Krameria triandra or Ratanhia is native to the rough climate of the Andes Mountains in Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador. This inconspicuous shrub is between 30 centimeters to 1 meter tall and grows in dry, rocky areas. The younger branches of the Ratanhia plant are dark green.  As the branches age, they become black. The flowers are crimson colored on the inside and grey and hairy on the outside. This hemi-parasitic plant grows on a host from which it extracts water and nutrient salts.

The native people of the Andean region have used Ratanhia for years to treat inflammations in the mouth. Usually, only the roots of the plant are used, as they contain anti-inflammatory tannins. Tannins are responsible for the characteristic red colouring of all Ratanhia products. Weleda needs close to one ton of dried Ratanhia roots annually to create an alcoholic extract for use in its dental hygiene products.

Ratanhia has become increasingly popular throughout the world. Exports of this plant have risen so much that it has actually become endangered. As a result, Weleda partnered with the nature conservation authority, INRENA, scientists and collectors.  After about five years of research, Weleda initiated a project for the sustainable collection of Ratanhia.

As part of the ongoing research process, the age structure and the rate of increase of Ratanhia are being assessed within a protected area of about 20 square kilometers. On the basis of this research, a sustainable harvest quantity can be determined. In order to maintain the continued growth of this plant, the collectors sow five Ratanhia seeds in the same location where one is extracted. One of the key objectives of this project is to establish a collecting regulation, applicable to all of Peru, ensuring that only plants from sustainable wild collection are exported.

An investigation to cultivate Ratanhia which was undertaken together with the GTZ (society for technical co-operation) did not prove as feasible.

Instead in co-operation with GTZ we received exclusive permission for wild collection in a large protected area in the region Arequipa. Agreements with exporters and collectors could be met, which guarantee a controlled wild collection. By co-operating with the Berlin company Botconsult we know today the biology of the plant, its spreading and its degree of endangerment. Botconsult prepared a methodology to measure the plants existence  in a fast and economical way and manage it effectively. We could attach contacts to the University of Arequipa, which advances students to the topic and continues to investigate sustainable handling of wild plants. In the last step coworkers of the forest authority are trained to supervise the wild collection and train collectors accordingly.

Thus the Ratanhia could spread out at the steep slopes of the Andean Valleys again, where it almost had disappeared, and where it offers an important erosion protection due to its far out branched roots.

back