The homeland of this plant is southern China. The highest quality of Kudin, its Chinese name, is produced in the Sichuan province. There are several different plants (varieties of holly berry and privet), which provide the leaves for the preparation of the drink. Different types of Kudin differ in taste: for example, "nails" have the bitter taste, "spindles" are slightly smoky, the tiny young leaves of the privet are bitter-sweet, and kudin sweets have a menthol aftertaste.

Despite its specific taste, this bitter herb is used in traditional Chinese medicine as a cure for diabetes. Kudin also contains sodium, silicon, sulfur, flavonoids (10 times more than green tea), so regular use of kudin infusion will increase the body's resistance to various viruses, normalize the metabolism and regulate blood sugar levels.