Question
I would like to grow the Japanese herb Shiso, both the red and the green variety.  I believe it is also called Pirilla.

I have seeds but cannot get them to germinate.

I have tried to grow them under under all sorts of conditions:
under lights,
in darkness,
in heated soil under lights.  

I have tried keeping the seeds in the fridge for a while before planting.  
I got fresher seeds


 Can you advise?

Answer
Family: Labiatae
Names: ao geeso (green), aka geeso (purple)-Chinese; shisho
(Japanese); English: beefsteak plant/leaf Chinese:gee so, jen
Korean: kkaennip, kkaennip namul, tulkkae; Vietnamese:t韆 t?br> DESCRIPTION: This group of plants contains many annuals,
however, only one is commonly grown in gardens. P. frutescens
will grow about 3 feet high and is bushy and self-branching. The
leaves resemble those of the Sweet Basil, but may also be
ruffled. They are fuzzy, dark purple or green and grow up to 3 inches long. This plant is found wild in India and China and
belongs to the Mint family. Flowers small, white to purple,
with a ring of hairs in the throat of the 5-lobed corolla; borne in
terminal panicles or singly in the axils of leaves. Found
throughout the south in pastures, fields, roadsides, about home
sites and waste places. The Green's flowers are small, white to
purple, with a ring of hairs in the throat of the 5-lobed corolla;
borne in terminal panicles or singly in the axils of leaves. Both
of the varieties are resistant to heat and humidity and they
mature so quickly that they can be cultivated in northern states
with success. Home gardeners usually confuse the purple
Perilla with purple Basil. Though both of these plants can
escape the garden, Perilla may become a weed, while Basil is
easily controlled.
Cultivation: These plants should be grown, 6 to 12 inches
apart, in well-drained, moist soil and have exposure to sun half
the day or more. In warm, humid weather, these plants grow
quickly and should have their tops pinched off to maintain a
neat appearance. They may be fed with plant food. The whole
plants may be taken for cooking, or just the tender tips of
mature plants. Seeds that have been pre-chilled a week in the
refrigerator may be started indoors at a 65- to 70-degree
temperature, 6 to 8 weeks before it's safe to plant outdoors.
They should be sown in pots filled with sifted compost
consisting of loam and leaf mold, with a sprinkling of sand.
Cover the seeds lightly with soil and place a piece of glass over
the container. If kept moist, they will soon germinate and
quickly grow. They may also be sown outdoors where they are
to grow when the soil is warm. Don't cover the seeds because
they need light to germinate. They often re-seed themselves.
Chemical Constituents: elemicine, a-pinene, caryophyllene,
myristicin, b-sitosterol, apigenin, phenylpropanoids and also
some flavonoids
Medicinal Uses: Perilla is effective to improve stomach
functions. Perilla is also used for perspiration, fever and cough
alleviation, pain removing and stomach function improvement
in Oriental medicine.
Perilla (Perilla frutescens Britt.), a traditional Chinese
herb has recently received special attention because of its
beneficial effects in the treatment of some kinds of allergic
reactions without the side effects associated with some other
used anti-allergy medicines. Experiments in vivo and in vitro
found that among 18 kinds of vegetables, Perilla and ginger were
the most active in reducing TNF production and its activity,
which is linked with the allergy and inflammation. It has also
been found that Perilla seed oil is rich in n-3 fatty acid (a-linolenic
acid) which also has some benefit in the treatment of
allergy. Reports trace back the traditional use of Perilla leaf
and seed for hundreds of years in the treatment of asthma and
some symptoms associated with what is now known as allergy.
Also, the traditional method of cooking crab or shellfish with
Perilla leaves, in order to prevent so called "poisoning" existing
in crab etc., might be re-evaluated as an effective way of
preventing food allergy.
For the concentrated products of Perilla extract, the
dose was 0.3-2 ml/50-100 ml water or other drink, 2-3 times
daily dependent on the age. With home made or diluted extract,
the dosage varied with the concentration and methods of
preparation. Nasal application: To relieve the symptoms of an
itching or running nose, the Perilla extract was applied inside
the nostrils using a cotton bud. Topical application of Perilla
extract: Application to the skin was helpful in relieving the
itching and redness.
Topical use of Perilla cream and soap: For some
atopic dermatitis, Perilla cream and soap were recommended.
Following treatment with Perilla, some patients experienced
effects just after use, others after some days to one week, or in
some cases up to three months. A therapy period usually
occupied three months. In some cases, at the beginning of the
treatment, the symptoms seemed to be more serious than
before. This reflects an action of Perilla. Usually after one
week, the symptoms are less and thereafter the patient
continues to improve. Only a small number of patients (about
2-3%) will experience worse symptom even after ten days. For
these, the Perilla extract is discontinued.
' Perilla leaf extract has been available as a "health
product" rather than as a medicine. There are no published
reports of controlled clinical trials. Even so, there are many
reports of open (uncontrolled) studies from physicians and
from patients-completed questionnaires, to support thebeneficial use of Perilla leaf extract in the treatment of allergy.
Rigorous double-blind placebo-controlled trials are doubtlessly
needed before Perilla leaf extract can be accepted as an
