Perilla Frutescenes - Shiso

Perilla Frutescenes
“Shiso”/“Beefsteak Plant”
Aka Ao Shiso, Ji Soo, Perilla, Purple Perilla, Shiso, Wild basil, Wild red basil, Chinese basil, Purple mint, Rattlesnake weed, Summer coleus
Family: Lamiaceae

Shiso originated in East Asia, and was a traditional crop of China, India, Japan, Korea, and Thailand, a plant now scientifically verified as having numerous beneficial chemical properties. Introduced to America during 1800’s, it quickly became a naturalised weed in Southern USA.
Ideal environment is in full sun to partial shade, although it does well in shade in hotter summer climates as the scorching sun evaporates the flavoursome essential oils. They do well both in the ground and in pots.
Shiso will tolerate pH levels between 6.1 and 7.8 with it ideally neutral. They enjoy light to medium moist well-drained and rich soil.
They may become invasive if left to seed. They are drout and frost tender plants.

Leaf
Shape: Petiole, ovate
Margin: Serrated
Colour: Dark green – dark purple. Sometimes the leaves are so large and red that they remind one of a slice of raw beef, hence the name beefsteak plant
Surface: Bronze-metallic sheen, hairy
Size: 15cm
Arrangement: Opposing
Flavour: Mint/liquorice
Flower
Colour/s: Pink; Violet/Lavender; White/Near White
Inflorescence: Terminal spike, called hojiso; 25cm.
Size: 6mm
Shape: Tubular
Fruit
Calix left as a protection for seedpods. Dry seed head rattles, hence the name Rattlesnake Weed.

Plant Category: Annual herb
Growth characteristics: 45-60 cm; square stems
Potential horticultural use: foliage and aromatic. Flowers are attractive to butterfly yet the foliage is unappealing to most pest insects.
Horticultural limitations: Seeds are poisonous if ingested. Potentially invasive weed (listed as invasive in Pennsilvania)
Propagation methods: from seed; propagate indoors before frost. Allow seedheads to dry on plants; remove and collect seeds. Properly cleaned, seed can be successfully stored

Culinary: Raw, cooked, dried. Awesome with sashimi, pizza topping as a basil substitute, and canned pickled kkaennip can be found in Korea
Farmaceutical: antiasthmatic, antibacterial, antidote, antimicrobial, antipyretic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, antitussive, aromatic, carminative, diaphoretic, emollient, expectorant, pectoral, restorative, stomachic and tonic. An infusion of the plant is useful in the treatment of asthma, colds, cough and lung afflictions, influenza prevention, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, constipation, food poisoning and allergic reactions (especially from seafood), and to restore health and balance. The stems are a traditional Chinese remedy for morning sickness and restless fetus in pregnancy, though some say the herb should be avoided by pregnant women.
Aromatic: The seed heads can be collected and dried for use in arrangements, potpourris and wreaths. The crushed plant also makes an effective insecticide.
Other: Perilla seed oil has been used in paints, varnishes, linoleum, printing ink, lacquers, and for protective waterproof coatings on cloth.
Folk lore: In Asia, centuries ago, ceremonies were conducted before harvesting the plant, it was considered to be alive and was held as sacred, sent by God as food and medicine to treat all ailments of man. Disrespect for the plant meant death, anyone caught stepping on the plant would himself be trampled to death!

Thymus vulgaris - Thyme

Thymus vulgaris
"Common Thyme"
Family: Lamiaceae

Thyme, native to the Euroasian continent, was well-known since Assyrian time (2000BC). Ancient Greeks felt complimented when told they ‘smell like thymbra’ and in Egypt it was used as part of embalming the dead.
Thyme is a classic in herb gardens. They are excellent for ground cover or garden border, and be pruned into a low hedging or a classic knot formation. Maximum essential oil potency occurs in the summer months.
Thyme enjoys a well-drained, light soil with pH of 6-8, temperature of 13°C. They are low maintenance as long as they get full sun and are protected from cold during winter.

Leaf
Shape: Ovate
Margin: Smooth
Colour: Gray-green to green
Surface: Smooth
Size: 5-10mm
Arrangement: Staggered opposing.
Cycle: Evergreen perennial

Flower
Colour/s: White - lilac
Inflorescence: Terminal spike
Scent: Similar to the leaves
Shape: ovate

Plant Category: Creeping groundcover
Growth characteristics: 30cm x 30cm.
Potential horticultural use: Culinary/herbal gardens, ornamental, potted situations.
Horticultural limitations: As they have fine roots, transplanting requires extra care, and recommended to do so in autumn, months ahead of frost. Although they are hardy to up to -10°C, in cool temperature climates they may need extra protection fro cold winds. Clumps may die in the centre of the bush after 2-3 years, usually an indication of poor growing conditions such as too much moisture or interference from fallen objects such as leaf litter from other plants.
Propagation methods: Seed; germination period 3-4weeks. Root division. Cuttings - soft-tissue cutting, semi-hardwood cutting, and layering.

Culinary: Flavouring for soft cheeses and butters. Used for flavouring in cooking or raw sprinkles. When cookbooks refer to a ‘sprig’ they usually mean half teaspoon (2.5mL)
Farmaceutical: Antisceptic and antibacterial. Coughs, digestive aid, and sooth muscle aches. Stronger infusion used for mouth rinse; disinfect mouth, gums and throat. Anti-aging properties.
Aromatic: Rudyard Kipling: “wind-bit thyme that smells like the perfume of the dawn in paradise”. Culpeper mentioned it dispelling melancholy and nightmares. Thyme essential oils are available to use in baths for rheumatism, in liniments, and in massage oils.
Folklore: Domestic virtue: “I need a compatible partner”.

What's a Farmacist?

In my plant intro sections you'll see a segment called 'farmaceuticals'. It's a section dedicated to herb's medicinal values that lists things it's been said they are good for. Some I've experienced because I've got easy access to them (like using Rosemary in my bath not only because they smell nice but because I'd like to think they're good for my scalp and skin). I get the name from Farmacists Desk Reference (FDR) by Don Tolman. I'd like to think of the name to mean Farm-assist. As in, we'll be helping the local farmers if we buy their produce! And you certainly won't find fresh fruits and veges in a pharmacist, no matter how much they try to convince you how good their pills in a bottle are.

In my personal opinion, fruits and veges are much more delicious and fun than pills in a bottle :)

While there are increasing medical research to back these up, through the analysis of the plant's chemical components, I believe subscribing to whole food signatures must come from an intuition. Like, you can take it or leave it that carrots are good for your eyes! It's been said plenty of times in folklore, when you chop a carrot horizontally it's got the exact pattern of an eye. However I can't advocate this as truth until I put the effort into refocusing my eye through the means of eating plenty of fresh carrots. And so I'd like to take this opportunity to remind you that if there's an information you want to take on board from my blog, it's entirely in your hands on what you do with it.

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Since we're on the topic of Don, I have to share a side story of something I discovered today... While looking up "Don Tolman" in Google, the next option below was "Don Tolman Fraud". Curious I clicked and there were some interesting things said, from 'the concept of food telling me what it's good for is laughable' to 'he stole my $5000 (or somesuch), how can I get it back?" Don is an international jet-set speaker that makes money majorly from his courses, and more recently from turning his knowledge into a tangible thing that can be sold through a pyramid scheme. (He doesn't call it pyramid, but 2-tiered system is still a pyramid). Sometimes these things don't work out the way you want it, and most of the time sales pitches are annoying.

His head is full of years of specialised study, intensely funny to listen to live, and a real threat to the pharmaceutical industry because he asks the tough questions. It's really up to you to try his mad methods out before handing out judgments...