Herb

Zi Su Ye

Perilla leaf | 紫苏叶

Also known as:

Su Ye (苏叶) , Shiso

Zi Su Ye

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Properties

Warm, acrid herbs that release the Exterior (辛温解表药) · Warm

Traditionally supports*

Cold and Flu Relief Digestive Health Pregnancy support Respiratory Health

Parts Used

Leaf (叶 yè)

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

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About This Herb

Traditional Chinese Medicine background and properties

Herb Description

Perilla leaf is a gentle, warming herb commonly used at the first signs of a cold, especially when symptoms include chills, headache, and digestive upset like nausea or bloating. It is also a traditional remedy for nausea during pregnancy and for stomach trouble after eating seafood. Its pleasant aromatic quality makes it one of the most approachable herbs in Chinese medicine, and it is widely used in cooking across East Asia.

Herb Category

Warm, acrid herbs that release the Exterior (辛温解表药)

Main Actions

  • Releases the Exterior and Disperses Wind-Cold
  • Regulates Qi and Harmonizes the Middle Burner
  • Resolves Seafood Poisoning
  • Calms the Fetus

How These Actions Work

'Releases the exterior and disperses Cold' means Zi Su Ye helps the body fight off early-stage colds caused by wind and cold. Its warm, pungent nature gently promotes sweating, which in TCM terms pushes the invading cold out through the skin. It is particularly suited for mild wind-cold conditions with symptoms like chills, headache, nasal congestion, and clear runny nose. Because its sweating action is relatively gentle, it is better for mild cases than strongly diaphoretic herbs like Ma Huang.

'Promotes Qi circulation and harmonizes the Middle Burner' refers to the herb's ability to move stagnant Qi in the chest and digestive system. When Qi gets stuck in the Spleen and Stomach area, it causes bloating, nausea, and poor appetite. Zi Su Ye's pungent, aromatic quality helps restore the normal downward flow of Stomach Qi and the upward-outward movement of Spleen Qi. This makes it especially useful when a cold comes with significant digestive symptoms like chest tightness, nausea, or vomiting.

'Resolves seafood poisoning' is one of Zi Su Ye's distinctive uses. When someone develops vomiting, diarrhea, or abdominal pain after eating fish or crab, TCM views this as a reaction to the cold, damp nature of seafood. Zi Su Ye's warmth and aromatic quality counteract this, and it can be used alone or with ginger for this purpose.

'Calms the fetus' means it can ease morning sickness and restlessness during pregnancy. Its Qi-regulating action addresses the upward rebellious Stomach Qi that causes nausea in early pregnancy, while its gentle nature makes it safe for pregnant women when used appropriately.

Patterns Addressed

In TCM, symptoms cluster into recognizable patterns of disharmony that reveal what's out of balance in the body. Zi Su Ye is traditionally associated with these specific patterns.

The following describes this herb's classification within Traditional Chinese Medicine theory and is provided for educational purposes only.

Why Zi Su Ye addresses this pattern

Zi Su Ye is acrid and warm, entering the Lung channel, which gives it a direct ability to release wind-cold from the body's surface. Its pungent taste opens the pores and promotes mild sweating, pushing the cold pathogen outward. Unlike stronger exterior-releasing herbs, Zi Su Ye's sweating action is gentle, making it ideal for mild wind-cold conditions. Importantly, it also moves Qi and harmonizes the Stomach, so it is the preferred choice when a wind-cold invasion is accompanied by chest stuffiness, nausea, or bloating — a very common presentation where the exterior pathogen affects both the Lungs and the digestive system simultaneously.

A practitioner would look for one or more of these signs

Chills

Chills predominating over fever

Headaches

Headache from wind-cold

Nasal Congestion

Stuffy nose with clear discharge

Hypochondrial Pain That Is Worse On Coughing And Breathing

Cough with thin, white phlegm

Nausea

Nausea or chest tightness accompanying the cold

TCM Properties

Temperature

Warm

Taste

Acrid / Pungent (辛 xīn), Aromatic (芳香 fāng xiāng)

Channels Entered
Lungs Spleen
Parts Used

Leaf (叶 yè)

This is partial information on the herb's TCM properties. More detailed information is available on the herb's dedicated page

Product Details

Manufacturing, supplier, and product specifications

Product Type

Granules

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Botanical & Sourcing

Quality Indicators

Good quality Zi Su Ye leaves should be intact or only slightly crumpled, with both surfaces deep purple in colour (or at minimum the underside should be distinctly purple). The leaves should feel soft and slightly brittle when dried, not stiff or papery. A strong, characteristic aromatic fragrance is the most important quality indicator. The taste should be mildly acrid. Leaves that are green on both surfaces (which may indicate Bai Su/white perilla rather than true Zi Su), have lost their fragrance, or are heavily browned and fragmented are of inferior quality. When examined closely, small glandular dots (oil glands) should be visible on the underside of the leaf.

Primary Growing Regions

Zi Su Ye is widely cultivated across China and does not have a single famous "terroir" (dao di) origin in the way that some other herbs do. Major producing regions include Jiangsu, Hubei, Guangdong, Guangxi, Henan, Hebei, Shandong, Shanxi, Zhejiang, and Sichuan provinces. Guangdong and Jiangsu are traditionally noted for producing high-quality aromatic leaves. The plant is also widely grown in Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia.

Harvesting Season

Southern China: July to August. Northern China: August to September (around the Bai Lu/White Dew solar term). Harvested when branches and leaves are luxuriant and the flower spikes have just begun to emerge, then air-dried in a well-ventilated shaded area.

