Herb Peel / Rind (皮 pí / 果皮 guǒ pí)

Li Pi

Pear peel · 梨皮

Pyrus bretschneideri Rehd. / Pyrus pyrifolia (Burm.f.) Nakai / Pyrus ussuriensis Maxim. · Pericarpium Pyri

Also known as: Pear skin, Sha Li Pi (沙梨皮), Bai Li Pi (白梨皮),

Li Pi (Pear peel) plant

Images shown are for educational purposes only

Pear peel is the outer skin of the Asian pear, used in Chinese medicine as a gentle cooling remedy for heat-related thirst, dry cough, and sore throat. It moistens the Lungs, calms the Heart, and promotes healthy fluid levels in the body, making it especially useful in hot weather or during feverish conditions.

Category Yin-tonifying herbs (补阴药) Heat-clearing herbs
Therapeutic focus Respiratory Health Fluid Balance Skin Health Digestive Health

TCM Properties

Temperature

Cool

Taste

Sweet (甘 gān), Astringent (涩 sè)

Channels entered

Lungs, Heart, Kidneys, Large Intestine

Parts used

Peel / Rind (皮 pí / 果皮 guǒ pí)

Educational content • Consult qualified TCM practitioners for diagnosis and treatment

What This Herb Does

Every herb has a specific set of actions — here's what Li Pi does in the body, explained in both everyday and TCM terms

Therapeutic focus

In practical terms, Li Pi is primarily used to support these areas of health:

Respiratory Health Fluid Balance Skin Health Digestive Health

TCM Actions

In TCM terminology, these are the specific therapeutic actions that Li Pi performs to restore balance in the body:

Clears Heart Fire Moistens the Lungs Clears Heat and Generates Fluids Resolves sore toxins Clears Summer-Heat

How these actions work

'Clears Heart Heat' means Lí Pí helps reduce excess warmth in the Heart system, which in TCM terms manifests as restlessness, irritability, and a feeling of inner heat or agitation. Because it enters the Heart channel and has a cool nature, it can gently settle this kind of overheating.

'Moistens the Lungs' means it helps restore moisture to the respiratory system when dryness has taken hold. This is why it is traditionally used for dry cough, especially in autumn or after a fever when body fluids have been depleted. Its sweet taste nourishes fluids while its cool nature soothes inflamed airways.

'Lowers Fire and promotes fluid production' describes its ability to quench thirst and generate body fluids during conditions of heat. This applies especially to summer-heat illness or feverish diseases where the person is very thirsty with a dry mouth and throat. The sweet and cool properties work together to both clear heat and replenish lost fluids.

'Resolves sore toxins' refers to its traditional topical use for boils, carbuncles on the back (known as 'fā bèi'), and similar skin eruptions. Applied externally as a mashed poultice, it is said to help draw out toxins and reduce swelling.

Patterns Addressed

In TCM, symptoms cluster into recognizable patterns of disharmony. Li Pi is used to help correct these specific patterns.

Why Li Pi addresses this pattern

Lí Pí directly addresses Lung Dryness through its cool, sweet, and moistening properties. When the Lungs lack adequate fluids, they lose their ability to descend and diffuse Qi properly, leading to dry cough and parched throat. Lí Pí enters the Lung channel, where its cool nature calms heat-driven dryness while its sweet taste nourishes and replenishes depleted fluids. This makes it particularly suited for autumn dryness or post-febrile conditions where Lung Yin has been consumed.

A practitioner would look for one or more of these signs

Dry Cough

Dry, unproductive cough worse in dry weather

Dry Throat

Scratchy, dry throat with little sputum

Thirst

Persistent thirst with desire for cool drinks

Commonly Used For

These are conditions where Li Pi is frequently used — but only when they arise from the specific patterns it addresses, not in all cases

Arises from: Lung Dryness

TCM Interpretation

In TCM, a dry cough without significant phlegm is typically understood as the Lungs lacking moisture. The Lungs are sometimes described as a 'delicate organ' that prefers a moist environment. When external dryness (such as dry autumn air), febrile illness, or chronic fluid depletion robs the Lungs of moisture, they can no longer smoothly descend Qi. The result is an irritating, hacking cough with little or no sputum. The condition worsens with dry air and may come with a scratchy throat and hoarse voice.

