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Perilla leaf
紫苏叶 〔紫蘇葉〕zǐ sū yè
Latin pharmacognostic name: Perillae Folium
Alternate English names: beefsteak plant leaf
Alternate Chinese names: 苏叶 sū yè
Kingdom: Plant
Origin in PRC Pharmacopoeia: Perilla frutescens (L.) Britt. (PRC Pharmacopoeia)
Origin (other sources): Perilla frutescens (L.) Britt.*; Perilla frutescens (L.) Britt. var. crispa (Thunb.) Hand.-Mazz.; Perilla frutescens (L.) Britt. var. acuta (Thunb.) Kudo.
Use: Medicinal and alimentary
Category: Exterior-resolving agents / Warm acrid exterior-resolving agents
Properties: Acrid; warm.
Channel entry: Lung and spleen channels.
Indications:
- Effuses the exterior and disperses cold: Common cold due to external contraction of wind-cold, with heat effusion, aversion to cold, headache, nasal congestion, cough, and oppression in the chest.
- Moves qì and loosens the center: Spleen-stomach qì stagnation with oppression in the chest and vomiting.
- Additional uses: Zǐ sū yè is used to treat abdominal pain,
vomiting and retching , and diarrhea from eating fish or crabs. For this purpose, it can be used alone or in combination with Shēng jiāng (生姜 Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens, fresh ginger) and Bái zhǐ (白芷 Angelicae Dahuricae Radix, Dahurian angelica).
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 sū 苏, perilla, is explained as meaning sū 稣, ease, unobstructed.