[3] It is native to southeast Asia and surrounding regions, from India to China to Queensland, It is especially common on the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia.

It is also reportedly naturalized in Puerto Rico, Mauritius, Réunion, Fiji, Hawaii, Costa Rica, Belize, Melanesia, Micronesia, and the West Indies.

[4] Cheilocostus speciosus and other members of the Costaceae differ from gingers by having only one row of spirally arranged leaves.

[5] The plant has many historical uses in Ayurveda, where the rhizome has been used to treat fever, rash, asthma, bronchitis, and intestinal worms.

It was used as a traditional medicine by Malays when evil spirits have possessed a body,[7] as well as for the treatment of high fever, smallpox and as a purgative.