The Contradictory Plant Known as Beefsteak Plant, Shiso, and Perilla Mint, Perilla frutescens

Thirty years ago in San Francisco, influenced by Asian cuisine, my husband and I frequently sprinkled powdered shiso on our food as a spice. In Nebraska, I had a period of trying to grow everything I ate--to see what its plant looked like--so we grew a few plants in the garden. I hadn't given it much thought since, until seeing it in botanical gardens and as an ornamental in Ohio.

beefsteak plant, Perilla frutescens, also called shiso

Shiso's American name is beefsteak plant, apparently because the leaves of some plants are so red they look like raw beef. It has many common names in the U.S. Beyond 1) beefsteak plant and 2) shiso, there are 3) perilla mint, which is the usual name given when it is described as an agricultural weed; 4) purple mint; It is in the mint family, so these mint names are reasonable; 5) Chinese basil, a name shared with other plants; 6) Japanese basil. This name seems to refer only to beefsteak plant; 7) wild basil. a name shared with other species;  8) purple basil, a name shared with other plants. Basil is a mint, too, so calling this Asian herb after basil is not a bad choice, except that it is easily confulsed with other things called basil; 9) blueweed, a name more often applied to other species; 10) Joseph's coat. An amaranth comes up first when you google this name; 11) wild coleus. The genus Coleus, now mostly renamed Plectranthus, is not listed as growing wild in the United States (see the USDA's maps) so this name is restricted to Perilla in the United States. Like perilla, coleus is a mint; and 12) rattlesnake weed. Four other plants came up with this common name when I googled it, and not Perilla, so it is an uncommon common name. This chaos reflects that this is an Asian plant that has been introduced to North America in various places and times, and, since it lacked a familar name, was given one by people who saw or grew it.   

Its scientific name is Perilla frutescens, and it is in the mint family, Lamiaceae. If you take a close look, the stems are square and the small inconspicuous white flowers are very similar to other mints, for example spearmint, dead nettles, and basil. Like most mints, the leaves have an interesting smell. The name Perilla is Latin based on pera, a bag or wallet, referring the shape of the fruit. The species epithet frutescens means shrubby or bushy. The genus Perilla has only the one species.

beefsteak plant, quite bushy

Beefsteak plant grows as an annual in the United States, bushy but not woody. It can over-winter where winters are mild and will self-seed. It has become a weed in the eastern half of the United States (USDA map link) but is only listed as a serious weed in Kentucky and Tennessee (invasive plants website).  However, I think it has great potential for expanded weediness. Consequently, I was unhappy to see all the how-to-grow beefsteak plant/shiso websites seemed unaware that it might get away. Perhaps it is not weedy in the western U.S., but it certainly is in the East. Foraging for it where it has naturalized has good potential for reducing its spread. It is more than just an annoying nonnative; the fresh plant is toxic to cattle, goats, and horses, causing repiratory distress and death. It seems ironic that we call it beefsteak plant and cattle (beef) should never eat it. It is sufficiently dangerous that land managers are urged to actively remove it. (To read about perilla mint toxicity, Google it; the Agricultural Extension websites have downloadable pdfs which are hard for me to link to.) Some people get contact dermatitis from handling the leaves, but the plant is safe for human consumption, and has been an Asian vegetable for millennia. 

Under the names shiso, kkaennip, and variants in different languages, beefsteak plant has a long history as a major Asian vegetable and spice. It is native to Burma, China, and the Himalayas and is known to have been cultivated for more than 1,500 years. It is eaten raw or cooked. There's a rich complex flavor, described as "spicy with a hint of cinnamon" or "between mint and licorice." But it is much more complicated that that because there are several distinctive varieties of shiso, as there are for basil, with differences in flavor. And color. I am drawn to red-leafed beefsteak plant, but it has varieties with only green leaves. Asians eat it as a leafy vegetable, fresh or pickled. It is also a condiment or spice, fresh or dried. Chinese cooking no longer uses it much, but it is found in cuisines all across Asia. It is important in Japanese and Korean cooking. For example, the Japanese use it to color umeboshi plums, wrap or put in sushi, add as an ingredient in pickled ginger, and, in tempura, use it as garnish or as tempura-ed leaves. This is a popular and common food plant.

leaves of shiso/ kkaennip / beefsteak plant

The fresh leaves are a good source of minerals and nutrients. Seeds were eaten and fed to ducks. Oil from the seeds is used in Asian cooking, especially in Korea. Traditional Asian medicines used the leaves to drive away colds, as a stomach tonic, and as an antidote to food poisoning from fish or meat. The leaves contain anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antidepressant compounds. The seeds contain similar compounds and Traditional Chinese Medicine considered them very nutritious. U.S. sources are cautious about beefsteak oil because, while pressing the seeds into oil concentrates desirable fatty acids, it also concentrates the compounds that poison cattle, but they generally conclude it is a useful and interesting oil. I can find no reports of toxicity to humans, other than the contact dermatitis experienced by a few people, for beefsteak plant.

Reading about shiso/beefsteak plant, I found all these contradictions. A popular food plant and spice and a poisonous weed. Wow! I had wanted to say, "makes a nice red-leaved ornamental in your yard, one that you can eat." But that is in the West, where it is not reported as a weed. For Easterners I have to say, "You don't want this one; unless you are vigilant there'll be too much, and it is a real danger to livestock. Raise it in a pot or buy it from your Asian market." Plants can do that, be foods to some and poisons to others, well-behaved in some places and aggressive weeds in other places. This is a cool little plant, despite its weedy tendencies. Notice shiso/beefsteak plant/perilla mint whether you are shopping or hiking. 

Comments and corrections welcome.

References

Albert, S. 2020. How to grow shiso. Harvesttotable.com link  Accessed 1/18/21.

Craddock, K. 2017. How to cook with perilla and shiso, the super-fragrant herb we can't stop eating. Saveur.com link Accessed 1/18/21.

Dibble, L. 2020. Foraging for shiso (Japanese basil) Hillsborough-homesteading.com link Accessed 1/18/21.

Dhyani, A. R. Chopra and M. Garg. 2019. A reciew on nutritional value, functional properties and pharmacological application of perilla (Perilla Frutescens, L.). Biomed and Pharmacol. Journal. 12 (2) link Accessed 1/23/21.

Greene, D. 2016. Perilla, shiso. eatheweeds.com link Accessed 1/21/21. Useful discussion of perilla oil.

Healthy Cooking: Perilla oil. Healthline.com link Accessed 1/21/21.

Li, S.-C. 2003. Chinese Medicinal Herbs. Dover Publications. New York.

National Geographic Society. 2008. Edible. An Illustrated Guide to the World's Food Plants. National Geographic Society, Wasthington D.C. 

Russell, D. and J. Byrd. 2018. Perilla mint. POD-08-18. Mississippi State University Extension. Mississippi State, MS. (online as pdf)

Steckel, L. and N. Rhodes. 2006. Perilla mint. (PDF) Extension PB 135. University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture. (online as pdf)

Tisdale, R. 2017. Backyard foraging: how to identify perilla leaves (and recipe!) Bohemianvegankitchen.com. link Accessed 1/18/21.

Umami Insider. 2017. Shiso is the healthy Japanese herb you've been missing in your meals. umami-insider.com link Accessed 1/18/21. 

Wikipedia. 2020. Perilla fructescens. Wikipedia.com. link Accessed 1/18/21. for common names 

Kathy Keeler, A Wandering Botanist
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