Pear

• Overview
• Uses
• Side Effects
• Precautions
• Dosing

Pear is a tree. Pears, the fruit, are used to make medicine.

People use pears for mild digestion problems, diarrhea, severe diarrhea (cholera), colic, constipation, fluid retention, and nausea. They also use pears for a hardened liver (liver sclerosis), spasms, tumors, and fever.

Some people apply pears directly to the skin as a drying agent.

In foods, pears are eaten as fresh or preserved fruit, and used in cooking.

How does it work?

Pear fruit contains a substance called pectin, which might help reduce diarrhea.

Insufficient Evidence to Rate Effectiveness for...

• Digestion problems.
• Colic.
• Diarrhea.
• Nausea.
• Liver disorders.
• Spasms.
• Tumors.
• Fevers.
• Constipation.
• Fluid retention.
• Other conditions.

More evidence is needed to rate the effectiveness of pear for these uses.

Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database rates effectiveness based on scientific evidence according to the following scale: Effective, Likely Effective, Possibly Effective, Possibly Ineffective, Likely Ineffective, and Insufficient Evidence to Rate (detailed description of each of the ratings).

Pears are safe for most people when eaten in normal food amounts. But, there isn't enough information to know if pears are safe when used as medicine or what the possible side effects might be.

Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Pears are safe in amounts found in food, but there's not enough information to know if they are safe in the larger amounts that are used as medicine. Stick with food amounts if you are pregnant or breast-feeding.

The appropriate dose of pear depends on several factors such as the user's age, health, and several other conditions. At this time there is not enough scientific information to determine an appropriate range of doses for pear. Keep in mind that natural products are not always necessarily safe and dosages can be important. Be sure to follow relevant directions on product labels and consult your pharmacist or physician or other healthcare professional before using.