Medicinals

zǐ sū yè / 紫苏叶 / 紫蘇葉 / perilla leaf;

Latin pharmacognostic name: Perillae Folium

Alternate English names: beefsteak plant leaf

Alternate Chinese names: 苏叶 sū yè

Origin: Plant

Use: medicinal and alimentary

Category: Exterior-resolving agents / Warm acrid exterior-resolving agents

Properties: Acrid; warm.

Channel entry: lung and spleen channels.

Indications:

Dosage & Method:

Oral: 3–10g in decoctions; 30–60g may be used for fish or crab poisoning. It should not be boiled for long.

Notes:

The leaf of the plant is preferred for promoting sweating and resolving the exterior, but the stem, zǐ sū gěng (Perillae Caulis), is best for rectifying qì and quieting the fetus. The stem is a relatively balanced qì-rectifying medicinal, so it is often used for vacuity cases.

Product Description:

These are long or round ovate leaves, 4–11 cm long, with long pointed tips and serrated margins. Their upper surface is green or purple, and the under surface is purple, the color deepening when they dry. Both surfaces are covered with downy hair, which is densest on the veins of the lower surface.

Quality:

Dry, purple leaves of even thickness are the best.

Product Area:

Húběi, Jiāngsū, Hénán, Shāndōng, Jiāngxī, Zhèjiāng, Sìchuān, and Japan.

Etymology:

The name zǐ sū yè 紫苏叶 (zǐ sū yè), ""purple perilla leaf,"" reflects the color of the leaf. The character 苏, perilla, is explained as meaning 稣, ease, unobstructed.XXX

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