Ku shen is a dwarf-shrub, 50 to 120cm high. Root is cylindrical and yellow in appearance. Stems are herbaceous, green, and with yellow hair when young and irregular longitudinal groove. Pinnately compound leaves are odd, alternate, and with linear stipules underneath; blade is from 20 to 25cm long and with pubescent axis; leaflets are 5 to 21, with a short handle, ovate-elliptic to oblong-lanceolate, rounded or blunt-tipped apex, rounded or wedge-shaped base, and entire margin. Racemes are acrogenous, short-haired, 10 to 20cm long; bracts are linear; Flowers are yellowish white; calyx is bell-shaped and slightly oblique; corolla looks like butterfly. Pods are linear; apex is with a long beak. Seeds usually are 3 to 7, black, nearly spherical, and with constriction between seeds. It flowers from May to July and fruits from July to September. Habitats are places exposed to the sun, including grassy hillside, plains, roadsides, sandy soil and red soil.