. Wrapping a joint helps push out the inflammation and many sports stars will tape their joints when they have injuries. When you pull the wrap off (after several hours) it also helps increase the circulation because it’s a giant gush of blood flow. Like I said, there are many tricks to coping with your RA. You may want to add an herbal remedy such as Zyflammend to reduce your symptoms. Herbs tend to work quickly. I hope that helps and I look forward to hearing your successful road to recovery!
many hugs,
Sarah
Hi,
I Like the Picture on the Blog, Amazing. Is the picture copyright ? would it be possible to use the picture ?
Ho Moneeb,
Which picture are you talking about? Are you talking about the one on the blame game? That picture isn’t mine and in terms of copyright, I think you’re allowed to use a photo if you’re not using it to sell anything. I also make sure to link the picture back to it’s original source when possible. (sometimes it’s not possible) I hope that helps answer your question.
thanks,
Sarah
I second Krista’s recommendation of looking into the nutrition route via Karen Hurd. It requires some self-discipline, but I find the rewards are worth it. We have used her advice to help my son, and she has helped me with hypothyroidism among other things. My thyroid is now fine. (I saw that was on your list of medicine needs.) I have found that the nutrition route has “side benefits” instead of “side effects”–well worth it!
Below is a link to a radio program she did that discusses rheumatoid arthritis and her approach (and a client’s story). I don’t know how long the radio program will be available, but you can give it a shot!
http://75.125.83.206/wwibradio/bestoffp.xml
(In case you can’t access it through this link, it is under the “Best of Front Page podcasts” on the website http://www.wwib.com)
Julie
I was looking up pictures of rain and came on your page Sarah. I just wanted to pass on the website of a nutritionist by the Karen Hurd who has written a book called, “And They Said It Wasn’t Possible” . It is http://www.karenhurd.com Our family has been working with her to help our son with his seizures and overall health, but she actually has worked with a lot more people with health issues like Rheumatoid Arthritis, Crohn’s Disease, and Diabetes. Her book is available through your libraries interlibrary loan or through her website. She has shared her own personal journey that led her into this field on her website as well as some wonderful explanations for her recommendations. She works a lot more with food than she does with supplements. After 10 years of trying to understand and improve our son’s seizures we have in the last year found the information that has worked for him, not to eliminate his seizures entirely, but to dramatically lessen them and improve his overall ability to interact in life. This is much better than the minimal help that his medications have provided. I wish you all the best in your own search to recover your health.
Sincerely,
Krista
Krista,
I will check out the book, thanks so much for recommending it! I look forward to learning and thanks so much for dropping by and sharing your story!
many thanks,
Sarah
Hi Sarah,
Thank you for your blog…Kalawalla is such an interesting thing. I’ve been taking the American Nutrition liquid version (liquid difficult to find!) and using it topically for psoriasis (also immune-mediated and inflammatory). It’s one of the few things that’s actually worked, and in combination with MSM, seems to work better.
MSM also reduces inflammation, is something of a natural analgesic, and can be taken internally and used externally. :)
Not sure about its use in conjunction with drugs, as it may increase absorption of whatever it’s taken with. (Suggestion – don’t take it with splenda, if you’re at all sensitive to splenda!)
Best wishes with the RA, and hope it gets better!
Kind regards,
Tania
I have been on all , remicade, humara embrel gold plaqenel none has helped . Thats why I’m interested in kalawalla.Germaine Black.
Hi Germaine,
I bought mine from this site: http://www.americannutrition.com/store/raintree_kalawalla_liquid.html
In all honesty, I tried Kalawalla for 3 months on the recommended dose and I never saw any improvement. Of course, we are all wired differently, so it’s possible it could work for you, but so far the only people I have seen it really work for is people who have Psoriasis or Multiple Sclerosis. It’s still a good think to take in terms of benefiting your health…skin damage and cancer, along with Alzheimer’s.
It sounds to me, with the medications you have taken, you have tried drugs that suppress your tnf protein. Plaquenil on the other hand, suppresses the protozoa that causes malaria….at least that’s my brief understanding of it. It’s quite possible that none of these drugs worked because they are not fixing or suppressing the root of your Rheumatoid Arthritis, if that is what you have.
