A short-hairy annual herb, up to 120 cm tall. Leaflets of lower leaves obovate, 25—35 mm x 14—18 mm, those of upper leaves obovate-cuneate, 40—50 mm x 10—15 mm, all mucronulate, nearly glabrous above, sparsely villous beneath, dark green; stipules setaceous. Inflorescence 5—10 cm long, sessile; flowers alternate; calyx 8—9 mm long, both lips shallowly dentate; corolla 15—16 mm long, white or blue. Pod 6—10 cm x 11—20 mm, shortly villous, glabrescent, yellow, 4—6-seeded. Seed orbicular-quadrangular, 8—14 mm in diameter, compressed or depressed, smooth, dull, light yellow, sometimes with dark variegation.|

Diuretic, emmenagogue, carminative, hypoglycaemic, vermifuge, deobstruent and pectoral (seeds).

Plants For A Future
PROSEA (Plant Resources of South-East Asia) Foundation

Alanine, arginine, asparagine, citric acid, erucic acid, glutamic acid, glycine, glycolic acid, histidine, isoleucine, lauric acid, lecithin, leucine, linoleic acid, lupanine, lupeol, lysine, malic acid, methionine, myristic acid, niacin, oleic acid, oxalic acid, palmitic acid, palmitoleic acid, phenylalanine, pipecolic acid, riboflavin, serine, sparteine, stearic acid, succinic acid, thiamin, threonine, tryptophan, tyrosine, valine, vanillin (seed); allantoin, trigonelline (sprouting seedling); genistein (hypocotyl)

Seeds are bruised and soaked in water they are used as a poultice on ulcers. A decoction of seeds increases the sugar tolerance in diabetic patients.