What is Ratanhia?

Ratanhia is a homeopathic remedy made from the root of Krameria triandra, a low shrub of the dry Andes. It is a single drug (Homeopathy), and is also known as Rhatany root. Homeopaths give it most often for burning pain after passing stool, as with an anal fissure (a small tear in the skin of the back passage), and for piles (swollen veins around the back passage).

The raw root itself has a separate life in herbal medicine and dentistry, where a strong tincture is used as an astringent (something that tightens and dries tissue) for sore gums and mouth rinses. The homeopathic remedy is not the same thing. It is made by diluting the root extract again and again, shaking it hard at each step.

At the common strength of 30C, essentially none of the original root is left in the pill. Controlled trials of homeopathic remedies do not separate them from placebo (a dummy treatment). Long traditional use is not proof that a remedy works, and we say that once here rather than in every section below.

How does Ratanhia work?

There is no accepted explanation for how homeopathic Ratanhia could act in the body, and the honest answer is that it probably does not act pharmacologically at all.

Homeopathy rests on two ideas from the late 1700s. The first is "like cures like": a substance that causes a symptom in a well person is given in tiny amounts to someone with that symptom. The second is that repeated dilution with hard shaking makes the preparation stronger, not weaker.

Neither idea matches what chemistry and physiology have shown. Past about 12C, the dilution has passed the point where any molecule of the starting material is likely to remain. A 30C pill is, in practical terms, sugar and water history.

Where people do report relief, the most likely reasons are the natural settling of a flare-up, the calm of a long consultation, and placebo response. Those effects are real experiences, but they are not evidence that the root itself did anything.

The herbal tincture is a different case. Its tannins bind and tighten surface tissue, which is why rhatany turns up in some mouthwashes and toothpastes. That effect does not carry over into the high homeopathic dilutions.

What forms does Ratanhia come in?

The usual form is small sugar pellets, sold as 6C, 12C or 30C, taken under the tongue. Liquid dilutions in alcohol and small tablets are also sold.

Lower potencies written with an X (for example 3X or 6X) contain a measurable trace of root material. These are closer to a very weak herbal preparation than to classical homeopathy.

The mother tincture, written as Ø or MT, is the concentrated alcohol extract of the root. It is not a homeopathic dilution and is far stronger.

Rhatany root also appears in some herbal toothpastes, gum balms and mouth rinses. These are herbal products, so read the label and do not assume they are homeopathic.

Where it comes from:

Krameria triandra grows on dry Andean slopes in Peru and Bolivia, where the root has long been chewed or used as a wash for bleeding gums and loose bowels.

Spanish traders carried the root to Europe in the eighteenth century. It entered several European pharmacopoeias as an astringent and stayed in dental use.

Homeopathy adopted it in the nineteenth century, when provings (tests in which healthy volunteers take a substance and record their symptoms) produced its picture of burning, splinter-like rectal pain. It has held a small, stable place in the homeopathic materia medica ever since.

What does Ratanhia help with?

• Anal fissure (a small tear in the skin of the back passage): This is the classic homeopathic use, described as burning pain 'like broken glass' that lasts for hours after passing stool. No controlled human trial has tested homeopathic Ratanhia for fissures. Most fissures heal with stool softeners, more fibre and water, warm baths, and creams your doctor can prescribe. See a doctor if pain is severe, if bleeding keeps up, or if nothing improves in two weeks.
• Piles (swollen veins around the back passage): Homeopaths pick Ratanhia for piles that burn and sting rather than itch, especially when they come out during a bowel movement. There is no trial evidence for the homeopathic remedy in piles. Standard care with fibre, fluids and pharmacy creams has much better support.
• Sore, bleeding gums: This use belongs to the herbal root, not the high dilution. Rhatany tincture is astringent and shows up in some gum products. Good human trial evidence for gum disease is thin, and homeopathic potencies have not been tested for it at all. Bleeding gums usually mean plaque or gum disease, so see a dentist.
• Cracked, burning skin around the anus: Traditional homeopathic texts list dry, cracked, burning skin in this area as a Ratanhia picture. No human study supports it. Persistent cracking or itching there can come from infection, eczema or diabetes and should be checked.
• Dry, burning eyes: Some older materia medica entries mention burning, tired eyes. This is a minor and rarely used indication. There is no human research behind it. Never put a homeopathic liquid or tincture into your eye.

Which foods are rich in Ratanhia?

1. No common food contains it: Krameria triandra root is a medicinal root, not an edible plant

Practical Tips:

You cannot get Ratanhia from your diet, and there is no food source to seek out.

What are the side effects of Ratanhia?

• None expected from 30C pellets beyond the sugar they are made of
• A short flare of symptoms in the first days, which homeopaths call an aggravation
• Mouth or gum irritation from herbal rhatany rinses and toothpastes
• Allergic reaction to rhatany: mouth swelling, rash or itching
• Stomach upset or nausea if the concentrated tincture is swallowed
• Temporary brown staining of the teeth or tongue from strong tincture

Good to know:

Serious harm from 30C Ratanhia pellets is very unlikely, because there is nothing in them but sugar and a trace of the alcohol carrier. The real risks come from the herbal root products and from using any remedy instead of care that works.

Allergic reactions to rhatany in toothpastes and mouth rinses are uncommon but well described, and can include mouth swelling and a spreading rash. Stop at once if that happens.

The biggest danger with this remedy is delay. Bleeding from the back passage, a sore that will not heal, or gums that bleed for weeks all need a proper look.

How much Ratanhia should you take?

• Recommended daily: No effective dose has been established, because the remedy has not been shown to work better than placebo. In common homeopathic practice, people take 3 to 5 pellets of 6C or 30C under the tongue, once to three times a day. Home-use labels usually say to stop as soon as symptoms ease. The mother tincture and low X potencies are different products and are much stronger. Do not self-dose these; use them only under a trained practitioner and never in place of prescribed treatment.
• Best time of day: There is no timing that has been shown to matter. Homeopaths usually suggest taking pellets away from food, drink, coffee and strong-tasting toothpaste, by about 15 minutes either side.
• With or without food: Pellets are taken on an empty mouth, dissolved under the tongue rather than swallowed with food or drink.
• Time to effect: No reliable figure exists. Homeopaths expect a change within a few days; any improvement you notice may simply be the normal course of the problem.
• How long to take it: Keep any trial short. Two or three days is enough to see whether anything changes. If pain, bleeding or a sore that will not close is still there after a week, stop and get it looked at. Fissures and piles have treatments that are known to help, and delay makes them harder to clear.