Purple perilla extract improved cognitive test scores in a short trial
Adults with cognitive impairment improved more on cognitive tests with the extract than placebo, while measured blood biomarkers did not differ significantly between groups.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
A standardized purple perilla leaf extract produced greater improvements on cognitive tests than placebo in adults with cognitive impairment. Both groups improved, and the extract group improved more. Blood measures of amyloid beta and brain-derived neurotrophic factor did not differ significantly between groups, so the test findings do not establish an effect on those biomarkers.
The abstract reports statistical significance without effect sizes or confidence intervals. Short-term test-score changes do not establish lasting benefit or improved daily functioning, and the safety summary cannot establish safety over longer use.
What researchers found
Cognitive test scores
Extract versus placebo after 12 weeks on K-MMSE-2 and ADAS-Cog; numerical effect sizes were not reported.
Separate tests from biomarkers
The study assessed cognitive performance and blood biomarkers as distinct outcomes. A benefit on the tests does not demonstrate a corresponding biological change, and the nonsignificant blood results do not prove that the groups were equivalent.
Safety findings have a timeframe
The safety evaluation found no clinically significant changes during the study. That observation is limited to the participants, extract and follow-up studied; it does not establish the safety of other perilla products or prolonged use.
The original publication
Efficacy and Safety of Standardized Ethanol Extract of Purple Perilla (Perilla frutescens Britton var. acuta Kudo) Leaves in Cognitive Impairment: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial.
Baek HI, Joo JC, Kim SK et al.
Nutrients · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 41901135
- Record checked
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