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(Recorded in the Lower Grade of *Shennong Bencao Jing*)

[Names] King of Wood.
Li Shizhen said: "Zi" (Catalpa), sometimes written as "", its meaning is unknown.
Verification: Lu Tuan in *Piya* stated that Catalpa is the chief of all trees, hence called the King of Wood. This is because no wood is superior to Catalpa; thus, the *Book of Documents* named a chapter "Materials for Building," the *Book of Rites* referred to craftsmen as "Zi-men" (carpenters), and the imperial court used "Zi-gong" (catalpa coffin) to refer to coffins. Luo Yuan said: If this wood is used in houses, other woods will not shake. Its title as the King of Wood is evident.
[Collection of Explanations] *Bielu* states: The white bark of Catalpa grows in the valleys of Henei.
Tao Hongjing said: This is the bark of the Catalpa tree. There are three types of Catalpa; one should use those that are plain and not rotten.
Su Song said: It is now found everywhere, and is often planted in palaces, temples, homes, and gardens. The tree resembles Paulownia but has smaller leaves and purple flowers. *Erya* states: Yi is Zi. Guo Pu's annotation says: It is Qiu (Black Walnut). The *Classic of Poetry · Feng of Yong* states: "Yi, Tong, Zi, Qi, cut them down to make qin and se." Lu Ji's annotation says: Among Qiu trees, the ones with loose texture, white color, and bearing fruit are called Zi; those with fruit like Paulownia bark are called Yi. They are largely similar with minor differences. For medicinal use, the fruit-bearing variety should be used. There is also a type called Shu-Zi (Mouse Catalpa), alias "", which belongs to the Qiu genus. Its branches, leaves, and wood grain resemble Qiu. People today call it Ku-Qiu (Bitter Qiu), and people in Jiangdong call it Hu-Zi (Tiger Catalpa). The *Classic of Poetry · Xiao Ya* states "There is [Shu] in the North Mountain," referring to this. Shu-Li (Rhamnus) is also named Shu-Zi; some say it is this plant. However, its flowers and fruits are completely different, so it is likely a different species sharing the same name.
Qiu trees grow in valleys; although they share the same root origin as Catalpa, their ends differ. Those who consider them the same species are mistaken.
[These parts] are unsuitable for use.
Zi, "", and Qiu are four names for essentially the same entity. However, Lu Ji in his commentary on the *Classic of Poetry* defined Zi as Qiu with loose texture, white color, and fruit, and Yi as having fruit and Paulownia-like bark. Jia Sixie in *Qimin Yaoshu* defined Zi as the white variety with pod-like fruits, i.e., Jiao-Qiu, also known as Zi-Qiu. The yellow variety without fruit is Yi-Qiu, also known as Jing-Huang-Qiu. The distinction lies merely in the presence or absence of fruit. The pods are slender like chopsticks, nearly one chi long, remaining on the tree after leaves fall in winter. Its fruit is also called Yuzhang.
Li Shizhen said: Catalpa wood is found everywhere. There are three types: White-grained is Zi, red-grained is Qiu, and the beautiful-grained variety of Zi is Yi. The annotations by various scholars are particularly unclear. Paulownia is also called Yi, which is different from this. This Yi refers to the "Wenyi" (beautiful catalpa) mentioned by Shi Zi: "Chu possesses tall pines and beautiful catalpas."

White Bark of Catalpa
[Properties and Flavor] Bitter, Cold, Non-toxic.
[Indications] Heat toxins, expels three parasites (*Shennong Bencao Jing*).
Treats eye diseases, primarily vomiting and gastric reflux. For infant heat sores, fever and irritability of the body and head, and corrosive sores, decoct for bathing, or crush and apply externally (*Bielu*).
Decoct for washing infants' high fever, all kinds of sores and scabies, and skin itching (Tang Dynasty · Da Ming). Treats warm diseases complicated by cold pathogen invasion, transforming into stomach fullness/stagnation; boil the juice and drink it (Li Shizhen).
[Attached Formulas] One new formula.
Seasonal warm disease, headache and high fever, within one day of onset: Take fresh Catalpa wood, scrape off the black outer bark, take one sheng of the inner white part, decoct in two sheng five he of water. Take eight he per dose until cured (*Zhouhou Beiji Fang*).

Leaves
[Indications] Crush and apply to sores on pigs. Feeding pigs with these leaves makes them three times fatter (*Shennong Bencao Jing*).
Treats fiery rotting sores on hands and feet (*Bielu*).
Tao Hongjing said: The method of using Paulownia and Catalpa leaves to fatten pigs is not seen here; it should be in Shangqiu Zi's *Pig Raising Classic*.
Meng Shen said: Feeding pigs with the flowers and leaves of both trees can make them fat and easy to raise, as seen in Li Dangzhi's *Bencao* and *Bowuzhi*, but it does not mention applying them to pig sores.
[Attached Formulas] One new formula.
Wind-type tinea and nodules: Equal parts of Catalpa leaves, cotton seeds, male sheep feces, and rat feces. Place in a bottle, seal tightly, burn to extract the juice, and apply to the affected area (*Shixiao Lu Yanfang*).