Kickas.org Forums Treatments, Drugs and Alternatives NSD and diet-related; Perilla seed flour?

I was walking through a local supermarket and came across something called Perilla seed flour. I was tempted to buy it and test it for starch, but I thought I would check here first. Has anyone heard of it and do you know if it is starchy? Can it be used to make bread or buscuits? If no one knows, I will check it out. I have a feeling it may be starchy as it was next to the corn starch. The label was all in Korean and my ability isn't quite at the additive level yet. I couldn't find much on the internet, other than it does have anti-inflammatory properties (anti-histamine).

Eric

Gday Eric,

Im always on the hunt for alt. bread flours so did a quick search myself on the elusive perilla and found this.
Q. What is Perilla exactly and how does it compare to flax oil as an Omega-3 source?
A. Perilla is a member of the mint family and a common ingredient in the Japanese diet. The oil extracted from Perilla is as high in Omega-3 Alpha Linolenic Acid (ALA) as flax (55% ALA). Perilla, however, is also known as the "antioxidant Omega-3", for its remarkably high content of flavonoids and anthocyanins. Rosmarinc acid, luteolin, chrysoeriol, quercitin, catechin, and apigenin are a few of the phenolic compounds found in perilla oil. These antioxidants may also be involved in allergy, cardiovascular and cancer prevention. Perilla oil is also thought by some to have a milder taste than flaxseed oil.

Is it the same source for the Perilla Flour .. not sure.

Hope this helps

Patrick

I searched on the net and couldn't find anything very useful either. Apparently this plant is considered a weed in America as it is not native and is poisonous to many animals / livestock.. yet humans *seem* to servive eating it ok :-).

=== Other Names for "Perilla" ===
Perilla Mint
Beef-steak Plant (or Beefsteak Plant)
Beefsteak mint
Korean Sesame
Scientific: Perilla frutescens
Japanese: shisonomi
Korean: deul gge

I checked my herbal PDR (Physician's Desk Reference), while a PDR doesn't give you recipes for bread, it does breakdown the medicinal quality and compound of a plant, it says the following:
Actions and Pharmacology
COMPOUNDS:
Volatile oil: constituents vary greatly according to chemotype with perillaldehyde, L-limonene + perillaldehyde, perilla ketone, myristicin, dill apiole or elshotzia ketone predominating.
Caffeic accid derivative: romsmarinic acid (0.4-1.7%)
Monoterpene glucosides: including perillosides A to D citrusine C.
Flavonoids: apigenin glucoside and luteolin glucoside, estered to some extent with caffeic acid.
EFECTS:
Perilla aldehyde (chemotype PA) is sedative and antibacterial in effect; perilla ketone (Chemotype PK) acts as a propulsive in the GI tract. In addition, a cytotoxic and antitumerous effect was able to be demonstrated. Perilla leaves may trigger allergic skin reactions. In at least one study, serum cholesterol and trigliceride levels in rats that were fed Perilla oil were lowered.
Indications and Usages:
Unproven Uses: The herb is used pharmaceutically as an antisepti and for diseases of the mouth. The oil may also have positive antilipidemic effects.
Chinese Medicine: Perilla is used in traditional Chinese medicine for colds with fevr, coughs, shortness of breath, chills, swelling of the nasal mucous membrane, headach and to treat poisoning from ingestion of fish or crab. Efficacy for these indications has not yet been proven.
(Do not use during pregnancy)
Precautions and Adverse Reactions:
No health hazards are known in conjunction with the proper administration of designated therapeutic dosages. the Plant possesses potential for sensitization. In test with sheep using 15-20 mg/kg body weight admin per infusion. Perilla ketone triggered pulmonary edema. Perillaldehyde had mutagenic effect in some in vitro studies.
Mode of admin:
Whoel, cut, powdered drug preparations and oil for internal use.
Daily Dose: extract (aqueous): 3 to 10 g

Okay, that was a lot of medical jargon.. Maybe pick from it what you can.. Looks to me like it CAUSES allergic reactions in some cases... And a bit of a laxitive effect (rather, a propulsive, meaning it makes the muscles in the GI tract work faster) other than that, I'm not sure of what all that means.. Maybe it can help you out, maybe it can't.. You can probably google most of these terms, or check webmd.com. Let us know.
Chelsie

Also checked my eastern/central medicinal plants book, it says: Leaf tea used in asian traditional medicine for abdominal pains, diarrhea, vomiting, coughs, to "quiet a restless fetus", relieve morning sickness, irritability during pregnancy, fevers, colds. A favorite culinary herb of some oriental cultures. (interestingly, for all the indications for pregnancy issues, there is a big warning to avoid this during pregnacy (as in the pdr)).
Overall, maybe check some oriental culinary books.. I only have info on the medicinal end.
chelsie

Thanks for all the replies. I finally bought the powder and tested it. After 4 hours, the iodine has not changed colour at all. I think it may be safe to say that it is starch-free. I've read that it is added to some Asian soups for flavour, but I haven't seen any other uses for it. My wife is Korean and she has never heard of anyone using it. If it pushes food through the gut faster, it may not be so good for us. I'll keep looking. If it can be used for bread, it would be great. Almond flour seems to affect me, so I haven't been able to go that route.