Jiaogulan is a short lived perennial plant. The name of the plant literally means in Chinese "twisting, crotched indigo plant" (or "crossed thighs indigo plant"). It is a climbing vine, attaching itself to supports using tendrils. The saw-toothed leaves grow in groups of five. Each plant exists either as male or female. If seeds are desired, both a male and female plant must be grown. Native of the southern China, northern Vietnam, southern Korea, and Japan the plant is best known for its use as an herbal remedy. It has not been commonely uses in traditional Chinese medicine because it grows far from central China. Until recently it was a locally-known herb used primarily in mountainous regions of southern China and in northern Vietnam. It is described by the local inhabitants as the "immortality herb", because people within Guizhou Province, where Jiaogulan herbal teas are consumed regularly, are said to have a history of unusual longevity. In 1976 a Japanese researcher, looking for a sugar alternative, discovered an herb with many qualities similar to ginseng, even though unrelated as a plant.