I've never read about this from any source. I just discovered it myself a few days ago.
The roots of red Perilla smell just like cedar heartwood! I was yanking up some volunteers that had to go, and being the curious person I am, I sniffed the roots and MMMMmmmmmm, cedarwood! The smell is also close to sandalwood.
So far, the roots have kept the scent on drying. I haven't checked to see if the green has the scent. (Yet!)
Robert.
FYI: Secret scent from Perilla.
Ohh! That is good to know!! I tried a leaf or two and found it yucky.... but I'll be happy to pull them up at the end of the season and save the roots. :-)
How interesting! I have quite a few that need to be pulled out. I will check.
I checked today and the green is just a fragrant-rooted as the red.
I'll be drying a lot of roots and experimenting (ok, playing around!) with them to see what I can do with them.
Robert.