Witnessed by: TCM

Yellow catalpa (Catalpa ovata), of the Bignoniaceae family. A medium deciduous tree with broad heart-shaped leaves, panicles of yellowish-white flowers, and long slender hanging pods; native range: China, and long planted about houses and graves there and in Japan and Korea. Globally recognized as 梓 zi (the tree), 梓白皮 zi bai pi (the bark) in Chinese, kisasage in Japanese, and yellow catalpa, Chinese catalpa in English. The part used is the white inner bark of the root and stem, used fresh. The inner bark is pale and fibrous, peeling in long strips, and markedly bitter; the pods hang like bean-strings through the winter.

In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.

This is the card. Sign in for the full four-tradition entry — the aligned TCM · Ayurveda · Western · Unani reading, actions, dosing and cautions.