Why Li Pi Helps

Lí Pí enters the Lung channel with a cool, sweet nature that directly addresses the two core problems in Lung Dryness: insufficient moisture and mild residual heat. Its sweet taste generates and nourishes fluids, re-moistening the Lung tissue, while its cool nature soothes any heat that is consuming those fluids. As a gentle, food-grade remedy, it is well suited for mild or early-stage dryness and is often taken as a simple decoction or incorporated into dietary preparations.

Also commonly used for

Thirst

Heat-induced thirst and summer-heat thirst

Vomiting Blood

Mild hematemesis from internal heat

Dysentery

Chronic dysentery, traditionally combined with pomegranate peel

Boils

Boils and carbuncles, applied topically

Skin Rashes

Scabies and skin eruptions, applied externally

Herb Properties

Every herb has an inherent temperature, taste, and affinity for specific channels — these properties determine how it interacts with the body

Temperature

Cool

Taste

Sweet (甘 gān), Astringent (涩 sè)

Channels Entered

Lungs Heart Kidneys Large Intestine

Parts Used

Peel / Rind (皮 pí / 果皮 guǒ pí)

Dosage & Preparation

These are general dosage guidelines for Li Pi — always follow your practitioner's recommendation, as dosages vary based on the formula and your individual condition

Standard dosage

9–15g (dried); 30–60g (fresh)

Maximum dosage

Up to 60g when using fresh pear skin, or 25g dried, for acute Summer-Heat or dryness conditions.

Dosage notes

Use lower doses (9–10g dried) when included as a supporting herb in formulas like Sang Xing Tang, where the overall approach is light and dispersing. Higher doses (15–25g dried, or 30–60g fresh) may be used when the primary goal is to moisten the Lungs, generate fluids, or clear Summer-Heat. Fresh pear skin is preferred over dried for acute thirst and dryness conditions, as the fresh form retains more juice and moistening capacity. When treating dysentery, Li Pi is often combined with astringent herbs like Shi Liu Pi (pomegranate peel) to balance its moistening nature with binding action.

Preparation

No special decoction handling required. Li Pi can be added with the main batch of herbs and decocted normally. Fresh pear skin may be added near the end of cooking (in the last 5–10 minutes) to preserve its aromatic and moistening qualities, particularly when used in light, dispersing formulas like Sang Xing Tang.

Common Herb Pairs

These ingredients are traditionally combined with Li Pi for enhanced therapeutic effect

Shi Liu Pi
Shi Liu Pi Equal parts (1:1)

Lí Pí and Shí Liú Pí (pomegranate peel) together combine cooling fluid-generation with astringent binding to treat chronic dysentery. Lí Pí clears residual heat and restores fluids while Shí Liú Pí's strong astringent action stops the diarrhea, addressing both the cause and the symptom.

When to use: Chronic dysentery that will not resolve, where there is both lingering heat and loose, uncontrolled bowel movements.

Chen Pi
Chen Pi Equal parts (1:1)

Lí Pí provides cooling moisture while Chén Pí regulates Qi and transforms Dampness. Together they address digestive discomfort in edema and water retention conditions, balancing fluid nourishment with Qi movement to prevent stagnation.

When to use: Edema with digestive weakness and poor appetite, traditionally part of a five-peel combination approach for fluid retention.

Sang Bai Pi
Sang Bai Pi Equal parts (1:1)

Both herbs enter the Lung channel. Sāng Bái Pí drains Lung Heat and promotes urination to reduce edema, while Lí Pí moistens the Lungs and generates fluids. Together they clear Lung Heat without over-drying, maintaining a balance between draining excess and nourishing fluids.

When to use: Lung Heat with cough and concurrent edema or fluid retention, especially when the Lungs need both clearing and moistening.

Comparable Ingredients

These ingredients have overlapping uses — here's how to tell them apart

Lu Gen
Li Pi vs Lu Gen

Both Lí Pí and Lú Gēn (reed rhizome) are cool herbs that clear Heat and generate fluids. However, Lú Gēn is stronger at clearing Stomach Heat, promoting urination, and treating nausea from Stomach Heat, while Lí Pí is more focused on moistening the Lungs and has an astringent quality absent in Lú Gēn. Choose Lú Gēn for Stomach-predominant heat with vomiting; choose Lí Pí for Lung dryness with an astringent or binding need.

