Stir-fried chicken or stewed fish with perilla is delicious, and it has great potential as medicine and for essential oil extraction, so why is it hard to buy?

Perilla has a unique aroma. Whether stir-fried in dishes, pickled to add flavor, or eaten with sashimi, it is delicious. It can also be used as traditional Chinese medicine, made into natural pigment, and even used to extract perilla essential oil. Its seeds are rich in oil and can be pressed for oil, giving it great development potential, yet few farmers cultivate it. According to statistics, there are only 2.28 hectares of planting area nationwide, with output of less than one metric ton. Hong Qianhui, assistant researcher in the Crop Improvement Section of the Hualien District Agricultural Research and Extension Station, said perilla is easy to grow and has economic value. If more farmers invest in planting it, it can inject vitality into the industry.