Stems and woodsQi-regulatingPerillae Caulis

Zi Su Geng (Cutivated Purple Perilla Stem)

A practical guide to Zi Su Geng: what it is, how Traditional Chinese Medicine uses it, the classical formulas it appears in, and who should be careful with it.

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Last reviewed Oct 29, 2026

Quick Facts

Latin Name	Perillae Caulis
Chinese Name & Pinyin	紫蘇梗 · Zi Su Geng
Medicinal Part	Stems and woods
The item	Zi Su Geng is the dried stem of Perilla frutescens. Sha Ren is not this herb. It is added late in decocting to save its aromatic oil.
Nature and channels	Neutral, acrid. Enters the Lung, Spleen, and Stomach. It moves qi, widens the middle, relieves pain, and calms the fetus.
Pharmacopoeia line	Moves qi and widens the middle. Relieves pain and calms the fetus. Used for chest and epigastric stuffiness, abdominal fullness, and restlessness of the fetus in pregnancy.
Pattern cues	Chest stuffiness. Belching and bloating. Mild morning sickness.
In this article	Zi Su Geng versus Sha Ren. Moving qi versus transforming dampness. Why it is added late in decocting. Why pregnancy needs a practitioner. Who should skip it.

What Is Zi Su Geng?

Zi Su Geng (紫苏梗; Zǐ Sū Gěng; Latin: Perillae Caulis; English: perilla stem) in the current pharmacopoeia is the dried stem of Perilla frutescens, a mint-family plant, usually harvested in autumn after the fruit ripens, and used raw or lightly stir-fried. It is neutral and acrid, enters the Lung, Spleen, and Stomach channels, and its core actions are to move qi and widen the middle, and to relieve pain and calm the fetus. It usually goes into decoctions. The usual amount is 5–10 g. It is added in the last 10 minutes of decocting, so its light aromatic oil is not boiled away. In gentle home tea use it is taken in smaller amounts, around 3–5 g, and not for more than about a week at a stretch.

It is not Sha Ren. Cardamon is warm, acrid, and drying, and it transforms dampness, warms the middle, and stops diarrhea, aimed at cold-damp stomach pain. Zi Su Geng is neutral and much gentler, aimed at mild qi stagnation without cold signs. Yin deficiency with internal heat, dry mouth, and dry stools is a poor match. Severe abdominal pain that keeps worsening, or pregnancy bleeding and strong abdominal pain, need a clinic first. Do not self-dose it through a whole pregnancy.

It is used most often for three patterns:

Chest and epigastric stuffiness, belching, and bloating after meals
Throat foreign-body sensation with chest tightness from phlegm-qi block
Mild pregnancy chest fullness and nausea from qi stagnation

Neutral and acrid, it is not a daily “qi regulator” to keep brewing. Moving qi when there is no stagnation consumes fluid and worsens internal heat.

When spleen-stomach qi stalls, dampness and food sit in the middle and the chest feels blocked; in pregnancy, reversed qi can disturb the fetus. Zi Su Geng is neutral and acrid. It moves the qi and widens the middle without being harshly drying, which is why it appears in Ban Xia Hou Po Tang (Pinellia-Magnolia Decoction)–type formulas. It moves more gently than Qing Pi or Zhi Shi. A yin-deficient, heat-dry body, with no cold-damp stagnation, gets worse if more is added.

Zi Su Geng is not a catch-all stomach or pregnancy tea. In yin deficiency with internal heat, or with severe pain and bleeding, using it alone is a poor match. Raw or stir-fried, and whether it belongs in a formula, should be decided by a licensed Chinese medicine practitioner after pattern diagnosis.

Zi Su Geng: Materia Medica Profile

Identification & Quality Standard

Perillae Caulis

Botanical Origin

The dried stem of Perilla frutescens (L.) Britt.(Lamiaceae)

Production Regions

Primarily produced in the Chinese provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Henan, Hebei.

Quality Requirements

Superior medicinal material has purplish-brown skin and potent aromatic odor.

Macroscopic Features

Square columnar shape, four ridges are blunt round, uneven length, 0.5~1.5cm diameter. Externally purplish-brown or dark purple, four sides has longitudinal grooves and thin longitudinal lines, nodes are slightly enlarged, with opposing branch scars and leaf scars. Fractured surface has a cracked shape. Slice is 2~5mm thick, often is angular rectangular shape, yellowish-white xylem, dense rays, in radial arrangement, pith is white.

