Perilla Seed Oil

Also known as red perilla, purple perilla, or fragrant perilla, it is an annual herbaceous plant in the Lamiaceae family. It is a traditional dual-purpose plant for both medicinal and culinary uses and is one of the first 60 items announced by the National Health Commission as both food and medicine. Perilla can be either wild or cultivated. Wild perilla is found throughout the country, with low requirements for light and temperature, allowing it to thrive even in barren mountains and wild lands. Its growth period can vary from short (3-4 months) to long, depending on the purpose: a few days or weeks when used as a vegetable, and longer when grown for perilla seeds. Shaanxi and Gansu provinces in China were among the earliest to introduce its cultivation, with Qingyang, Gansu, boasting a 2,000-year history of cultivation. As one of the oil sources, it has abundant perilla resources. Perilla leaves and tender shoots can be used as vegetables, the above-ground parts can be used medicinally, and perilla seeds can be pressed for oil or used as fertilizer. Countries such as the United States, Japan, Russia, North Korea, and Indonesia have already cultivated it as an oil crop. Japan and South Korea have processed perilla oil into natural health products and introduced them to the market.