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Zi Su Ye紫苏叶

Perillae Folium · Perilla Leaf · Shiso Leaf

Herbs that Release the Exterior 解表药《名医别录》

Overview

The purple-backed leaf of perilla, familiar from the kitchen as much as the dispensary. Acrid and warm and full of volatile oil, it is a gentle exterior-releasing herb for the ordinary wind-cold chill — the sort with a stuffed nose and no sweat — and, unusually for that group, it also settles the stomach, which is why it suits a cold that comes with nausea and a heavy, bloated middle. Its third use is the oldest and the most practical: it is the traditional antidote for illness after eating fish or crab. Because the action lives in the volatile oil, it goes into the pot late.

Nature & Flavor

Acrid · Warm

Channels

Lung · Spleen

Typical Dosage

5–9 g in decoction
紫苏叶Photography for this entry is on its way.

Actions

4 core actions

  • Releases the exterior, disperses coldEarly wind-cold with chills, mild fever, headache, blocked nose and no sweating; mild enough to give to children and to frail patients.
  • Moves qi, harmonises the middleChest and epigastric fullness, nausea and vomiting — the reason it is chosen when a chill is accompanied by an unsettled stomach.
  • Resolves fish and crab toxinAbdominal pain, vomiting or diarrhea after eating fish or shellfish; classically decocted with fresh ginger, and still a common household remedy.
  • Added late to the decoctionThe aromatic oil that carries its action boils off with long cooking, so the leaf goes in for the last few minutes only.

In Formulas

Formulas containing Zi Su Ye

Indications & Clinical Uses

  • Wind-cold common cold with chills, headache and nasal congestion
    - A chill accompanied by nausea, vomiting or epigastric fullness
    - Digestive upset after fish or shellfish
    - Cough with thin white phlegm early in a cold

Western Medical Keywords

Searchable condition terms

Common coldNasal congestionNauseaFood poisoningSeafood allergy

Contraindications

Cautions

Warm and dispersing, so it is wrong for warm-febrile illness with sore throat and thirst, and for anyone who sweats easily from surface deficiency — it will push out more sweat and leave them weaker. Not for yin-deficient dryness. Perilla is a common culinary plant and contact dermatitis and food-allergic reactions to it are documented; anyone with a known perilla or shiso allergy should avoid it.

Contraindicated in pregnancy: No specific restriction — practitioner judgment applies; where the aim is to settle nausea or a restless fetus in pregnancy, the stem (Zi Su Geng 紫苏梗) is preferred because it disperses far less.

For licensed practitioners’ reference only

References

  1. Ming Yi Bie Lu《名医别录》(classical source, public domain).
    2. Bensky, Clavey & Stöger. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, 3rd ed.
    3. 《中华人民共和国药典》.

Professional reference notice. Entries are scholarly references for licensed TCM practitioners and students — not medical advice, and not a recommendation to self-prescribe. Chinese herbal formulas should be used under the guidance of a qualified practitioner. Content is an original editorial compilation by Cura x Cura, cross-checked against the cited references.