INDIVIDUAL HERBS

NAME: ZI SU YE - 紫蘇葉 - FOLIUM PERILLAE

Pharmaceutical Latin: Folium Perillae
Common English: Perilla Leaf
Bushy Perilla
Chiso
Purple Perilla Leaf

CATEGORY

Herbs that Release the Exterior: Warm, Acrid Herbs that Release the Exterior (Wind-Cold Diaphoretics)

PROPERTIES

Taste Temperature Entering Meridians Dosage
Acrid
Aromatic
Warm
Lung
Spleen
(Stomach)
(Large Intestine)
3-10g
Tincture: 2-4ml

ACTIONS AND INDICATIONS

Actions Indications/Syndromes

Releases the Exterior and disperses Cold

Wind-Cold with fever, chills, headache, nasal congestion, cough or a stifling sensation in the chest (especially in older people)

Promotes the movement of Spleen and Stomach Qi (Harmonizes the Middle Jiao, relieves intestinal gas), improves Lung function and expands the chest (relieves Cold induced wheezing)

Spleen/Stomach Qi Stagnation with nausea, vomiting, or anorexia

Asthma

Chest distention

Calms the fetus and alleviates morning sickness

Restless fetus and morning sickness

Alleviates seafood poisoning

Detoxifies any type of allergy

Seafood poisoning (fish and crab), used alone or in combination

CONTRAINDICATIONS, INCOMPATIBILITIES AND HERB/DRUG INTERACTIONS

CONTRAINDICATIONS
  • Contraindicated for those with warm pathogen disease.
  • Contraindicated for those with warm Qi or exterior Deficiency with pronounced sweating.
  • Contraindicated for those with Yin Deficiency Fire causing headaches or nausea.
  • Contraindicated for those with Damp-Heat.
  • Use caution for those with nausea caused by Heat.
  • Do not use long-term.
INCOMPATIBILITIES
HERB/DRUG INTERACTIONS

MAJOR COMBINATIONS

Rz. Cyperi
Xiang Fu

Rz. Cyperi
Xiang Fu
Hb. Ephedrae
Ma Huang

Rx. Platycodi
Jie Geng

Releases the Exterior in a patient with pre-existing Qi Stagnation with chills, fever, headache, anhidrosis, a stuffy chest, belching and flatulence.

Releases the Exterior in a patient with severe Cold and pre-existing Qi Stagnation.

Common colds with nasal congestion and productive cough.

Rx. Platycodi
Jie Geng
Sm. Armeniacae
Xing Ren
Rx. Peucedani
Qian Hu

Rx. Codonopsis
Dang Shen

Sm. Raphani
Lai Fu Zi
Sm. Armeniacae
Xing Ren

Common colds with nasal congestion, lack of sweat and productive cough with stronger cough alleviating effect.

Benefits Qi and releases the exterior in patients who are weak or debilitated.

Disperses Phlegm and alleviates wheezing.

Fr. Chaenomelis
Mu Gua
Cx. Magnoliae Officinalis
Hou Po

Hb. Agastaches/Pogostemonis
Huo Xiang

Rx. Platycodi
Jie Geng
Fr. Aurantii
Zhi Ke

Disperses Heat and relieves Summerheat.

Releases the exterior, regulates Qi, warms the Middle, and transforms turbidity for influenza and common cold due to Wind-Cold-Dampness and is especially effective for abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Transforms Dampness, regulates Qi, harmonizes the Stomach, stops nausea and vomiting and treats turbid Dampness Obstructing the Spleen with lethargy, a stifling sensation in the chest, nausea , loss of appetite, diarrhea or loose stools and a thick tongue coat (use Zi Su Geng)

Releases the Exterior to treat Externally contracted pathogens such as Externally-contracted Cold during Hot, Damp summer weather, with fever, lethargy, a stifling sensation in the chest and nausea

Eases the diaphragm and Intestines.

Rz. Chuanxiong
Chuan Xiong
Rx. Angelicae Sinensis
Dang Gui

Fr. Amomi
Sha Ren
Per. Citri Reticulatae
Chen Pi
(Rx. Aucklandiae)
(Mu Xiang)

Rz. Coptidis
Huang Lian

Harmonizes the Blood and disperses Blood Stasis.

Stifling sensation and fullness in the chest and abdomen.

Restless fetus due to stagnant Qi.

Vomiting during pregnancy

Morning sickness and irritability during pregnancy.

Spleen and Stomach Qi Stagnation with Heat signs.

Rz. Zingiberis Recens
Sheng Jiang

Rz. Zingiberis Recens
Sheng Jiang
Per. Citri Reticulatae
Chen Pi
Rz. Cyperi
Xiang Fu
Sm. Armeniacae
Xing Ren

Rz. Pinelliae Preparatum
Zhi Ban Xia
Cx. Magnoliae
Hou Po

Seafood poisoning with vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea.

Wind-Cold with chills, fever, headache, nasal congestion and anhidrosis.

Wind-Cold.

Spleen and Stomach Qi Stagnation with accumulation of Phlegm.

Rz. Cyperi
Xiang Fu
Per. Citri Reticulatae
Chen Pi

Per. Citri Reticulatae
Chen Pi
Rz. Pinelliae Preparatum
Zhi Ban Xia
Hb. Agastache
Huo Xiang

Periostracum Cicadae
Chan Tui
Rx. Saposhnikoviae
Fang Feng

Wind-Cold with Qi Stagnation and chest congestion.

Stomach flu or acute enteritis due to Spleen and Stomach Qi Stagnation.

Rash or itching due to allergy.

NOTES

  1. This herb can be used for all types of food poisoning, but best for seafood poisoning.
  2. It has a calming action on asthmatic cough.
  3. It aids the throat due to chronic coughing.
  4. It is a gentle herb for the initial Cold symptoms.
  5. It is good when cough and the Stomach are manifest in the Cold syndrome.
  6. It enters both the Qi and Blood levels.
  7. Because this herb has a natural food preservative, it may be used, to a limited extent to prevent food from spoiling.
  8. Zi Su Ye is acrid, and can disperse while inducing sweating and is not as strong as Hb. Ephedrae Ma Huang. Its aroma promotes the movement of Lung and Spleen Qi, harmonizes the Middle and calms the fetus which Ma Huang cannot do.
  9. Dry-fried Perilla Leaves Chao Zi Su Ye are less acrid and less diaphoretic to treat older and weaker patients or those who are Yin Deficient who would be injured by excessive sweating.