catechu

thumb|Catechu thumb|right|150 px|Bottle of catechu thumb|left|200 px|Catechu

Catechu ( or ) is an extract of acacia trees used variously as a food additive, astringent, tannin, and dye. It is extracted from several species of Acacia, but especially Senegalia catechu (previously called Acacia catechu), by boiling the wood in water and evaporating the resulting brew. The Malay name is the basis of the Latinized catechu chosen as the Linnaean taxonomy name of the plant species which provides the extract.