Main Regions and Quality Identification

Traditional materia medica and industry experience value the Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Hebei perilla regions, though actual quality also depends on variety, harvest time, processing, and storage. In appearance, good-quality Zi Su Geng is cylindrical and four-angled, 0.5–1.5 cm in diameter, with a purple-brown or pale green-brown surface; the nodes are slightly enlarged, with opposite branch scars and leaf scars. The cut face shows a white, loose, sponge-like pith. It is brittle and breaks easily, with a faint clean aroma and a slightly pungent taste. The difference between raw and stir-fried forms: Chao Zi Su Geng is slightly yellowish on the surface, with occasional scorch spots, and a somewhat fainter aroma. The common look-alike is the dried stem of the related plant Bai Su (white perilla): its stem is paler, yellow-green, harder, with a denser pith and a fainter odor — observe closely and you can tell them apart.

Traditional Properties & Historical Lineage

Nature, Flavour & Channel Tropism

Acrid; WarmLungSpleen

1. Records in Classic Materia Medica

Ming Yi Bie Lu: records that it "sends the qi down and treats cold in the middle" — "sending the qi down" means straightening out the qi, and "cold in the middle" refers to the qi blockage after the spleen and stomach are affected by cold.
Ben Cao Gang Mu: adds a fuller list — "relaxes the muscles and releases the exterior, disperses wind-cold, moves the qi and eases the middle, dissolves phlegm and benefits the lung, harmonizes the blood, warms the middle, stops pain, calms wheezing, and calms the fetus."
De Pei Ben Cao: notes it can "harmonize the blood, stop pain, calm wheezing, and calm the fetus," stressing its qi-blood-regulating and fetus-calming effects.
Zhong Hua Ben Cao: states its actions plainly — regulating the qi and easing the middle, stopping pain, and calming the fetus — corresponding to everyday chest-abdominal stuffiness, epigastric-abdominal pain, and fetal restlessness.

2. How Views of Its Nature Changed

Different physicians saw it differently. Some stressed its qi-regulating, middle-easing side — as a common herb for middle-burner spleen-stomach qi stagnation, suited to the epigastric-abdominal fullness of food stagnation and emotional constraint. Others focused on its fetus-calming side — for pregnancy fetal restlessness from spleen-stomach qi stagnation. Still others defined its scope — that it suits mild qi stagnation; for marked stagnation with severe pain, other herbs must be added and it cannot be used alone. This makes its application boundary clearer and keeps it from being misused as a universal qi-regulating herb.

Core Efficacies & Traditional Applications

Traditional Functions

Regulates qi and harmonizes the middle, stops pain, and calms the fetus.

1. First Direction: Regulating the Qi and Easing the Middle

Traditional action: regulate the qi of the middle-burner spleen-stomach and the lung, eliminating chest-abdominal stuffiness and easing the mild pain that qi stagnation brings.
Typical signs: the spleen-stomach qi stagnation pattern — chest-epigastric stuffiness, abdominal fullness worse after eating, or nausea, belching, and distending pain; also usable for mild lung-qi congestion with chest tightness and cough.
Usual combinations: with marked spleen-stomach qi stagnation, often paired with Chen Pi and Fo Shou; with food stagnation, with Chao Mai Ya and Chao Gu Ya to dissolve the accumulation and regulate the qi.
Who should not self-use: if chest-abdominal pain is severe, the fullness persists without relief, or marked vomiting and diarrhea appear, see a doctor first — don't self-regulate with Zi Su Geng and delay treatment.

2. Second Direction: Regulating the Qi and Calming the Fetus

Traditional action: regulate the spleen-stomach qi to ease pregnancy qi-stagnation fetal restlessness and prevent the fetal qi from rising.
Typical signs: the pregnancy qi-stagnation pattern — chest-epigastric stuffiness, nausea and vomiting, abdominal fullness, or a bearing-down sensation with fetal movement; especially suited to early-pregnancy discomfort caused by qi stagnation.
Usual combinations: often paired with spleen-strengthening, stomach-harmonizing herbs such as Bai Zhu and Sha Ren — both regulating the qi to calm the fetus and protecting the spleen and stomach, reducing pregnancy nausea and vomiting.
Who should not self-use: if pregnancy shows obvious vaginal bleeding, severe abdominal pain, or abnormally frequent fetal movement, seek care immediately — don't self-calm the fetus with Zi Su Geng; the cause must be determined first.

