What is a basil?

Perilla is a annual herb belonging to the Lamiaceae family.

The leaves of Perilla are mostly crumpled and curled; when fully flattened, they are ovate with a brittle texture.

Among Perilla varieties, those featuring tender purple branches, a hollow in the cross-section, a delicate fragrance, a slightly pungent taste, and a rich purple color and aroma are considered superior.

Perilla embodies the concept of medicine-food homology. As a traditional Chinese medicinal herb, it regulates the “Five Qi” of the human body: dispelling cold qi, clearing lung qi, resolving phlegm qi, soothing middle energizer qi, and calming fetal qi. The Song Dynasty poet Zhang Fu wrote in his poem Perilla: “Among all herbs, its virtues were first recorded by Shennong.” In the Compendium of Materia Medica, it is explained that “Su” means “to soothe and unblock.” Perilla’s nature is to relax the body, promote qi circulation, and invigorate blood flow, hence its name. Pungent and warm in nature, it acts on the lung and spleen meridians. It is used to treat wind-cold colds, fever with chills, cough and asthma, chest and abdominal distension, restless fetal movement, and to detoxify fish and crab poisoning.
Every part of the perilla plant is valuable. It is rich in thiamine, manganese, copper, magnesium, zinc, potassium, sodium, carotene, vitamins A & C, niacin, calcium, protein, riboflavin, iron, phosphorus, and other nutrients. As one of China’s first approved medicinal and edible plants, perilla offers benefits such as lowering lipids and blood pressure, detoxifying and protecting the liver, and improving memory. Renowned as “plant brain gold” and “deep-sea fish oil on land,” it holds extremely high economic value.