What it is:
This herb is the ripe fruit of Perilla frutescens(L.) Britt. (family Labiatae) which grows in most parts of China. It is harvested in autumn, dried in sunlight, and used unprepaerd orslightly stir-baked.

Property:
Pungent in flavour, warm in property, acting on the lung and large intestine channels.

Effects:
Relieving cough and asthma, lowering the adverse flow of qi to remove phlegm, and moisten- ing intestines to loosen the bowels.

Used for:
1. Stagnation of phlegm and reversed flow of qi shown as cough and asthma. It is often used in conjunction with white mustard seed and radish seed, known as Decoction of Three Kinds of Seeds for the Aged (Sanzi Yangqin Tang).

2. Syndrome of excess in the upper and deficiency in the lower, manifest- ed as feeling of stuffiness and fullness in the chest and diaphragm region, cough with dyspnea and short- ness of breath due to abundant accumula- ton of phlegm and fluid. It is often used in the company of magnolia bark and tangerine peel, as in Decoction of Perilla Seed for Descending Qi (SuziJiangqi Tang).

3. Dryness syndrome of the intestines shown as constipation. It is usually used with hemp seed and bitter apricot kernel.

Dosage and administration: 5- 10g, decocted in water for an oral dose.

Precautions:
It is contraindicated for loose stool due to deficiency of the spleen.