The tuber of this plant, frequently mislabeled as the root, is an important therapeutic agent in traditional Chinese medicine.

It is native to high-altitude grasslands across China including in the provinces of Anhui, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang, but is more widely cultivated.

According to the Flora of China, this perennial herbaceous plant produces 5 to 15 purple-blue tubular flowers in clusters that curve out at the opening.

Yanhusuo is first mentioned in Ben Cao Shi Yi (Omissions from the Materia Medica), written by Chen Cang-Qi in 720 CE.

The alkaloid dehydrocorybulbine (DHCB) can be extracted from the roots of the plant.