As demonstrated by many food bloggers, cooking and creating great foods and drinks have become incomplete and unsatisfying when not considering the benefits or adverse effects of the same foods and drinks regardless of their taste.
I do not intend to delve into counselling or consulting, but only to offer some knowledge about the good sides of Japanese foods and drinks. I will not extoll on its possible lacks and negative aspects. After all, the Japanese are not the longest-living people in the world for no reason!
I will also offr at least one nutritious or healthy recipe at the end of each posting.

Health & Nutrition Facts in Japanese Food 2: Perilla Leaf/Shiso/紫蘇

Perilla frutescens (Green Shiso; Egoma syn. Perilla nankinensis (Lour.) Decne.) is an ornamental plant in the Lamiaceae family.

Edible Shiso Flowers

Its leaves and flowers are used as foods in Japan and its seeds are used to make edible oil in Korea. The leaves are also eaten in Korea. Sometimes, the seeds are ground and added to soup for seasoning in Korea. It is used in traditional Chinese medicine.

Violet varieties are used for pickling and making juices (and even added to sake or shochu).

Egoma and shiso are very similar plants and their seeds are difficult to distinguish even by scanning electron microscope. Their tastes, however, are quite different. Oil was extracted from egoma in many areas of Southeast and East Asia during the historical period and it is still used to cover cookies in rural areas of Korea. Shiso is commonly used for seasoning pickles or as garnish for raw fish dishes in present-day Japan.

Shiso murame/perilla sprouts

It ought to be eaten universally for the sole reason of its high contents in polyphenols and A Beta Carotenes!

NUTRITION FACTS:

For each 100g it contains:
-Energy: 37 kcal
-Water: 86.7 g
-Ash: 7.5 g
-Potassium: 500 mg
-Calcium: 230 mg
-Iron: 1.7 mg
-Manganese: 2.01 mg
-Vitamin A Beta Carotene: 11000 micrograms
-Vitamin K: 690 micrograms
-Vitamin B1: 0.13 mg
-Vitamin B2: 0.34 mg
-Folic Acid: 110 micrograms
-Vitamin C: 26 mg
-Dietary (roughage) fibre: 7.3 g

HEALTH FACTS & TIPS:

-Combined with milk, or with wkame seaweed, or with Jew’s Ear mushroom, or with komatsuna/Jpanese mustard spinach, helps recover from anxiety and short temper, helps prevent blood vessel hardening.

-Combined with oysters, or with liver, or with spinach, or with basket clams/shijimi/シジミ helps preventing anemia and cancer

-Combined with ginger, or with rice vinegar, or with japanese pickled plums/umeboshi/梅干, or with wakame seaweed acts as a sterelizer, helps blood circulation and helps prevent obesity.

-Combined with osmunda japonica/zenmai/ぜんまい, or with kiwi fruit, or with shimeji mushroom/シメジ, or with seaweed, helps prevent cancer, helps skin rejuvenation and helps prevents professional diseases (stress, etc.)

RECIPE:

Here is a recipe for shiso oil preserves which will promote good blood circulation, helps fend off obesity, and improve immunity to allergies:

-Shiso leaves: 20
-Soy sauce: 2 tablespoons
-Sugar: 1 yeaspoon
-Garlic: half a clove
-Fresh ginger: a little
-Chili pepper powder: 1/3 teaspoon
-Ground sesame/surigoma: 1/2 teaspoon

-Mix all the sauce ingredients in a bowl an mix well.

-Wash shiso leaves well. Wipe water off them. Brush leaves one by one on one side only and pile them all brushed surface up.

-Place　in a sealed tupperware box and keep in fridge for 1 or 2 days before eating.

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