Tsaoko fruit comes from a perennial herb related to the ginger family. The plant thrives in the world's rain forests and tropical regions, with brightly colored flowers, long leaves and slender stems. In China, tsaoko fruit is produced mainly in the Yunna, Guangxi and Guizhou provinces. The fruit is gathered in the autumn when ripe, cleaned, then dried in the sun. Once dried, the outer shell of the fruit is removed, as are the fruit's seeds.