The efficacy and function of Chuantong bark

Chuantong bark is a commonly used medicinal material in traditional Chinese medicine and is often used in the treatment of various diseases. So today I will share with you some information about Chuantong bark.

【English Name】 Septemlobate Kalopanax Bark

【Other name】 Catalpa ovata, thorny catalpa

[Source] It is the bark of Kalopanax septemlobus (Thunb.) Koidz., a plant of the Araliaceae family. It can be harvested throughout the year, preferably in spring, and sun-dried.

[Original form] Deciduous tree with thick thorns on branches. The leaves are alternate on long branches and clustered on short branches. They are palmately 5-7 lobed, with lobes triangular-ovate to oblong-oblanceolate, gradually pointed or convex at the apex, with fine serrations on the margins, and short soft hairs on the underside when young. Umbels aggregate into panicles; flowers white or yellowish green; calyx teeth 5; petals 5; stamens 5, filaments more than 1 times longer than petals; ovary inferior, 2-chambered, styles 2, connate into a column, apex separated. The fruit is spherical and black when ripe. The flowering period is from July to August, and the fruiting period is from October to November.

[Habitat distribution] Growing in sparse forests in mountains. Produced in Anhui, Hubei, Hunan and Guangxi.

[Properties] The bark is plate-like or curled inwards, 2 to 7 mm thick. The outer surface is light gray-black with gray-white stripes, or gray-green to dark brown lichens attached, with longitudinal wrinkles and cracks and brown-brown diamond-shaped lenticels. The thorns are nipple-shaped, slightly longitudinally flattened, with sharp thorns or marks left by removal at the top, and the diameter of the base of the thorns is 0.5 to 1 cm. Some larger thorns have slight annular marks; the inner surface is yellow-brown, smooth, and has fine longitudinal lines. The texture is hard and the cross section is fibrous. It has a faint smell, a slightly spicy taste, and a slight numbing effect on the tongue.

[Chemical composition] The bark contains tannins, flavonoids, coumarins, resins, essential oils and a small amount of alkaloids; the root bark contains kalotoxin and kalosaponin.

[Nature and flavor] Neutral in nature, slightly bitter in taste.

【Functions and indications】Relieve rheumatism, dredge meridians, and relieve pain. Used for rheumatoid arthritis, pain in the waist and knees; used externally for traumatic injuries.

【Excerpt】 《*Dictionary》

The above is the relevant knowledge about Chuantong bark introduced to you. Through the above article, you can clearly understand that Chuantong bark has many benefits and functions to the human body, so you can use Chuantong bark to treat some diseases.