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The red pigment in the roots of ''Arnebia hispidissima'' is composed of a group of naphthoquinonic dyes including shikonin (and esters), its optical isomer alkannin (and derivatives) and their common racemic form shikalkin, as well as arnebifuranone which is another type of compound. The same naphthoquinonic colorants are also present in the roots of several other ''Boraginaceae'' species traditionally used as body paint or textile dyes in other parts of the world (e.g. ''Alkanna tinctoria'' (L.) Tausch. in Europe and the Mediterranean region, ''Lithospermum erythrorhizon'' Siebold & Zucc. in China and Japan, ''Lithospermum caroliniense'' (Walter ex J.F.Gmel.) Macmil. in North America). They are poorly soluble in water but more easily so in alcohol and fats, which explains their uses as colorants in cosmetics. In India, medicinal active principles isolated from the aerial parts include arnebins and the triterpenoids betulin, β-amyrin and lupeol. All compounds (of both roots and aerial parts) showed antimicrobial activity, more powerfully against bacteria than against fungi.

Annual herb up to 40 cm tall, erect or ascending, much branched from the base, with strong red roots, densely covered with white bristles. Leaves alternate, simple, without stipules, sessile; blade linear-lanceolate, 1.5–8 cm × 0.2–1 cm, apex acute to obtuse, margin entire. Inflorescence spike-like, consisting of terminal, short and dense scorpioid cymes, simple or forked; bracts leaf-like. Flowers sessile, bisexual, regular, 5-merous; calyx deeply divided, lobes 5–8 mm long, unequal, hardly accrescent in fruit; corolla tubular, 8–16 mm long, yellow, tube hairy inside, lobes small; stamens inserted at about the middle of the corolla tube, filaments c. 0.5 mm long, anthers 1.5 mm; ovary superior, 4-lobed, style c. 1 cm long, 2-lobed, each lobe ending in a reniform stigma. Fruit consisting of 4 pyramidal nutlets up to 2 mm long, ventrally keeled, granulose to smooth, grey to yellow-brown.