It has a long, thin, branching stem that is olive green and green-brown crumpled narrow leaves.

When harvesting herbs for medical use, the ones with the greenest stems and yellower roots are preferred.

Lobelia chinensis is considered one of the 50 fundamental herbs in Chinese herbology.

Historically, L. chinensis has been used in herbal medicine to help stop smoking, however the Food and Drug Administration has banned the use of herbs containing lobeline due to its lack of acceptable clinical efficacy data.

[6] Lobelia chinensis is considered mildly toxic[1] due to its adverse effects, including vomiting, heartburn, anxiety, vibrating, eclampsia, increased heart-rate, and severe stomach aches.