Tian Men Dong
Li Pi vs Tian Men Dong

Both moisten dryness and generate fluids, but Mài Mén Dōng is a far more potent Yin-nourishing herb that deeply replenishes Lung and Stomach Yin and calms the Heart. Lí Pí is much milder and is used more as a dietary-level remedy for mild heat and dryness, while Mài Mén Dōng is the standard choice for significant Yin Deficiency requiring stronger intervention.

Tian Hua Fen
Li Pi vs Tian Hua Fen

Both are cool herbs that clear Heat and generate fluids. Tiān Huā Fěn is substantially stronger, enters the Lung and Stomach channels, and is used for intense thirst in febrile disease, Lung abscess, and swelling. Lí Pí is gentler and more appropriate for mild summer-heat thirst and everyday Lung dryness where a strong medicinal is not needed.

Common Substitutes & Adulterants

Related species and common adulterations to be aware of when sourcing Li Pi

Li Pi is a common, inexpensive herb derived from widely available fruit, so deliberate adulteration is rare. However, the specific pear species used can vary. Classical sources specify the peels of Pyrus bretschneideri (white pear), Pyrus pyrifolia (sand pear), or Pyrus ussuriensis (Ussurian pear). Peels from European pear (Pyrus communis) or apple (Malus domestica) have a different phytochemical profile and should not be substituted. When purchasing dried Li Pi, ensure it comes from Asian pear varieties rather than mixed or unidentified fruit peels.

Educational content — always consult a qualified healthcare provider or TCM practitioner before using any herb.

Toxicity Classification

Classical Chinese pharmacopoeia toxicity rating for Li Pi

Non-toxic

Li Pi is classified as non-toxic in classical sources. The Sichuan Materia Medica explicitly states it is 'without toxicity' (无毒). No toxic components have been identified in pear skin. No special processing is required to ensure safety.

Contraindications

Situations where Li Pi should not be used or requires extra caution

Caution

Spleen and Stomach deficiency cold (脾胃虚寒): Li Pi is cool in nature and may further weaken a cold, deficient digestive system, worsening symptoms like loose stools, poor appetite, and abdominal cold pain.

Caution

Cold-type cough with profuse thin white phlegm: as a cooling, moistening herb, Li Pi is unsuitable for coughs caused by Wind-Cold or internal Cold-Dampness, where warming and drying strategies are needed instead.

Caution

Diarrhea due to Cold-Dampness or Yang deficiency: the cool, moistening quality of Li Pi can aggravate watery diarrhea in patients with underlying deficiency cold patterns.

Special Populations

Important considerations for pregnancy, breastfeeding, and pediatric use

Pregnancy

Generally considered safe during pregnancy at standard doses. Li Pi is a mild, food-grade herb with a cool nature and no known uterine-stimulating properties. It has traditionally been used in pregnancy-related formulas such as remedies for morning sickness (妊娠恶阻). However, as with all cool-natured herbs, excessive use should be avoided in pregnant women with underlying Spleen-Stomach deficiency cold.

Breastfeeding

No specific concerns have been documented for breastfeeding. Li Pi is a mild, food-derived herb with a long history of culinary and medicinal use. Its cooling and fluid-generating properties are unlikely to cause adverse effects for nursing mothers or infants at standard doses. As with all cooling herbs, excessive use may theoretically affect milk quality in mothers with cold constitutions.

Children

Li Pi is mild and food-grade, making it generally suitable for children. It is traditionally used in pediatric formulas such as Si Ye Er Pi Yin (四叶二皮饮) for childhood Summer-Heat conditions. Dosage should be reduced proportionally by age: roughly one-third to one-half of adult dose for children aged 3–7, and two-thirds for children aged 7–14. Fresh pear skin cooked into soups or congee is the gentlest method of administration for young children.

Drug Interactions

If you are taking pharmaceutical medications, be aware of these potential interactions with Li Pi

No significant drug interactions have been documented for Li Pi. As a food-grade fruit peel, it has a very mild pharmacological profile. However, pear skin contains arbutin and chlorogenic acid as its main phenolic compounds. Arbutin is metabolized to hydroquinone, which theoretically could interact with medications affecting hepatic metabolism, though this has not been clinically demonstrated at dietary or standard medicinal doses.

