This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
This information is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your healthcare provider before using herbs, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medications, or have a medical condition.
Perilla contains rosmarinic acid, luteolin, and apigenin, which inhibit inflammatory mediators including histamine and leukotrienes. These compounds suppress cytokine release and modulate immune cell activity, reducing allergic inflammation. Perillaldehyde contributes additional anti-inflammatory effects. Evidence level C supports these mechanisms, though more human clinical trials are needed to fully establish efficacy.
Does Perilla interact with any medications?
Perilla may interact with anticoagulant and antiplatelet medications due to potential effects on blood clotting. Limited clinical data exists on specific drug interactions. Patients taking warfarin, aspirin, or other blood thinners should consult a healthcare provider before using Perilla supplements. Always disclose all herbal supplements to your pharmacist or physician to prevent potential interactions.
What is the recommended dosage for Perilla?
The typical adult dosage is 5-10 grams of fresh herb or 500-1000mg of standardized extract daily. For allergic rhinitis, extracts standardized to rosmarinic acid content are commonly used. Dosage varies based on preparation and condition. Consult a qualified herbalist or healthcare provider for personalized dosing recommendations tailored to your specific needs.
Is Perilla safe during pregnancy and breastfeeding?
Perilla is generally considered safe during pregnancy when consumed in normal culinary amounts. However, concentrated extracts and therapeutic doses should only be used under professional guidance. Limited clinical data exists on Perilla use during breastfeeding. Pregnant and nursing women should consult their healthcare provider before using Perilla supplements.
Can Perilla help with seasonal allergies and hay fever?
Perilla frutescens has been traditionally used in East Asian medicine for respiratory allergies and allergic rhinitis. Rosmarinic acid and flavonoids may help reduce allergic inflammation and symptom severity. Evidence level C indicates promising preliminary data, though more rigorous clinical trials are needed. Perilla may complement conventional allergy treatments when used with professional guidance.
What are the side effects of taking Perilla?
Perilla is generally well-tolerated with rare side effects. Some individuals may experience allergic reactions, particularly those sensitive to plants in the Lamiaceae family. Photosensitivity has been reported occasionally. High doses may potentially cause liver toxicity with prolonged use. Discontinue use if rash, digestive upset, or unusual symptoms occur and consult a healthcare provider.
PubMed-compiled information sheet
This sheet was compiled from PubMed (NIH) abstracts using AI assistance. Every factual claim is cited to a real PubMed article (see the source list). It has not yet been human-reviewed — confirm with a healthcare provider before use.
Compiled from 30 PubMed articles · model: gemma4:31b
Summary
Perilla frutescens is an annual herb of the Labiatae family widely grown in Asia, recognized for its diverse pharmacological effects including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antiviral properties [PMID:37570851, PMID:39064906].
Background
Perilla frutescens (L.) Britt. is an annual herbal medicinal, aromatic, and functional food plant belonging to the Lamiaceae (mint) family, native to East Asian countries including China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, and India [PMID:30597896, PMID:35684514]. It is cultivated as a pharmaceutical crop and edible plant, with its leaves, stems, and seeds utilized [PMID:37538863, PMID:36978975].
Traditional uses
Traditionally, Perilla has been prescribed to treat asthma, chest stuffiness, vomiting, coughs, colds, flus, phlegm, tumors, allergies, intoxication, fever, headache, stuffy nose, anxiety, and depression-related diseases [PMID:30597896].
Active compounds
The plant contains approximately 400 bioactive compounds [PMID:35684514]. Key active components include perilla aldehyde (PAH), rosmarinic acid (Ros A), lignans, isoestrogen (IK) [PMID:37570851], perilla ketone, and isoegomaketone [PMID:36337585]. Other constituents include alkaloids, terpenoids, flavonoids, anthocyanins (mainly in red perilla), carotenoids, and polyunsaturated fatty acids such as α-linolenic and linoleic acid in the seeds [PMID:35684514, PMID:38891275, PMID:36382855]. Prunasin has been identified as the most abundant cyanogenic glycoside [PMID:36169782].
Mechanism of action
Perilla frutescens leaf extracts may alleviate acute lung injury by inhibiting KAT2A and suppressing the phosphorylation of STAT [PMID:39181280]. Rosmarinic acid, a major polyphenol, exerts anti-inflammatory effects [PMID:37463180]. The herb also demonstrates antiviral activity by inhibiting viral replication through specific target genes and signaling pathways [PMID:39064906].
Clinical evidence
Evidence DAcute Lung Injury (ALI)
Leaf extracts significantly attenuated histopathological changes in lungs, improved respiratory function, and increased survival rates in mice [PMID:39181280].
Evidence AIgA Nephropathy
High doses of PF extracts led to a statistically significant reduction in proteinuria and PCNA levels in rat models [PMID:37513901].
Evidence DCystitis
Rosmarinic acid ameliorated hydrochloric acid-induced shortening of micturition interval by 49% in rats [PMID:37463180].
Evidence DUranium Contamination
PF demonstrated efficiency in uranyl decorporation, removing 68.87% of uranium in kidneys and 56.66% in femurs in vivo [PMID:38159731].
