Herb Story: Zi Su Ye (Perilla Leaf)

Those of you who eat sashimi may have noticed that a pungent, purplish leaf sometimes accompanies the fish. I’ve seen it often paired with the fattier fish, which adds a dimension of flavor and balances the oiliness. It will often also be wrapped around raw squid, and occasionally found fried among the tempura. So, to be clear, it’s not just for decoration. This delicate, spicy leaf is Perilla, or Zi Su Ye, and is an example of a food-herb with a distinct function.

In traditional Chinese medicine, Zi Su Ye is considered pungent and warm, entering the Lung and Spleen channels, and acting to release the Exterior, disperse Cold, Move Qi and Expand the chest. It also has other functions, but for our Herb Story we’ll be focusing on its ability to resolve seafood poisoning.

Here’s the story

One evening, on the Double Ninth Festival (a fall holiday where a considerable amount of alcohol tends to be consumed), a group of rich young men had a crab-eating contest in a wineshop. It being the fall season, the small crabs were plump and delicious. Since it was an eating contest, the young men ate one after another, pausing only to drink. Discarded crab shells quickly piled up into a tower on the table.

The physician Hua Tuo happened to come into this same wineshop for a drink with his student. After eyeing the pile of shells and the young men devouring crabs, upon learning they were having an eating contest, he kindly tried to persuade them to stop.

“Crabs are “cold” in nature, so you’d better not eat too much. A crab-eating contest isn’t good for you young men,” he said.

The young men paused to rudely tell him to mind his own business, but Hua Tuo persisted. “If you eat any more, you’ll suffer from diarrhea; it could endanger your lives.”

“Come on old man, you can’t scare us! Even if we die of eating, what business is it of yours?” they jeered and continued devouring crab and tossing back wine.

“Crabs are delicious! Who says that people may die by eating them! Let’s eat more to make the old man die of jealousy!” one of them even shouted.

Hua Tuo then went to the wineshop owner and said, “You mustn’t sell them more wine or crabs—they’ll get sick and perhaps die!”

Wanting to earn as much money as he could, the owner replied, “Even if something does happen, what business is it of yours? Mind your own business and leave mine alone.”

Hua Tuo could only sit down with a sigh and drink his own wine.

Around midnight, the young men suddenly began crying out that they were suffering from terrible stomachaches. All were sweating profusely, and some even rolled about under the table clutching their bellies.

The wineshop owner hurried over and asked worriedly, “What’s wrong with you all?”

“We have excruciating stomachaches! Please send for a doctor at once!” they moaned.

“Where can I find a doctor at midnight?” the owner fretted, not wanting customers to die in his shop of course.

“Please help us! Otherwise, we’ll die!” they cried.

“I am a doctor.” Hua Tuo said as he calmly sauntered over.

In too much pain to turn red with embarrassment, the young men turned even paler with fright. But they had no time to worry about losing face and cried, “Master, please give us a cure!”

“Didn’t you refuse my advice just now?” asked Hua Tuo with a raised eyebrow and a discernible twinkle in his eye.

“‘A superior man doesn’t recall an inferior’s faults‘. Please have mercy on us and save us, doctor! We will pay you as much as you want.”

“I don’t want any money.” Hua Tuo replied.

“We’ll give you whatever you like!” they exclaimed as cold sweat ran down their faces.

“I want you all to promise me one thing.” said Hua Tuo.

“Not just one, we will promise you one thousand, even ten thousand things. Please tell us what it is, Master!” they begged.

“From now on, you should listen to old men’s advice and not be so reckless!” Hua Tuo admonished with a wagging finger at each of them.

“Certainly! Please save us, Master!” they implored, all the while clutching their painful bellies.

Hua Tuo then left the wineshop with his student and, under the moonlight, gathered the purple, serrated leaves of plants growing in a large patch at the edge of the road. Returning to the wineshop, Hua Tuo quickly steeped the leaves into a tea. Minutes after drinking the tea, the young men noticed that their excruciating stomachaches had begun to subside.

The incredibly grateful young men bowed deeply (a few even kowtowed on their knees) and thanked Hua Tuo profusely for saving their lives. Chastened and rubbing their sore bellies, they then left the wineshop, presumably to go home to their beds.

“That was dangerous! You shouldn’t only want to earn money. You should also care about people’s lives,” Hua Tuo chided the shop owner.

The man nodded, ashamed.

Later, Hua Tuo’s student asked his Master which book said that these purple leaves could reduce crab poison.

Hua Tuo replied that he hadn’t received this knowledge from a book, but from observing animals.

He recalled that one summer, while gathering medicinal herbs along a riverbank, Hua Tuo saw an otter seize a big fish. The otter devoured it until its belly was as big as a drum. Not too long after, Hua Tuo noticed that the otter began to look very uncomfortable, seemingly unhappy in the water or on the bank, at times looking miserable lying motionless and at other times thrashing about. Finally, it climbed away from the riverbank to a patch of purple plants, which it nibbled and then lay down to rest. Not long after, the otter rose looking pronouncedly better and scampered away to go about his business.

After observing this, Hua Tuo thought about what had happened, and surmised that as fish were Cold in nature, and because the leaves were purple, pungent, and likely warm in nature, they had the ability to balance fish’s coldness and toxicity. He had kept this in his mind, and fortunately, was able to confirm his theory and apply it effectively in the case of the young men.

Later, Hua Tuo made pills and medicinal powders with the stems and leaves of this plant, further discovering that not only could it disperse Cold, harmonize the Stomach, and stop pain and nausea, but it could also moisten Lungs, treat cough, and clear phlegm.

Hua Tuo knew of no name for this purple herb, but because it was purple and brought patients such relief, he named it “Zi Shu” 紫舒, or “purple comfort”.

I hope you enjoyed this herb story. Although no one knows why people later called this plant “Zi Su” 紫苏— still “Purple”, but not “Shu” or comfort. However, “Su” can mean “awake”, “regain consciousness”, or “come to one's senses”, so maybe it became known more for its color and pungent smell? Also, although this “origin story” references the purple variety, Zi Su Ye can also be green or a mottled color depending on the varietal. Make them an addition to your home herb garden, and enjoy them with seafood stir-fries, as a seasoning, in pickles, and even in biscuits.

Sources

• Chinese Herbal Legends 50 Stories for Understanding Chinese Herbs by Zhongbao Zhu and Liu Zhu, 2006 People’s Medical Publishing House
• Baidu.com: https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E7%B4%AB%E8%8B%8F/511#:~:text=%E7%B4%AB%E8%8B%8F%E5%8E%9F%E4%BA%A7%E4%BA%8E,%E7%9B%B4%E6%92%AD%E5%92%8C%E8%82%B2%E8%8B%97%E7%A7%BB%E6%A0%BD%E3%80%82
• https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hans/%E7%B4%AB%E8%98%87