Alright, let me tell you about my little journey with these things called Perilla seeds. I’m not usually one to jump on every “natural remedy” bandwagon, you know? I tend to think a lot of it is just talk. But, well, sometimes you get to a point where you’re willing to try stuff, especially when the usual things aren’t cutting it.
So, picture this: a few months back, I had this nasty, lingering cough. It just wouldn’t go away. You know the type, dry one minute, then full of gunk the next. Drove me nuts, especially at night. I’d tried the usual over-the-counter syrups, lozenges, the whole nine yards. Nothing really gave me proper relief. My throat just felt… irritated, all the time.
One afternoon, I was chatting with an older lady who runs a small herb shop I sometimes pop into for tea. I happened to mention this stubborn cough, just making conversation. And she looks at me and says, “Have you ever tried Perilla seeds? Su Zi, we call it.” I was like, “Perilla what now?” I’d heard of Perilla leaves in cooking, but the seeds were new to me.
She explained they were tiny little things, and people have been using them for ages for coughs and to help clear out phlegm. I was skeptical, honestly. Little seeds for this monster cough? Seemed a bit far-fetched. But she was so earnest, and I was pretty fed up, so I figured, why not? I bought a small bag. They weren’t expensive, so no big loss if they did nothing.
When I got home, I opened the bag. The seeds were tiny, dark brown, almost black. The instructions she gave me were simple: I could either lightly toast them and chew a small spoonful, or crush them a bit and make a tea.
My First Go With Perilla Seeds
I decided to try toasting them first. I just put a dry frying pan on low heat and tossed about a teaspoon of the seeds in. Stirred them around for a few minutes until they started to smell a bit nutty and aromatic. It was actually a pretty pleasant smell. Once they cooled a bit, I just chewed them. They were a bit crunchy, a little oily, and had a unique, slightly minty or basil-like aftertaste. Not bad at all, surprisingly.
I did this for a couple of days, just a small spoonful of the toasted seeds in the morning and another in the evening. And you know what? I actually started to notice a difference. It wasn’t like magic, boom, cough gone. But gradually, that awful tickle in my throat felt less intense. The phlegm, and sorry if this is too much information, seemed to be easier to cough up. It felt like things were loosening up in my chest.
So, I kept at it. I also tried making a tea. I’d crush a teaspoon of the seeds roughly – not into a powder, just enough to break them open – and steep them in hot water for about 10 minutes. Strained it and drank it warm. That was also quite soothing, especially before bed.
What I Noticed Over Time
Over the next week or so, my cough really did improve significantly. It wasn’t completely gone, but it was manageable, and I wasn’t waking up in the middle of the night hacking anymore. I was pretty impressed, I gotta say. For something so simple, it seemed to do more for that particular cough than anything else I’d tried.
I also read up a little bit – just basic stuff, mind you, no deep dives – and found out these seeds are also supposed to be good for other things. Because they’re a bit oily, some folks use them to help with, let’s say, keeping things moving smoothly in the digestive department. I can’t say I noticed a huge change there personally, but I wasn’t really looking for that. My main focus was the cough, and for that, I felt they helped.
Here’s a quick rundown of what I personally felt from using them:
- Cough relief: Definitely felt a reduction in the intensity and frequency of my cough.
- Phlegm reduction: Seemed to help loosen and clear phlegm.
- Soothing for the throat: Both chewing the seeds and drinking the tea felt calming.
I wouldn’t call Perilla seeds a cure-all for everything under the sun. And I’m sure it’s not for everyone or every type of ailment. But for my specific situation, that nagging cough that wouldn’t quit, I was genuinely surprised and pleased with how they worked for me. I still keep a small bag of them in my kitchen cupboard. If I feel a little tickle starting in my throat, or if I’ve got a bit of a chesty thing going on, I’ll toast up a few. It’s become one of those simple, old-school things I actually trust now, based on my own little experiment. So yeah, that’s my story with Perilla seeds. Maybe it’s just me, but they did the trick.
