This plant originates from Asia, specifically Myanmar, and is also spread across tropical Africa. Ceguk is often cultivated as an ornamental plant, a hedge, and a medicinal plant. In Indonesia, the young leaf shoots can be consumed, either fresh or cooked. The people of West Africa also use its stems as material for making baskets.

Ceguk can grow in tropical regions, rainforests, rural areas, forests, fields, and bushland, and can be found up to an altitude of 600 m a.s.l.. It requires full sunlight, tolerates various soil conditions with good drainage, and can adapt to different pH levels.

• Stem: Has many branches, is round/cylindrical, the surface is smooth and scaly when old, and it is hollow.

• Leaves: Simple, opposite in arrangement, short-stalked, with an oblong ovate to elliptic leaf blade, a pointed tip, pinnate venation, and a green color.

• Flowers: Arranged in a spike that emerges from the tip of the stalk, has 5 petals that change color from reddish-white to reddish-purple, and are fragrant.

• Fruit: Five-angled, elongated with narrowed tips and bases. When ripe, the fruit is brown and ready for harvest.

• Propagation is done generatively (by seed and root suckers) as well as vegetatively (by stem cuttings).

• Root, Seed, or Fruit: Antihelminthic (expels parasitic worms), reduces diarrhea, and treats nephritis (kidney inflammation).

• Leaves: An analgesic (pain reliever) for pain caused by fever, treats flatulence during dysentery, and acts as an expectorant.

• Root: Anti-rheumatic.

• Alkaloids, amino acids, saponins, glycosides, steroids, tannins, flavonoids, phenolic compounds, quisqualic acid, quisqualin A, rutin, trigonelline, L-proline, L-aspargine, oleic acid, palmitic acid, and pelargonidin-3-glucoside.