Peaceful Pears

I feel like pears aren’t around as much as they used to be when I was a child. Perhaps it was just my Mum, but we always had them in the house when I was little, and I’d inevitably get a really bashed up manky one in my lunch box. Perhaps that’s why they aren’t as ubiquitous as apples- they bruise too easily? Either way, I think they’re often overlooked here in the UK in favour of more exotic (and expensive!) fruit. Right now pears are growing on trees, are cheap in the shops and are just so sweet and satisfying!

In Ayurveda, pears are Pitta and Kapha pacifying. Pitta is the dosha which is 90% fire, and the one that we have to be careful of during the Summer months, as it’s already hot outside. So, if we have the tendency towards inflammation, stress, anger, impatience, acid reflux, indigestion, ulcers and all of those other ‘red’ type of Pitta symptoms (doing too much perhaps?), then eating soothing, calming foods like pears is a great idea as they bring relief to tension held in the tissues as well as the mind. Full of fibre as well as water, they are a good laxative, a diuretic, are lubricating and quench thirst. Those with an excess of Kapha find that pears help ‘move things along’ throughout the body, whether that’s relieving Summer coughs or increasing ‘regularity’.

Pear skins are slightly astringent and therefore drying, so it’s a good idea to peel them before eating, and also as with most things, eat them in moderation as too many can make all of those ‘moving along nicely’ qualities turn into ‘woah there!’ messes!

Eat them while they’re cheap and in season, and see how your body responds. Children love them when they’re ‘just right’ and in true form, rarely overeat them as children know when they have had enough of something (unlike most of us grown-ups, it has to be said!).

Pears are particularly good for PMT and related physical aches and pains, post-partum constipation, as well as peri-menopause and menopausal irritability and ‘heat.