Shiso leaves (also known as perilla) grow on a plant from the nightshade family and belonging to this family is evident at first glance. However, the species classification is disputed, botanists cannot agree whether both forms (green-leaved and pubescent) belong to the same species or not.

Shiso leaves resemble nettles, while their shape is almost circular with a pronounced tip and a serrated edge. The leaves are strongly bent with very pronounced dense veins and are covered with hairs. In terms of color, there are green and red shiso leaves, but they also differ in their taste, smell and use. Red shiso leaves are very dark red, sometimes almost black. Green shiso, on the other hand, are light in color, their color is comparable to that of basil. Perilla flowers are very inconspicuous white.

The taste and aroma of shiso leaves are difficult to characterize. Some claim that the greens taste like apples, mint, cinnamon, anise. The purple ones are said to be rather pungent. To others, they resemble curry, parsley, coriander or cumin. It's probably better to make your own opinion.

Green shiso leaves have versatile uses. They are added to salads, sushi and sashimi are wrapped in them. It also enriches meat and vegetable dishes prepared in a wok pan, can be mixed into rice, and is also used to decorate dishes. Although they can be found in the traditional recipes of almost all Asian nations, they have probably gained the greatest popularity in China, Thailand, Korea and Japan. In Japan, on the other hand, red shiso is almost not used in the kitchen. It is widely added to soups, salads or seafood and fish, especially in Vietnamese cuisine. In Korea, in addition to the leaves of this plant, the seeds are also used, and oil is pressed from them. In Japan, red perilla flowers are also collected for decoration. Shiso leaves can also be used to prepare spiced vinegar, which will also give red shiso an attractive color. Another way to preserve these leaves is salting.

Perilla has been used in gastronomy for a very long time and, thanks to its extremely high content of health-promoting substances, it is also used in medicine. An example of all of them is the use in the well-known umeboshi plums. These plums, pickled in salt with shiso leaves, have strong anti-stress effects, help against digestive problems, poisoning from spoiled food, and shiso leaves also give them antibacterial and antiseptic effects. In addition, shiso leaves contain a large amount of calcium, phosphorus, iron and vitamins A, B and C and have the ability to break down cholesterol. Thanks to these and other properties, shiso leaves are part of countless preparations for cleansing the body.