Berberis aristata DC. commonly known as “Rashut or Rasanjan (Daruharidra)” is spinous, deciduous shrub native in northern Himalayan region. The plant is widely distributed from Himalayas to Sri Lanka, Bhutan and hilly area of Nepal. Berberis aristata has been used in Ayurvedic medicine from very long time. The plant is used traditionally in inflammation, wound healing, skin disease, menohrrhagia, diarrhea, jaundice and infection of eyes. Pharmacological studies on the plant reveal the proven activity of it as hypoglycemic, antimalarial, antibacterial, antifungal, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, antioxidant and anticancer. The physico-chemical, morphological, histological parameters, and High Performance Thin Layer Chromatographic (HPTLC) profile presented in this paper may be proposed as parameters to establish the authenticity of B. aristata and can possibly help to differentiate the drug from its other species. The pharmacognostic profile of the Rasanjan presented here will assist in the standardization viz., quality, purity, and sample identification.