Annual plant with bright yellow flowers; varieties of Brassica spp. (also known as Sinapsis spp) Cruciferae. Habit. Europe, Asia, naturalized in U.S. Constit. Sinigrin (potassium myronate), myrosin, sinapine sulfocyanate, fixed oil; erucic, behenic, and sinapolic acids. Parts used are the seeds and the oils produced from them. Only black mustard yields a volatile oil which consists almost entirely of allyl isothiocyanate, q.v. Brief review: S. Arctander in Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin (Elizabeth, NJ, 1960) pp 424-425.
Dried ripe seeds of B. nigra (L.) Koch.
Dried ripe seeds of B. alba (L.) Boiss.
Vegetable oil expressed from the seeds of both black and white mustard. Constit. Chiefly the glycerides of oleic acid and other fatty acids, including arachidic.
Counterirritant; has also been used as an emetic.