antiallergy medicine in the West.
Open studies in the treatment of more than one
hundred allergy cases of children with atopic dermatitis were
made. After three months of therapy using a Perilla extract
cream formulation, 80% of the patients showed varying degrees
of improvement in the degree of itching, skin lesion, and
eruption. No side effects were observed in all the cases. All
these patients ceased other medicine while using the Perilla
products.
Although the precise mechanisms of Perilla treatment
for allergy are not yet well elucidated, recent researches on the
various phytochemicals and their pharmacological properties
have also revealed some mechanisms of Perilla action in allergy.
Several active components contained in Perilla have been found
to be linked with antiallergy and anti-inflammatory actions.
These include elemicine, a-pinene, caryophyllene, myristicin, b-sitosterol,
apigenin,phenylpropanoids and also some flavonoids
which act as anti-inflammatory agents
Perilla seed, leaf and stem contain a total amount of
essential oil about 0.5%. In addition to perillaldehyde, which
was removed from the Perilla leaf extract products for its
potential allergen property, several other constituents
contained in Perilla essential oil showed pharmacological
activity. It was reported that in animal experiments, one of the
constituent in the essential oil, b-caryophyllene, showed
relaxing action to the windpipe of guinea pig. Also it showed
significantly suppressing action to citric acid or acrylaldehyde
induced cough. It may partially explain the action of Perilla on
anticough and antiasthma. Another constituent, l-menthol
showed antiitching action thus making Perilla helpful in the
treatment of some allergic skin diseases
Chinese Medicine:
Part Used & Method for Pharmaceutical Preparations: The leaf
is picked in July and August and dried in the shade. Properties
& Taste: Pungent-spicy and warm
Meridians: Lung and spleen
Functions: 1. To release the exterior symptoms and disperse
cold; 2. To promote the flow of qi in the spleen and stomach; 3.
To alleviate fish and crab poisoning
Indications & Combinations:
1. Wind-cold type of common cold manifested as fever, chills,
headache, nasal obstruction and cough. Perilla leaf (Zisuye) is
used with Fresh ginger (Shengjiang), Tangerine peel (Chenpi),
Cyperus tuber (Xiangfu) and Apricot seed (Xingren) in the
formula Xing Su San.
2. Qi stagnation in the spleen and stomach manifested as
nausea, vomiting and fullness sensation in the chest or
abdomen. Perilla leaf (Zisuye) is used with Agastache
(Huoxiang) for cold manifestations. If there are more heat signs,
Perilla leaf (Zisuye) can be prescribed with Coptis root
(Huanglian). For cases with qi stagnation and accumulation of
phlegm, Perilla leaf (Zisuye) is used with Pinellia tuber (Banxia)
and Magnolia bark (Houpo). For vomiting during pregnancy,
Perilla leaf (Zisuye) is used with Tangerine peel (Chenpi) and
Amomum fruit (Sharen).
3. Fish and crab poisoning manifested as vomiting, diarrhea and
abdominal pain. Perilla leaf (Zisuye) is used with Fresh ginger
(Shengjiang) and Dahurian angelica root (Baizhi).
Dosage: 3-10 g
Cautions & Contraindications: This herb should not be boiled
for a long time.
TOXICITY: This contains "perilla ketone" that is known to
produce pulmonary edema and pleural effusion in a variety of
animals. Toxic cases are seen sporadically, usually in the late
summer or fall after grazing of the plant, most often in cattle
and horses. Affected animals exhibit respiratory distress. There
is difficult breathing especially when exhaling. Grunting is often
seen when exhaling. There may be a nasal discharge and an
elevated temperature; friction sounds can be heard over the
chest wall. Post mortem examination reveals pulmonary
emphysema and edema. The perilla mint seeds are often found
in the rumen of the cow.
Culinary Uses: The young leaves, seedling plants and seeds
are used in different ways in the Orient. The flavor of the red
perilla differs from that of the green: the red is considered
stronger tasting and spicier and is often used for its red coloring.
Green perilla is much prized in Japan, where its leaves, tender
shoots, and flowers are used as a garnish. The flowers have a
very clean, meadowy taste. Green perillas has a somewhat
cinnamonlike flavor and in sushi it is wrapped around rice or
fish. (Perilla has a folk reputation as an antidote to fish
poisoning.) The red perilla leaves taste a little of anise and are
dried and sprinkled over rice. The tiny seedling plants of red
perilla are used as seasoning for sliced raw fish, the leaves are
used to flavor bean curd and as a garnish for tempura and the
seeds are used in tempura and in making pickles. The fresh
purple leaves give color to pickled apricots, plums, eggplants,
ginger and Chinese artichokes and flavor to cucumbers, pickles,
tempura and bean curd. Chinese cooks generally prefer the
pungent red perilla to the green one and use it for flavoring
seafood and in pickling.
Recipes:
Pork and Pickled Plum Sushi
(4 servings)
3 cups of rice, rinsed well and cooked
70cc vinegar
30g sugar
15g salt
200g pork fillet (commercially sliced), cut into 1cm wide strips
15cc sake
30cc mirin
15cc dark soy sauce
2 Tbsp. pickled plum paste
Sesame seeds, roasted
20 beefsteak plant leaves, cut into strips

My experience with perilla seeds has not been good. The red will pop up in your garden from other soil or birds transporting it. They both love the heat, so if your night and day temps are not above 60 degrees and they are not receiving full morning sun, that may be the problem. Also plant seeds with no cover. and press them into the soil. Good luck.

Leroy