It is an upright plant, growing to 70 centimetres (28 in) in width[2] and up to 1.2 metres (4 ft) tall in moist, fertile soil.

Within Asia, it is found in Afghanistan, Armenia, the Caucasus, China (in the provinces of Gansu, Jiangsu, Qinghai, Xinjiang and Xizang), Cyprus, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel–Palestine, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Syria and Turkey.

In middle Europe, it is found in Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia and Switzerland.

In southeastern Europe, within Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia.

[11][12] The plant was brought here centuries ago by Catholic missionaries during the era of Spanish exploration and colonization, as a food crop, according to Matt Loftis, a manager of Mountain Forestry Department at TreePeople in Los Angeles, California.

[17] The seeds are usually thrown into hot oil or ghee, after which they pop, releasing a characteristic nutty flavor.

[5] In Ethiopia, where the plant is cultivated as a vegetable in Gondar, Harar and Shewa, the shoots and leaves are consumed cooked and the seeds used as a spice.

[citation needed] In the UK, the plant was used to make "hot mustard baths", which would aid people with colds.

[3] Ground seeds of the plant mixed with honey are widely used in eastern Europe as a cough suppressant.

In Eastern Canada, the use of mouche de moutarde to treat respiratory infections was popular before the advent of modern medicine.