Abstract: Perilla frutescens (L.) Britt., a traditional medicinal and edible plant in China, has both nutritional and medicinal value. Enriched with bioactive constituents including phenolic acids, fatty acids, terpenoids, polysaccharides, and flavonoids, it exhibits diverse biological activities. This review systematically analyzes the functions of different bioactive components in P. frutescens and summarizes their roles in antioxidant defense and cellular homeostasis maintenance, metabolism and immunity regulation, and nervous system modulation based on their modulatory effects on overall health. From the perspective of cross-field applications, we review industrial innovative practices for P. frutescens in various fields such as food, pharmaceuticals, and agricultural biocontrol, and discuss the future application prospects of precision development technologies such as genomics, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) editing, green extraction processes, and quality control and standardization systems. This review aims to provide a scientific basis for understanding bioactive components in P. frutescens and integrating various innovative technologies for the industrial application of this plant, laying a theoretical foundation for its in-depth development in the modern healthcare industry.

Key words: Perilla frutescens; medicine-food homology; bioactive components; health effects; functional foods; industrial application