Chirata is an erect annual herb of 80–110 cm long with a stout robust stem, which is rounded in the lower part and branching toward the top. It is about 6 mm thick, yellowish brown, glabrous and slightly winged. Leaves are 7–9 cm long, 3.5–4 cm wide, sessile, elliptic, acute, and seven veined flowers; tetramerous are greenish yellow with two glands on each lobe of corolla. Capsule is sessile, oblong with minute, irregularly ovoid seeds. Root is small, 5–10 cm long, twisted tapering with few rootlets. Its large continuous pith, both of the stem and the root, dark in colour separates easily thus helping to distinguish it from other species of this genus. The whole plant is collected after flowering, dried and bundled before being sent to the market. The dried drug consists of dried brownish stems with root and leaves intact. The powdered plant material is odorless and extremely bitter in taste.

Stems form the major portion of the drug and though the entire plant is used in traditional medicine, root is described as more powerful in terms of its properties.