Herb library · Herb · Perilla frutescens
Perilla (shiso, zisu)
A mint-family herb with purple or green leaves, eaten as shiso in Japan and deulkkae in Korea and used as zisu in Chinese medicine for colds. Small trials of leaf extracts, some funded by their makers, found some benefit for digestive discomfort, hay fever and memory.
Traditional use
Stuart's 1911 English guide to the Chinese materia medica, following Li Shizhen's Bencao Gangmu, records that the young leaves were eaten as a vegetable and pickled with plums, and made into a fragrant drink, and that the stalks and leaves were used for driving away colds, for the stomach, and as an antidote to poisoning from fish and meat. The seeds were pressed for oil and prescribed for coughs and asthma. Today purple shiso colors Japanese umeboshi plums, the leaves wrap food in Korea, and zisu leaf is still a standard Chinese herb for colds.
What studies show
- Limited
Digestive discomfort: in a 4-week placebo-controlled pilot trial in 50 otherwise healthy adults, a perilla leaf extract eased bloating, gas and fullness. The difference from placebo was clearer in women.
- Limited
Hay fever: in a 3-week placebo-controlled trial in 29 people with mild seasonal allergies, a perilla extract rich in rosmarinic acid eased itchy nose and eyes. It is one small trial.
- Limited
Memory: in a 12-week placebo-controlled trial in 100 Korean adults with mild cognitive impairment, a purple perilla leaf extract improved scores on memory tests more than placebo. It was funded by the extract's maker and has not been repeated.
Be careful of
Cautions
- AllergyPerilla seed can cause food allergy, including in children, and may cross-react with sesame. People with sesame allergy should be careful with perilla seeds and oil.
- NoteSome Chinese herbal products have been contaminated with heavy metals, pesticides or other herbs, according to NCCIH. Buy from makers that test their products.
- PregnancyAs a food it is widely eaten. No safety information for concentrated extracts in pregnancy or breastfeeding was found.
- Ask a clinicianTalk with a clinician or pharmacist before using perilla extracts if you take prescription medicines, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are giving them to a child.
From the old books
What herbals and dispensaries of the past printed. History, in their words.
“The stalk and the leaves, 1203, are used for driving away colds, as a stomachic and tonic, in cholera, and to benefit the alimentary canal.”
“They are considered to be diaphoretic and pectoral, and antidotal to fish and flesh poison.”
Sources
- Perilla extract improves gastrointestinal discomfort in a randomized placebo controlled double blind human pilot study (BMC Complement Altern Med, 2014) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
- Extract of Perilla frutescens enriched for rosmarinic acid, a polyphenolic phytochemical, inhibits seasonal allergic rhinoconjunctivitis in humans (Exp Biol Med, 2004) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
- Efficacy and Safety of Standardized Ethanol Extract of Purple Perilla (Perilla frutescens Britton var. acuta Kudo) Leaves in Cognitive Impairment: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial (Nutrients, 2026) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
- Allergy to White Perilla and Cross-reactivity With Sesame (J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol, 2024) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
- A child case of egoma (Perilla frutescens) allergy due to school lunch, probably caused by percutaneous sensitization (Arerugi, 2024) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
- Traditional Chinese Medicine: What You Need To Know (opens in a new tab) · NCCIH · read September 25, 2026
Reviewed September 25, 2026.