Perilla, the purple leaf that revives
Zi Su Ye reads “the leaf of the purple that revives”: purple for the colour of the leaf, and Su for coming back to oneself, relaxing. Li Shizhen explains this second character by the temperament of the plant, which relaxes and puts at ease, moves the Qi and harmonises the Blood. Known as shiso, perilla has been on the menu throughout East Asia for centuries: it is one of the purest examples of what tradition calls “medicinal plant and food share one origin”. The leaf, purple on both sides and crinkled, is harvested in summer, when stems and leaves are at their fullest, then dried in the shade; the decisive sign of its quality is its scent, strong and characteristic.
Moving the Qi, harmonising the Middle
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the leaf is warm, pungent and aromatic: pungent opens and disperses, the aroma sets the Qi in motion. Linked with the Spleen, at the centre of digestion, it frees the Qi held up in the chest and the Middle Burner, giving the Stomach back its downward movement and the Spleen its upward one. Tradition also pairs it with fish and crab meals, which it considers cold and damp: the aromatic warmth of the leaf runs the opposite way. A legend attributes its discovery to an otter which, gorged on fish, recovered by eating a purple-leaved plant on the riverbank.
Dispersing Wind-Cold, gently
It also enters the Lung, which governs the surface of the body: pungent and warm, it disperses a Wind-Cold that has just come in, with a moderate warmth that brings on a gentle sweat, where the great surface herbs force. Hence it answers in one go both what comes from outside and what knots inside. The same plant gives three substances: the leaf goes outwards, the stem stays in the Middle, and the seed, Zi Su Zi, goes downwards. The leaf is added at the end of cooking, or simply infused in boiling water.
Key benefits
Light Digestion & Harmonised Middle
By giving the Stomach and Spleen back their natural movement, perilla supports good digestion, including after a seafood meal.
Moving Qi & Relaxation
Pungent and aromatic, it supports the circulation of Qi and unties what knots inside, true to its name.
Wind & Cold Dispersed
Warm without excess, it gently dispels wind and cold, according to Chinese tradition.