3. Classic Pairing: Zi Su Geng With Chen Pi

The classic herb pair is Zi Su Geng with Chen Pi. Zi Su Geng focuses on regulating the lung-spleen qi — dispersing the stuffiness of the upper body and straightening out middle-burner congestion; Chen Pi focuses on regulating the qi, strengthening the spleen, drying damp, and transforming phlegm — boosting the transport function and clearing the stuffiness that phlegm-damp brings. Together they regulate the qi and ease the middle — suiting the pattern of spleen-stomach qi stagnation with phlegm-damp: chest-epigastric stuffiness, poor appetite, nausea and vomiting, and a white greasy tongue coat. This pairing needs a practitioner's pattern diagnosis; it is not for pure qi stagnation without phlegm-damp, nor for yin-deficiency with inner heat.

Modern Research

Modern research offers useful context, but Traditional Chinese Medicine prescribes on whole-pattern diagnosis rather than isolated compounds.

1. Main Chemical Constituents

Detected constituents include volatile oils, flavonoids, terpenes, and polysaccharides. The volatile oil is the more studied component — containing perillaldehyde, limonene, linalool, and others; the flavonoids include luteolin and apigenin. To be clear, these are components detected in the plant — they do not directly equal Zi Su Geng's clinical effects.

2. Current Research Directions

In in vitro experiments, some components showed anti-inflammatory activity, inhibiting the release of some inflammatory factors. In animal studies, the extract may regulate gastrointestinal peristalsis and improve gastrointestinal propulsion in animals. Human clinical research on Zi Su Geng is still limited — mostly observing its improvement of mild gastrointestinal discomfort — and more human studies are still needed to verify the clinical effects.

3. Limitations of Current Research

Lab results are not clinical efficacy — in vitro and animal results cannot be directly applied to humans.
Extracts and monomers are not the same as traditional decoction pieces — the extract and single components differ from the sliced herb in dose form; a component's action differs from the whole slice's overall action.
Methods and doses vary between studies — different perilla varieties, extraction methods, and doses across studies reduce comparability.
A single component does not define the whole herb — Chinese herbs work through many components together; one component's activity cannot represent the whole herb's effect.

Comparing Similar Herbs

1. What They Share

Zi Su Geng and Sha Ren are similarly acting herbs often used for the same kind of symptoms. They share three main points:

Both have regulating the qi as a main action — helping straighten out the body's qi.
Both are used for the traditional spleen-stomach qi stagnation pattern — easing epigastric-abdominal fullness, nausea, and vomiting.
Both may appear in food therapy or daily mild regulation scenes — and both need constitution and dose care.

2. The Key Differences: Zi Su Geng vs. Sha Ren

Nature and flavors: Zi Su Geng is neutral and pungent — neither cold nor hot, gentle in nature; Sha Ren is warm and pungent — carrying a warm-drying quality, leaning toward warm-hot.
Focus: Zi Su Geng's core action is regulating the qi and easing the middle — straightening out chest-abdominal congestion, easing chest tightness and epigastric fullness; Sha Ren's core actions are resolving damp, moving the qi, and warming the middle to stop diarrhea — resolving spleen-stomach damp and easing damp-stagnation diarrhea and abdominal pain; it can also calm the fetus, but leans toward warm-natured fetus-calming.
Qi tendency: Zi Su Geng is lifting with some settling — diffusing the upper lung qi and settling middle-burner congestion, leaning toward "freeing" the qi flow; Sha Ren is warm-drying qi-moving — warming the spleen and stomach, resolving damp, and awakening the spleen, leaning toward "warming."
Best fit: Zi Su Geng suits mild qi stagnation without obvious cold signs — chest-epigastric stuffiness and frequent belching; Sha Ren suits spleen-stomach with damp and cold signs — cold epigastric-abdominal pain, poor appetite, and a thick white greasy tongue coat.
Not suitable: Zi Su Geng has few restrictions — people with yin-deficiency inner heat can usually take small amounts without obvious discomfort; Sha Ren's warm-drying is stronger — those with yin-deficiency inner heat, dry mouth and throat, or dry stools should not use it, as it may worsen the inner heat.
Use scenes: Zi Su Geng appears more in daily mild regulation — home boiled water for chest tightness, or as an auxiliary qi-regulating herb in formulas; Sha Ren appears more in formulas that need warm damp resolution, or for marked cold-damp spleen-stomach discomfort; in food therapy it is also used for cold-sign spleen regulation.

3. One-Sentence Summary

Simply put, Zi Su Geng leans toward gentle qi-regulating and easing the middle to remove fullness, whereas Sha Ren leans toward warming and resolving damp, and warming the middle to stop diarrhea. Both can be used for mild spleen-stomach qi stagnation, but they are not interchangeable.

