Osthole is a substance extracted from the fruit of *Cnidium monnieri*, an annual herb of the Apiaceae family. It appears as a crystalline powder ranging in color from yellowish-green to white. It is insoluble in water and cold petroleum ether; readily soluble in acetone, methanol, ethanol, chloroform, and ethyl acetate; and soluble in boiling petroleum ether.

Osthole also serves as an agricultural insecticide and fungicide. It acts primarily through contact toxicity, supplemented by stomach toxicity; the solution is absorbed through the insect's body surface, causing non-functional muscle contractions that ultimately lead to the pest's death from exhaustion. It demonstrates effective contact-killing activity against a variety of pests, such as cabbage caterpillars, tea geometrids, cotton bollworms, beet armyworms, and various aphid species.

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