Evidence CAllergies
Reviews indicate an important clinical effect of Perilla frutescens extracts on allergies, though clinical evidence is generally poorly outlined [PMID:36978975].
Safety & adverse effects
One case of occupational allergic contact dermatitis from Perilla frutescens (shiso) has been reported [PMID:1534737].
Evidence summary
The evidence is primarily based on review articles (Level C) and animal/cell culture studies (Level D), with one systematic review/meta-analysis of rat models (Level A). Human clinical evidence is described as poorly outlined.
PubMed sources
1.PMID: 37570851 (2023) — The Role and Mechanism of Perilla frutescens in Cancer Treatment. · Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
2.PMID: 36978975 (2023) — Applications of Perilla frutescens Extracts in Clinical Practice. · Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland)
3.PMID: 37538863 (2023) — Perilla frutescens: A traditional medicine and food homologous plant. · Chinese herbal medicines
4.PMID: 37463180 (2023) — Rosmarinic acid ameliorates HCl-induced cystitis in rats. · PloS one
5.PMID: 39064906 (2024) — The Antiviral Potential of Perilla frutescens: Advances and Perspectives. · Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
6.
Government sources
No direct government monograph is available for this herb. The content below is AI-generated and has not been verified against an authoritative government source. Use the search links to check official sources before relying on this information.
PMID: 30727394 (2012) — Gray Mold of Green Shiso (Perilla frutescens), Caused by Botrytis cinerea, in California. · Plant disease
7.PMID: 35684514 (2022) — Perilla frutescens: A Rich Source of Pharmacological Active Compounds. · Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
8.PMID: 38891275 (2024) — Improving the Traits of Perilla frutescens (L.) Britt Using Gene Editing Technology. · Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
9.PMID: 32202482 (2020) — Perilla Mosaic Virus Is a Highly Divergent Emaravirus Transmitted by Shevtchenkella sp. (Acari: Eriophyidae). · Phytopathology
10.PMID: 30597896 (2018) — Ethnomedicinal, Phytochemical and Pharmacological Investigations of Perilla frutescens (L.) Britt. · Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
11.PMID: 37077633 (2023) — Genome-edited HEADING DATE 3a knockout enhances leaf production in Perilla frutescens. · Frontiers in plant science
12.PMID: 36337585 (2022) — Advances in the Pharmacological Activities and Effects of Perilla Ketone and Isoegomaketone. · Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM
13.PMID: 39147533 (2024) — Changes in polyphenolic compounds and antioxidant activity of Japanese pickled apricot with salted red perilla leaf during pickling and digestion process. · Food research international (Ottawa, Ont.)
14.PMID: 27890564 (2017) — Phytochemical and phytopharmacological review of Perilla frutescens L. (Labiatae), a traditional edible-medicinal herb in China. · Food and chemical toxicology : an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association
15.PMID: 36382855 (2022) — Metabolites and chemometric study of Perilla (Perilla frutescens) from different varieties and geographical origins. · Journal of food science
16.PMID: 31848798 (2020) — Rosmarinic acid in Perilla frutescens and perilla herb analyzed by HPLC. · Journal of natural medicines
17.PMID: 36169782 (2023) — Content and distribution of prunasin in Perilla frutescens. · Journal of natural medicines
18.PMID: 38159731 (2024) — Perilla frutescens: A new strategy for uranium decorporation. · Chemosphere
19.PMID: 37818572 (2024) — Investigation of the Molecular Mechanisms Underlying the Therapeutic Effect of Perilla frutescens L. Essential Oil on Acute Lung Injury Using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry and Network Pharmacology. · Combinatorial chemistry & high throughput screening
20.PMID: 39181280 (2025) — Perilla frutescens leaf extracts alleviate acute lung injury in mice by inhibiting KAT2A. · Journal of ethnopharmacology
21.PMID: 36605512 (2022) — Perilla frutescens as potential antimicrobial modifier to against forage oat silage spoilage. · Frontiers in microbiology
22.PMID: 32489042 (2020) — [Planting density of Perilla frutescens PA-type]. · Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica
23.PMID: 36383440 (2023) — A highly contiguous genome assembly of red perilla (Perilla frutescens) domesticated in Japan. · DNA research : an international journal for rapid publication of reports on genes and genomes
24.PMID: 25050247 (2012) — Phytochemical study of polyphenols in Perilla Frutescens as an antioxidant. · Avicenna journal of phytomedicine
25.PMID: 42238811 (2026) — Pharmacological effects, classification, genetic and molecular studies of different chemotypes essential oil of Perilla frutescens (L.) Britt.: A review. · Journal of pharmaceutical analysis
26.PMID: 33550195 (2021) — Glycoglycerolipids from the leaves of Perilla frutescens (L.) Britton (Labiatae) and their anti-inflammatory activities in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. · Phytochemistry
27.PMID: 37513901 (2023) — The Effects of Perilla frutescens Extracts on IgA Nephropathy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. · Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland)
29.PMID: 28973731 (2017) — Genetic diversity and population structure analysis in Perilla frutescens from Northern areas of China based on simple sequence repeats. · Genetics and molecular research : GMR
30.PMID: 40267772 (2025) — Anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects of Perilla frutescens-derived extracellular vesicles: Insights from Zebrafish models. · Molecular immunology