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Ratany

Krameria grayi

White ratany, Chacate

Krameria parvifolia

Range ratany, Chacate

Krameria secundiflora (Krameria lanceolata)

Three fans, Prairie bur

Krameriaceae – Ratany family

Description

These low-growing shrubs form into mound-like clumps.  They are densely branched and in the case of Krameria grayi, are somewhat spiny.  The herbage is grayish-green and hairy.  The small linear leaves, particularly on younger branches, hug the stem and point upwards.  The crimson-purple flowers are composed of 3-5 petals and can appear strangely beak-like.  The seedpods, the size of a cultivated cherry, are inflated, oddly shaped globes surrounded by small barbed spines.  On closer examination they do look like something out of a science fiction novel – fact stranger than fiction.  Krameria is a reputed partial root parasite.  Creosote bush and Triangle-leaf bursage are typical hosts.

Distribution

Generally, these three species overlap in habitat.  Both Krameria grayi and K. parvifolia are found from 5,000 feet and below through much of Arizona, southeastern California, and southern Nevada, to western Texas.  They are common to desert mesas, foothills, and alluvial fans where soils are rocky.  K. secundiflora, found from 4,000-7,000 feet, ranges from southeastern Arizona east to Florida. 

Chemistry

Catechin and epicatechin; proanthocyanidin derivates: procyanidin and propelargonidin; neolignans and norneolignans: ratanhiaphenol 1 and 2

Medicinal Uses

Many species of Ratany, some not profiled here, have a rich western medicinal history.  These plants were widely used in Western Europe and later here in the United States up until the early twentieth century, when many other botanical medicines were promptly dropped and replaced with new-generation isolated substances.

Above all else, Ratany is astringent.  Virtually all of its medicinal benefits derive from this fact.  The tea used as a mouthwash is tonifying to gums and can be used with Ginger or Prickly ash for added tissue stimulation.  It is of use in periodontitis, spongy and receding gums, and relieving to aphthous stomatitis, or canker sores as they are commonly called.

Ratany diminishes diarrhea by its astringent effect on the gastrointestinal tract and its contents.  Moreover, passive hemorrhaging, be it bronchial, uterine, urinary or gastrointestinal tract centered, is diminished.  Menorrhea, or excessive menstruation dependent upon perimenopause or subnormal levels of reproductive hormones, is often diminished by Ratany, albeit symptomatically.  The plant serves as a tissue and capillary bed constrictor and does not affect circulating hormone levels.  Colliquative sweating may be lessened with Ratany.  The addition of Sage may augment the effectiveness of treatment.

Topically Ratany is applied to weepy sores, cuts, rashes, and stings to astringe, lessen inflammation, and facilitate healing.  The salve is employed topically to shrink hemorrhoids and diminish associated bleeding.  Rectal suppositories made with Ratany oil are used to encourage healing of anal fissures.

Indications

Periodontitis/spongy and bleeding gums/canker sores (mouthwash)

Diarrhea

Menorrhea

Passive hemorrhaging of urinary tract, GI tract, lungs, uterus

Colliquative sweating

Hemorrhoids/anal fissures (external)

Collection and Preparations

From mid-spring through summer, the herbage is relatively hydrated and pickable.  Although the root bark was the article of choice in the past, there is really no need to dig up these long-lived, slow-growing perennials.  The herb preparations are not quite as strong, but slightly higher doses will compensate for this.

Dosage

FPT/DPT (50% alcohol, 10% glycerin): 30-60 drops 3 times daily

Cold infusion: 2-6 ounces 3 times daily, topically as needed

Suppositories: 1-2 daily (one being used before bed)

Cautions

Like most tannin plants internal use should be limited to short term: 2-3 weeks concurrently, or else gastric and/or renal irritation may result.  Ratany is not recommended during pregnancy due to its vasoconstricting effect on uterine lining.

Copyright © 2006 by Charles W. Kane

This and additional profiles are found in Herbal Medicine of the American Southwest