The plants are found from the Mediterranean region, North Africa, Middle East through to China.

[1] Species as according to Plants of the World Online as of January 2024[update]:[3] They typically grow in desert or sand dune areas Growing in arid regions, where their flower spikes that emerge from bare ground are the only evidence of the presence of the plants.

The drug, known in Chinese as suosuo dayun, is collected in spring before sprouting, by slicing the stems of the plant.

Cistanche deserticola has been placed on CITES Appendix 2, a list of endangered species not banned from trade but requiring monitoring.

Aside from over-collection or indiscriminate collection, an important factor in the diminished supply of cistanche is a loss of the host, Haloxylon ammodendron, which is widely used for firewood.