I personally think Kalawalla just isn’t strong enough for RA, or maybe it was just wrong with my chemistry, or maybe I didn’t take it long enough. I do think however that you should give Serracor-NK a try because from everything I have read, Fibrin is always a factor with inflammatory diseases and controlling this is key to controlling your disease. As with any drug or supplement, these things take time so if you do decide to try Serracor, you need to give it at least a few months in the recommended dose for RA. I took my dose procedure from the RA case study which is 5 pills 3 times a day. You must start out with less pills, I believe for 14 days because your body is going to go through a detox faze. Another thing to consider is you will probably get a flare…I did. As with any natural remedy, they usually cause flares at first. Think of it like a highway with construction. It has to get worse FIRST before it gets better. As Fibrin is being pulled out of different areas in your body, it has to go directly back into your blood stream which can cause symptoms at first to get worse. Once that’s done however, it’s smooth sailing but like I said, it takes a few months. Even massage, for instance, puts toxins that are stored in your knots, back into your blood stream before it can be eliminated. It’s always recommended to drink lots of water and rest after a heavy duty massage where they worked on the knots in your body.
Keep us posted on what you decide to do.
Take care,
Sarah
hi . i bought kalawalla for friend last june 29 ,2009 .he has ms for 14 years. he is now wheelchairbound for 4years, he suffered spasm on the legs. no coordination ., headaches, dizzinezz, no balance at all, problem with bladder, suffered constipation, sleepless nite, fatigue all the time ,depression now and then. he cant stand up at all.no strength on the both legs but he is not on prescription drugs. he is on vitamins and herbs and organic food diet. now after two weeks of taking kalawalla, alleluia !!his constipation!!! is fixed, more urine flow. dizzinezz and headaches gone and 60% energy level up. he is a happy chap rite now.. thanks !God!! and altrnative center , give us us Kalawalla. regards ,vt.2009
Hi Veronica,
That’s great news! He should also try adding Low Dose Naltrexone and see what that does. Most people with MS report amazing results fairly quickly. Progressive diseases need to be treated aggressively. It’s really wonderful that you bought Kallawalla for your friend, it shows what a true friend you are. I know that LDN is a drug but the side effects are minimal and it helps fight cancer, depression and autoimmune diseases. It has made a difference for me and many people that I know and it can be as little as $10 a month. He should really look into it. For me, Kallawalla has not really made a substantial difference for me. But I’m still taking it because it does seem to help my skin which I get a lot of lupus like symptoms and I appreciate it as a natural sun-block. Perhaps in time I’ll notice a difference with my joints. If not, then I know it might be helping me keep away Alzheimer’s in the future which is generally more prevalent with autoimmune diseases and for now is helping with brain fog. Autoimmune diseases are so complicated and often take many drugs and supplements to keep them under control. Progressive diseases are scary and I like knowing that I’m doing everything I can to help myself. Keep up the great work with being such a good friend. We could all use friends like you!
take care,
Sarah
Sarah,
Osteoarthritis of the knees is being treated differently by some doctors. Some doctors go for knee replacement right away but I decided to take a longer route.
At first I was taking over the counter pain pills but that was changed to Celebrex, which I didn’t like but used anyway. Steroid injections helped temporarily but their use diminished and also caused anxiety due to potential risk of cartilage damage.
Back to knee replacement. I thought there must be a better way for now but many doctors opt for knee replacement surgery.
Viscosupplements are rapidly improving and are my next choice for knee pain relief.
My last choice is knee replacement but it still is an option unless some other breakthrough comes about.
Dan
Just found you here. Interesting article. I wonder if RA actually is more than one disease since there are so many different courses it can take. Maybe we will see answers in our lifetime…
Kelly
Hi Kelly,
Thanks so much for your input. Sometimes I wonder why diseases are even labeled when it’s mainly an inflammation problem but I guess it’s to get a better idea of the general course of the disease and how best to control it. One never knows the medical breakthroughs that may come about in our lifetime!
Thanks again,
Sarah