Remember our flower tree? Now, it is full of some types of beans. I did some googling and realize it is Catalpa tree. That tree has so many names, Catalpa, Catawba, Indian Bean Tree, Cigar Tree, etc.
Some said the Indians smoked the bean pods for a hallucinogenic effect, so the tree became known as the "Indian Cigar Tree", the Indian bean, and smoking bean.

According to a plant database, http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Catalpa+bignonioides
A tea made from the bark has been used as an antiseptic, antidote to snake bites, laxative, sedative and vermifuge. As well as having a sedative effect, the plant also has a mild narcotic action, though it never causes a dazed condition. It has therefore been used with advantage in preparations with other herbs for the treatment of whooping cough in children, it is also used to treat asthma and spasmodic coughs in children. The bark has been used as a substitute for quinine in treating malaria.
The leaves are used as a poultice on wounds and abrasions.
A tea made from the seeds is used in the treatment of asthma and bronchitis and is applied externally to wounds.
The pods are sedative and are thought to have cardioactive properties. Distilled water made from the pods, mixed with eyebright (Euphrasia officinalis) and rue (Ruta graveolens) is a valuable eye lotion in the treatment of trachoma and conjunctivitis.

Check out the bean tree now.


It is full of beans.....