Shiso (Perilla): Green and Red Leaves, the Compounds Behind the Aroma, and How It Is Used

That bright, herbal leaf tucked under your sashimi is shiso, the Japanese name for the aromatic leaves of Perilla frutescens, an annual herb in the mint family (Lamiaceae). Green shiso has hints of mint, basil, cumin and citrus. Red shiso is grassier and mostly there for color, and it goes into umeboshi, the salty Japanese pickled fruit. One catch: the same species also grows as a weed in American pastures, where some forms are toxic to cattle. So it matters which perilla you’ve got.¹

At a glance

Names

Several of perilla’s names point to sesame. Katzer notes that the common Korean name kkaennip means “sesame leaf,” and that the Japanese name for perilla seeds, egoma, comes from goma, sesame. The plant itself is a mint-family plant. In English it also goes by beefsteak plant, the name Purdue Extension uses for the pasture weed.

Kew accepts three varieties within the species: var. crispa, var. frutescens and var. hirtella.

Flavor and aroma

Green shiso is bright and herbal, with hints of mint, basil, cumin and citrus and a slightly astringent finish. Red shiso is grassier and more muted, and it’s mostly there for color.

Here’s the chemistry behind it:

• Perillaldehyde. A 2022 review by Hou and colleagues calls perillaldehyde a major volatile in perilla essential oil.⁴ Katzer describes several chemical types of perilla and reports perillaldehyde as the main component in the type most often grown.³
• Other chemical types. Not every perilla smells like shiso. Katzer describes a type dominated by perilla ketone, which he says has to be treated as a toxic plant with no place in the kitchen (see Safety).³
• Rosmarinic acid. The same review names rosmarinic acid as a major polyphenol in the plant.⁴

Green and red shiso

The leaves can be green or red to purple. That red comes from anthocyanins. Katzer names the pigment perillanin chloride, and Hou’s review lists shisonin among the anthocyanins in perilla leaves.³⁴ In Japan, red-leaved cultivars are the pick for pickling, where they add color.

Origin and where it grows

Kew gives the native range of P. frutescens as the southern Russian Far East to Pakistan, while Katzer calls it native to South East and East Asia.²³ It’s grown as a food crop in mainland China, Japan and Korea, and the review describes it as widespread in East Asian countries including Vietnam.

It’s also spread well beyond Asia. Kew lists it as introduced in many US states and several European countries, including Belgium and Germany. Purdue Extension says it most likely reached the United States as a garden plant and now turns up in pastures in southern Indiana.¹

You’ll often read that shiso is one of Japan’s “seven main flavorings,” that it reached Japan from China in the eighth century, and that it appears in a Song dynasty medical formula from 1110. We couldn’t trace any of these to a source we could open.

How shiso is used

Japan. Katzer notes that perilla leaves garnish sashimi, and that they can also be battered and deep-fried. Red perilla goes into umeboshi, the salty Japanese pickled fruit, and the liquid left from umeboshi colors the pink ginger pickle beni shoga. Just One Cookbook lists shiso among the optional add-ins for furikake rice seasoning.

Korea. Katzer says Korean cooking uses perilla leaves in similar ways, as an aromatic leaf.

Vietnam. The leaves often show up as a fragrant garnish for noodle soups and spring rolls.

Seeds and oil. The seeds hold a drying oil (about 40%) high in polyunsaturated fatty acids, and the dry seeds are now and then used as a spice.³ Hou’s review says perilla seed oil was regularly used as a cooking oil in mainland China, and that the leaves have gone into vegetable curries, pickles and chutneys.⁴

In the kitchen, the leaf is used fresh and raw or flash-cooked. Tear it into salads and rice, roll it around rice or grilled meat, or slice it into thin ribbons over noodles and fish.

Buying and quality

There’s no grading standard for fresh shiso that we could find. Look for flat, unwilted leaves with no dark, wet patches and a strong smell when you rub one. Buy culinary shiso from a grocer, or grow a named culinary variety, instead of picking weedy perilla (see Safety).

Storage

We couldn’t find a published shelf life for fresh shiso from a regulator or extension service. The leaves are thin and bruise easily. Wrap them in a barely damp paper towel, keep them in the refrigerator and use them within a few days.

Safety

• Perilla ketone. Hou’s review describes perilla ketone as a lung-damaging (pulmonary edemagenic) agent for lab animals and livestock that eat large amounts of the plant.⁴ Katzer considers the perilla-ketone type a toxic plant with no kitchen use.³
• Pasture weed. Purdue Extension’s weed guide says researchers reproduced the lung disease in cattle with synthesized perilla ketone, that affected animals get lung inflammation that impairs gas exchange, and that the flowering parts are the most dangerous.¹

These findings are about livestock grazing on weedy plants, and about a chemical type that isn’t used as food. We found no regulator statement on perilla ketone in culinary shiso.

Health claims

A 2022 review sums up a large body of lab research on perilla and credits the anti-allergic effects reported there mainly to rosmarinic acid.⁴ That isn’t evidence that eating shiso leaves eases allergies, and we found no NIH or regulator summary of human trials. We couldn’t trace claims that shiso treats colds, food poisoning or morning sickness to any human evidence. We also didn’t find a published nutrient analysis of shiso leaves from a food-composition database we could open.

Substitutes and related pages

Need a swap? See shiso substitutes. Related herbs: mint, basil and Thai basil. Shiso also turns up in furikake.