What is CATALPA? Catalpa is a tree with heart shaped leaves. Not only is it a large tree providing ample shade, its medicinal attributes are well documented… It’s bark and leaves can be boiled to make a tea and poultices, often used in herbal medicine as mild sedatives and laxatives, and to treat skin wounds and abrasions. The leaves, flowers, bark, and roots have been used as a treatment for snake bites, whooping cough and even malaria; while the flowers and seed pods have also been used to make medicines for bronchial infections and asthma. Our name is thus a metaphor for our music: healing, spiritually uplifting, mystical, and inspirational.