Classical Formulas Containing Zi Su Geng

Ban Xia Hou Po Tang

半夏厚朴湯

Formula CategoryQi-Regulating FormulasPrimary PatternQi StagnationPrimary FunctionMove Qi, resolve phlegm, dissipate clumpsRelated ConditionsChest Tightness·Emotional Depression·Sore Throat

View Formula Profile Read Complete Guide

Formulas vs. Single Herbs

A formula is a whole worked out by many herbs together — the combination produces synergy or restraint, while a single herb's action is relatively narrow and cannot simply replicate a full formula's effect. The formula's doses and combinations are holistic: in Ban Xia Hou Po Tang, for example, Zi Su Geng's dose is adjusted to the other herbs in the formula; if you take Zi Su Geng alone, both the dose and the logic of action differ. And be clear — that a herb works inside a formula does not mean taking it alone will work the same way; this is an easy point for readers to misunderstand. So don't build your own formula from online articles — especially professional formulas, which need a doctor's guidance.

Diet & Daily Home Use

1. Home Tea and Porridge

Tea — Zi Su Geng Chen Pi Cha: Zi Su Geng 5 g, Chen Pi 3 g. Wash both, put them in a cup, steep in boiling water for 5 minutes, and drink. Suited to mild daily chest-epigastric stuffiness and frequent belching — a heavy chest after meals, poor appetite, or mild emotion-related chest tightness. Not for those with yin-deficiency inner heat — dry mouth and throat, dry stools, scanty tongue coat. Suggested: 2–3 times a week, 1 cup each time; don't drink every day.

Porridge — Zi Su Geng Sheng Jiang Zhou: Zi Su Geng 6 g, Sheng Jiang 3 slices, Da Mi 50 g. Wash the rice and cook it into porridge; when nearly done, add the Zi Su Geng and ginger and cook 5 more minutes. Suited to mild pregnancy chest-epigastric stuffiness and nausea and vomiting, or mild bloating from spleen-stomach cold. Not for pregnant women with marked inner heat (dry, bitter mouth) or people who tend to get heat easily. Suggested: 1–2 times a week; don't treat it as a long-term daily staple. Reminder: Zi Su Geng is a medicinal decoction piece, not an ordinary food — control the dose in daily use and don't overdo it.

2. Decoction and Processing Differences

The raw and processed forms differ: raw Zi Su Geng focuses on regulating the qi and easing the middle — suiting daily mild chest tightness and epigastric fullness; Chao Zi Su Geng has a gentler qi-regulating action plus some spleen-strengthening effect — suiting people with slightly weaker digestion. At home, Zi Su Geng needs no pre-boiling, bagging, or flush-taking — generally add it 10 minutes before the other herbs finish decocting (a late addition), which preserves its volatile oil and lets the qi-regulating action work better. Different forms cannot be converted directly: the medicinal slice dose and the food-therapy tea dose differ; don't apply the medicinal dose to food therapy.

3. Dosage and Course

The common dose in traditional prescriptions is 5–10 g for regulating the qi and easing the middle; for calming the fetus, the dose is generally 6–9 g. Food-therapy doses are smaller than medicinal ones — 3–5 g is enough for tea. Long-term continuous use is not advised, especially for daily regulation: don't exceed 1 week continuously; if symptoms don't improve, see a doctor. Special groups — pregnant women and children — should consult a doctor or pharmacist before use; don't decide the dose or course on your own.

Contraindications & Safety Warnings

1. Who Should Avoid It

Yin deficiency with inner heat — dry mouth and throat, hot hands and feet, dry stools — taking Zi Su Geng may worsen the inner heat signs.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding — use in pregnancy requires a doctor's pattern diagnosis; breastfeeding women should also consult a doctor, to avoid affecting the baby through the milk.
Children and the elderly — weaker constitutions; adjust the dose and do not self-use.
Liver or kidney impairment — if treating liver or kidney problems, consult a doctor first, to avoid adding burden to the liver and kidney.
Allergy to perilla or Lamiaceae (mint-family) plants — do not use Zi Su Geng.
Those in special treatment — such as taking anticoagulants or blood-pressure medications — consult a doctor before use to avoid interactions.

2. Interactions and Diet Notes

There is no clearly documented interaction between Zi Su Geng and specific drugs, but anyone taking special medications such as anticoagulants, blood-pressure medications, blood-sugar medications, or sedatives should consult a doctor or pharmacist first, to avoid affecting drug absorption or metabolism. There is no sufficient evidence for a general "food clash" between ordinary foods, but certain herbs can interact with specific drugs — anyone on medication should consult a doctor or pharmacist first and avoid pairing herbs and foods on their own.

