Perilla frutescens

Perilla
Green Shiso
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Lamiaceae
Genus:	Perilla L.
Species:	P. frutescens
Binomial name
Perilla frutescens (L.) Britton

Perilla frutescens (Green Shiso; Egoma syn. Perilla nankinensis (Lour.) Decne.) is an ornamental plant in the Lamiaceae family. Its leaves are used as foods in Japan and its seeds are used to make edible oil in Korea. The leaves are also eaten in Korea. Sometimes, the seeds are ground and added to soup for seasoning in Korea. It is used in traditional Chinese medicine.

Egoma and shiso are very similar plants and their seeds are difficult to distinguish even by scanning electron microscope. Their tastes, however, are quite different. Oil was extracted from egoma in many areas of Southeast and East Asia during the historical period and it is still used to cover cookies in rural areas of Korea. Shiso is commonly used for seasoning pickles or as garnish for raw fish dishes in present-day Japan.

References

• Pink, A. (2004). Gardening for the Million. Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/11892. 

• Keiji Imamura. Prehistoric Japan - New Perspectives on Insular East Asia. Honolulu. 

External links

• Perilla frutescens

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