Its rhizome is a root vegetable that can be eaten raw, pickled, dried or cooked.

S. affinis is a perennial herbaceous plant with red to purple flowers and reaches a height of 30–120 centimetres (12–47 in).

[4] Before S. affinis was introduced to Europe, a related crop named S. palustris was collected in nature to be consumed as a vegetable.

Later on the Germanic peoples used S. recta, another relative of S. affinis, as a medicinal plant.

At the beginning of the 20th century S. affinis became more and more popular until it was abandoned again in the 1970s due to problems with viruses and the plant's strong vagility (tendency to spread).

A later described species, named S. sieboldii, in dedication to the German-Dutch botanist and japanologist Philipp Franz von Siebold, is considered to be a synonym.

[1] A wide range of uses for this vegetable leads to various dishes in the cuisine of many countries.

In French cuisine, its cooked tuber is often served alongside dishes named japonaise or Japanese-styled.

In traditional Chinese medicine, the entirety of S. affinis is used as an agent to treat colds and pneumonia.

[16] In addition, root extract of S. affinis has shown antimicrobial activity.