Supplier Information

Treasure of the East

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Miscellaneous Info

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Usage & Safety

How to use this herb and important safety information

Important Medical Disclaimer

The information provided here is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice or to replace consultation with a qualified healthcare professional. This herb is a dietary supplement and has not been evaluated by the FDA. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider, particularly if you are pregnant, nursing, have a medical condition, or are taking other medications. Discontinue use and consult your healthcare provider if you experience any adverse reactions.

Recommended Dosage

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Instructions for safe storage and consumption

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Traditional Dosage Reference

Standard

5–10g

Maximum

Up to 15–30g for acute seafood poisoning (fish or crab toxicity), for short-term use only

Notes

Use lower doses (5–10g) for releasing the exterior in Wind-Cold patterns. For resolving fish or crab poisoning, doses of 10–30g may be used on a short-term basis. When used for morning sickness and calming the fetus, 5–10g is standard. Fresh leaves (Xian Zi Su Ye) are preferred for their stronger aromatic effect when available, using approximately double the dried dosage. Because the active volatile oils are easily lost, the herb should not be decocted for long periods.

Toxicity Classification

Non-toxic

Zi Su Ye is classified as non-toxic in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia and has a long history of safe use as both food and medicine. However, one of its volatile components, perillone (紫苏酮), is a 3-substituted furan compound that has demonstrated significant pulmonary toxicity in animal studies. Intravenous injection of perillone at 10 mg/kg has caused fatal pulmonary edema in goats, though the same compound at 40 mg/kg given orally showed no adverse effects, indicating that toxicity is highly route-dependent and that normal oral decoction use poses very low risk. Perilla also contains small amounts of oxalic acid; long-term excessive consumption could theoretically contribute to calcium oxite stone formation, though this is not a concern at standard medicinal doses.

Contraindications

Caution

Wind-Heat patterns or febrile disease caused by warmth (Wen Bing). Zi Su Ye is warm and acrid, designed to disperse Wind-Cold. Using it in Heat patterns would worsen the condition.

Caution

Yin deficiency with fever, headache, or night sweats. The Ben Cao Jing Shu warns that in Yin-deficient conditions presenting with alternating chills and fever or headache, this herb should not be used because the pattern calls for nourishing and consolidating, not dispersing.

Caution

Qi deficiency with spontaneous sweating. Zi Su Ye promotes sweating to release the exterior. In patients who already sweat excessively due to Qi weakness, it will further deplete Qi and fluids.

Caution

Vomiting due to Stomach Fire or rising Fire. The classical texts specifically note that nausea caused by upward-blazing Fire is worsened by this warm, dispersing herb.

Caution

Prolonged or excessive use. The Ben Cao Tong Xuan (本草通玄) warns that long-term use can deplete the body's true Qi, gradually weakening overall constitution.

Special Populations

Pregnancy

Zi Su Ye is traditionally considered safe during pregnancy and is in fact one of the classical herbs used to calm the fetus (an tai) and treat morning sickness (pregnancy nausea and vomiting). It is commonly combined with Chen Pi (tangerine peel) and Sha Ren (amomum) for this purpose. Its mechanism of action for pregnancy support is through regulating Qi, harmonizing the Stomach, and resolving dampness rather than through any hormonal action. Standard clinical doses (5 to 10g) are appropriate during pregnancy under practitioner guidance.

Breastfeeding

There is no classical contraindication or modern evidence indicating harm from Zi Su Ye during breastfeeding at standard doses. As a mild, food-grade herb widely used in cooking across East Asia, it is generally considered safe for nursing mothers. Its Qi-regulating and Stomach-harmonizing properties may even support digestion and appetite. However, as a warm and dispersing herb, extended high-dose use could theoretically contribute to drying of fluids, so standard short-course use is advisable.

Pediatric Use

Zi Su Ye is commonly used in pediatric practice for children's Wind-Cold common colds, especially those accompanied by digestive symptoms (a very common presentation in children). For infants around one year old, doses of approximately 2 to 3g are used. For older children, 3 to 6g is typical. For children who refuse to drink the decoction, the herb can be prepared as a foot soak to deliver its dispersing effects through the skin. The herb's gentle nature and food-grade safety profile make it one of the more child-friendly herbs for early-stage Wind-Cold conditions.

Drug Interactions

Anticoagulant/antiplatelet drugs: Some research suggests that perilla leaf constituents may have mild effects on blood coagulation. Patients taking warfarin or other anticoagulants should exercise caution and inform their healthcare provider before concurrent use.

Blood sugar-lowering medications: Animal studies have shown that perilla oil and perillaldehyde can raise blood sugar levels. While this effect has not been well-documented for the leaf decoction at standard doses, patients on insulin or oral hypoglycemics should be aware of potential interactions.

Antihypertensive medications: Preliminary animal data suggest perilla may have mild cardiovascular effects. Patients on blood pressure medications should be monitored if using perilla leaf concurrently in large or sustained doses.

Dietary Advice

When taking Zi Su Ye for Wind-Cold conditions, eating warm foods such as congee (rice porridge) and ginger-based dishes helps support its dispersing action. Avoid cold, raw, and greasy foods which can obstruct the Spleen and Stomach and counteract the herb's warming, Qi-moving effects. Classically, perilla leaf is noted to pair naturally with seafood (particularly crab, shrimp, and shellfish) both as a culinary herb and as a preventive against seafood-related digestive upset. Traditionally, perilla leaf should not be combined with carp (鲤鱼, li yu) in cooking, as this pairing was believed to cause skin eruptions.

Cautions & Warnings

Although this herb is typically safe for most individuals, it may cause side effects in some people. Pregnant women, nursing mothers, postpartum women, and those with liver disease should use the formula with caution.

As with any Chinese herbal remedy, it is advisable to seek guidance from a qualified TCM practitioner before beginning treatment.