It grows wild in Kashmir, Punjab and upper Gangetic plains. It is also cultivated as a pot herb in other parts of India. It is an aromatic, erect plant about 1-2 feet tall.
Flowers are yellowish white or white.
Fruit pods are 5-7.5 cm long with a beak. There are about 10-20 greenish brown seeds per pod. The seeds have a deep groove across one corner. The leaves are refrigerant and a poultice of the leaves is applied on swellings and burns. The seeds are bitter, aromatic, anti flatulent, astringent, thermogenic and tonic.