Much-branched, aromatic, fast-growing, pubescent annual herb, to 4 m tall, with taproot; lower leaves lyrate-pinnatisect, With 1–3 pairs of lateral lobes and larger terminal lobe, hispid on both surfaces; upper leaves linear-oblong, entire or sinuate, glabrous, dentate, all leaves petiolate; flowers in enlongate racemes, regular petals yellow, 7–9 mm long, stamens 6, fruit a silique, long slender beaked pod, 1.0–2.0 cm long, smooth cylindrical, 1.5–2 mm wide with 10–12 seeds, beak seedless, on short (2.5–6 mm) pedicels; seeds dark reddish-brown to black, oval to spherical, about 1 mm in diameter, more or less covered with white pellicle, taste pungent.

Diuretic, emetic, rubefacient and stimulant (seed); antiseptic (mustard flour)

Brassica nigra (L.) Koch
Black mustard
Plants for a Future

Allyl-isothiocyanate, caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, ferulic acid, p-coumaric acid, protocatechuic acid, sinapic acid, sinigrin, vanillic acid (seed); alpha-linolenic acid, arginine, ascorbic acid, beta-carotene, cystine, erucic acid, linoleic acid, menthionine, niacin, oleic acid, palmitic acid, pantothenic acid, phenylalanine, riboflavin, stearic acid, thiamin, threonine, tryptophan, tyrosine (leaf)

For indurations of the liver and spleen, carcinoma, throat tumors, imposthumes (seed decoction); relieves congestion by drawing the blood to the surface as in head afflictions, neuralgia and spasms, for treating alopecia, epilepsy, snakebite, and toothache (seed);