The plant originates from India and is distributed in tropical regions such as Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Indochina, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Generally, it is used as a live fence, a medicinal plant, a cosmetic ingredient for facial care, and a biopesticide.

It grows well at altitudes up to 500 m a.s.l.. Gandarusa is a wild plant that lives in forests or on riverbanks. It thrives under direct sunlight and tolerates shade.

• Root: Taproot and is brown.

• Stem: Woody, square-shaped, branched, jointed (beruas-ruas), blackish-brown.

• Leaves: Simple, oppositely arranged with pinnate venation, short-stalked, dark green, lanceolate with a length of 5–20 cm and a width of 1–3.5 cm, with a tapering tip.

• Flowers: Purple in color, the corolla is tubular, two-lipped, compound, in the form of a panicle with a length of 3–12 cm.

• Fruit: Double-shaped, containing four seeds.

• Seeds: Brown, small, and hard.

• Propagation is done vegetatively (by stem cuttings). Cuttings are taken from the young parts of the plant.

• Cuttings are planted in the growing medium with a minimum watering frequency of once every two days.

It is a fever reducer for children, relieves muscle pain, a remedy for boils, an analgesic, diuretic, male contraceptive agent, treats asthma, rheumatism, gout, aids in the regeneration process of joints and bones, and heals chronic wounds (borok).

Justicin, alkaloids, saponins, flavonoids, flavonol-3-glycoside, essential oils, luteolin, iso orientin (luteolin-6-C-glycoside), coumarins, iridoids, triterpenes or sterols, calcium oxalate, and tannins.