Perilla leaf powder and blood pressure in Japanese adults
What it found
In a 6-month trial in healthy Japanese adults, perilla leaf powder lowered oxidized LDL and, in those with slightly raised blood pressure, lowered morning and night systolic blood pressure compared with a placebo.
The placebo was pectin fiber.
What they found
Studies in people
Oxidized LDL
After 6 months, oxidized LDL fell by 41.9 U/L in the perilla group and by 20.7 U/L in the placebo group, a significant difference between groups.
Blood pressure
In people whose home systolic blood pressure was at least 120 mmHg, morning and night systolic blood pressure fell more in the perilla group than in the placebo group. In the group as a whole, there was no significant difference between groups.
Antioxidant potential
Blood antioxidant potential fell in both groups, by 174 μM with perilla and 223 μM with placebo, with a tendency toward a difference between groups.
Red blood cell fats
The level of alpha-linolenic acid in red blood cell membranes rose significantly more in the perilla group than in the placebo group. Other omega-3 fats did not change.
Body and blood tests
Body weight, waist, body fat, and blood tests for liver, kidney, and blood health did not differ between groups after 6 months.
Side effects
No side effects that disturbed daily life, such as allergic reactions, palpitations, or stomach irritation, were noted in either group.
What the authors conclude
“PLP intake is safe and has an antioxidant effect in vivo.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say perilla leaf powder intake is safe and has an antioxidant effect in the body.
- They say it reduced home systolic blood pressure in adults with prehypertension (systolic blood pressure at least 120 mmHg).
- They call for further investigation to determine the exact mechanism of action in a large number of human studies.
How it was done
Oxidized LDL is thought to play a role in heart disease, and the authors wanted to see whether a dietary powder from perilla leaves could lower it and home blood pressure.
They randomly assigned 60 healthy Japanese volunteers aged 30 to 60 to take either perilla leaf powder or pectin fiber daily for 6 months. Home blood pressure, blood fats, and red blood cell fatty acids were measured.
What it can’t tell you
- The study was small and limited to healthy Japanese adults from one town, so the results may not apply to other groups.
- It did not follow participants after the 6 months ended, so it cannot show whether any effects last.
- It cannot show whether perilla leaf powder prevents heart disease or deaths from it.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology of Japan Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C) (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.
- Authors work at
- Shimane University Faculty of Medicine, Japan; Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh; Kato Hospital, Japan
The paper
- Title
- Intake of Alpha-Linolenic Acid-Rich Perilla frutescens Leaf Powder Decreases Home Blood Pressure and Serum Oxidized Low-Density Lipoprotein in Japanese Adults
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Licence
- CC BY. Words in quotation marks are the authors’; the rest is our summary.
- Cite
- Hashimoto M, Tanabe Y, Hossain S, et al (2020). Intake of Alpha-Linolenic Acid-Rich Perilla frutescens Leaf Powder Decreases Home Blood Pressure and Serum Oxidized Low-Density Lipoprotein in Japanese Adults. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland). doi:10.3390/molecules25092099Free full textPubMed 32365849DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error