3. Adverse Reactions and Overdose Risk

Zi Su Geng has few side effects. Overdose, however, may bring dry mouth, dizziness, and fatigue — and in people with yin-deficiency inner heat, overdose may worsen the inner heat signs. If marked discomfort, allergy signs (rash, itching), persistent vomiting, breathing difficulty, altered consciousness, or rapidly worsening symptoms appear, stop at once and seek medical care — don't handle it on your own.

Frequently Asked Questions About Zi Su Geng

What is Zi Su Geng? Are Zi Su Ye and Chen Pi the same?

Zi Su Geng (紫苏梗) is the dried stem of Perilla frutescens (Perillae Caulis), a common Chinese herb centered on regulating qi and broadening the middle, stopping pain, and calming the fetus. Zi Su Ye releases the exterior and disperses cold, leaning to external contraction. Chen Pi regulates qi and strengthens the Spleen, leaning to Spleen deficiency. The three cannot be interchanged by equal weight. Write Zi Su Geng. Use caution in yin deficiency.

What is the composition and traditional use of Zi Su Geng?

Pharmacopoeial name Zi Su Geng, Latin Perilla frutescens. Acrid and warm; enters the Lung and Spleen channels. It acts to regulate qi and broaden the middle, stop pain, and calm the fetus. It is used for chest and diaphragm fullness, epigastric pain, belching and vomiting, and restless fetus. Regulates qi, broadens the middle and calms the fetus.

How do you choose raw versus prepared? Can Zi Su Ye replace it?

Cut into thick slices and used raw. Zi Su Ye leans to releasing the exterior without specialized fetus-calming; it cannot replace the formula by equal weight. Commercial products follow regulated processing; do not self-modify.

What is the usual dosage? Can it be drunk daily as a qi-regulating tea?

Decocted, 5-9 g. Modern use requires a practitioner to name the dose. It is not a four-season “perilla stem tea.” Yin deficiency only injures further. Qi stagnation needs a practitioner to name a short course; it does not replace assessment.

What are the contraindications? Can it be used in pregnancy?

Use caution in yin deficiency with fire hyperactivity. Pregnancy may use it but requires practitioner assessment of the calming-fetus dose. Stop if dry mouth or loose stool appears. Severe restless fetus or abdominal pain need immediate medical care.

Can Zi Su Geng regulate qi and broaden the middle, stop pain and calm the fetus?

It can help chest and diaphragm fullness, epigastric pain, belching and vomiting, and restless fetus. It regulates qi and broadens the middle, stops pain, and calms the fetus—not a specific for every qi stagnation or every restless fetus.

Can Zi Su Geng be drunk daily as a qi-regulating or fetus-calming tea?

Qi stagnation may enter a short formula; yin deficiency only injures further. “Perilla stem must calm the fetus” does not replace assessment. Regulating qi and broadening the middle, stopping pain and calming the fetus should be named by a practitioner with form and dose.

How do you choose among Zi Su Geng, Zi Su Ye, Chen Pi, Xiang Fu and Sha Ren?

Zi Su Geng regulates qi and broadens the middle while stopping pain and calming the fetus, leaning to chest-diaphragm fullness and restless fetus. Zi Su Ye releases the exterior and disperses cold, leaning to external contraction. Chen Pi regulates qi and strengthens the Spleen, leaning to Spleen deficiency. Xiang Fu soothes the Liver and regulates qi, leaning to Liver depression. Sha Ren transforms dampness, moves qi and calms the fetus, leaning to damp obstruction. Qi stagnation and fetus-calming favor Zi Su Geng; external contraction favors Zi Su Ye; Spleen deficiency favors Chen Pi; Liver depression favors Xiang Fu; damp obstruction favors Sha Ren. They may be referenced after pattern differentiation; yin deficiency forbids large Zi Su Geng.

How is Zi Su Geng commonly modified? What is the representative use?

Depends on the pattern. Qi stagnation may add Chen Pi; restless fetus may add Sha Ren. Write Zi Su Geng; do not replace the fetus-calming action with an equal weight of Zi Su Ye.

How do you choose and store Zi Su Geng?

Choose regulated Chinese medicinal materials with intact stem slices. Moldy, damp, or abnormal-smelling lots are discarded. Store cool and dry. Buy “Zi Su Geng”; do not replace regulating qi and broadening the middle, stopping pain and calming the fetus with an equal weight of Zi Su Ye or Chen Pi.

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Medical Disclaimer — This article is provided for educational purposes only and describes traditional Chinese medicine concepts. It is not medical advice, and it is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Always consult a qualified practitioner before using any herb, particularly if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication or managing a diagnosed condition.