Perillaldehyde health benefit, review of studies
February 1 2017

Perillaldehyde is one of the major oil components in Perilla frutescens. Perillae Herba (a leaf of Perilla frutescens) has been prescribed as one of the component herbs in certain Kampo (Japanese herbal) medicines that are used clinically for the improvement of depressive mood. l-Perillaldehyde is a major component in the essential oil containing in Perillae Herba, but its antidepressant-like effect has not been reported.

Perillaldehyde has vasodilative effects due to blocking of Ca2+ channels.

As of 2016, we have not seen any human studies with this substance.

Perillaldehyde antidepressant effect
Antidepressant-like Effect of l-perillaldehyde in Stress-induced Depression-like Model Mice through Regulation of the Olfactory Nervous System.
Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2008. Ito N, Nagai T, Hanawa T. Oriental Medicine Research Center, The Kitasato Institute, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
To clarify the antidepressant-like effect of PAH, the inhaled effect of Perillaldehyde on stress-induced depression-like model mice prepared by subjection to a combination of forced swimming and chronic mild stresses was investigated. Our suggest that the inhalation of Perillaldehyde shows antidepressant-like activity through the olfactory nervous function.

Perillaldehyde research studies
Carvone and perillaldehyde interfere with the serum-induced formation of filamentous structures in Candida albicans at substantially lower concentrations than those causing significant inhibition of growth.
J Nat Prod. 2002. McGeady P, Wansley DL. Department of Chemistry, Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Carvone and perillaldehyde were shown to inhibit the transformation of Candida albicans to a filamentous form at concentrations far lower and more biologically relevant than the concentrations necessary to inhibit growth. This morphological transformation is associated with C. albicans pathogenicity; hence these naturally occurring monoterpenes are potential lead compounds in the development of therapeutic agents against C. albicans infection.