Patients taking medications for diabetes should be aware that pear products may have mild blood sugar-lowering effects based on preclinical research, though this is unlikely to be clinically significant at standard herbal doses.

Dietary Advice

Foods and dietary considerations when taking Li Pi

When taking Li Pi for Lung dryness or Summer-Heat conditions, favor foods that support its moistening action: congee, steamed vegetables, lily bulb, white fungus (Bai Mu Er), and honey. Avoid excessively spicy, fried, or greasy foods that can generate internal Heat and counteract the herb's cooling effect. Those with weak digestion should avoid combining Li Pi with large amounts of cold, raw foods, as the combined cooling effect may burden the Spleen and Stomach.

Botanical Description

Physical characteristics and morphology of the Li Pi source plant

Li Pi is the fruit peel (exocarp) of several pear species in the Rosaceae family, primarily Pyrus bretschneideri Rehd. (white pear), Pyrus pyrifolia (Burm.f.) Nakai (sand pear), and Pyrus ussuriensis Maxim. (Ussurian pear). These are deciduous trees growing 5–15 metres tall, with broadly spreading crowns and often crooked branches.

The leaves are alternate, simple, ovate to broadly ovate, with finely serrated margins. Flowers appear in spring as clusters of white blossoms, each with five petals. The fruit is a pome, typically round to pyriform (pear-shaped), 5–10 cm in diameter, with a thin skin that ranges from yellowish-green to golden-brown depending on variety. The flesh beneath the skin is white, juicy, and sweet with characteristic gritty stone cells.

Sourcing & Harvesting

Where Li Pi is sourced, when it's harvested or collected, and how to assess quality

Harvesting season

September to October, when the fruits are fully ripe.

Primary growing regions

White pear (Pyrus bretschneideri): primarily cultivated in Hebei, Shandong, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Henan, and Qinghai provinces in northern China. The most famous terroir varieties include Dangshan Su pear from Anhui and Yali pear from Hebei. Sand pear (Pyrus pyrifolia): distributed across southern and central China, including Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan, Guizhou, and Yunnan. Ussurian pear (Pyrus ussuriensis): found in northeastern China, northern China, Shandong, Shaanxi, and Gansu.

Quality indicators

Good quality Li Pi should come from fully ripe pears harvested in autumn. Fresh pear skin should be thin, pliable, and aromatic with a slightly sweet, mildly astringent taste. When dried, the skin should retain a yellowish-brown to light golden color and a faint sweet fragrance. It should not be darkened, moldy, or excessively brittle. Thicker-skinned pear varieties (such as sand pear) tend to produce more substantial dried material. Avoid pear skins from fruit treated with heavy pesticide use or wax coatings.

Classical Texts

Key passages from the classical Chinese medical texts that describe Li Pi and its therapeutic uses

《滇南本草》 (Materia Medica of Southern Yunnan)

Chinese: 敷发背疔疮。

English: Applied topically for carbuncles on the back and boils.

《本草再新》 (Revised Materia Medica)

Chinese: 清心降火，滋肾益阴，生津止渴，除烦去湿。

English: Clears the Heart and brings down Fire, nourishes the Kidneys and supplements Yin, generates fluids and stops thirst, eliminates irritability and removes Dampness.

《四川中药志》 (Sichuan Materia Medica)

Chinese: 清暑热，止烦渴，生津，收敛。治痢疾及咳嗽有汗。

English: Clears Summer-Heat, stops irritability and thirst, generates fluids, and is astringent. Treats dysentery as well as cough with sweating.

《陆川本草》 (Luchuan Materia Medica)

Chinese: 治痧积暑热。

English: Treats Summer-Heat accumulation disorders.

Historical Context

The history and evolution of Li Pi's use in Chinese medicine over the centuries

Li Pi was first recorded as a medicinal substance in the Ming dynasty text Dian Nan Ben Cao (《滇南本草》, Materia Medica of Southern Yunnan) by Lan Mao, where it was noted for topical application on carbuncles and boils. Later texts expanded its uses significantly. The Ben Cao Zai Xin (《本草再新》) broadened its profile to include clearing Heart-Fire, nourishing Kidney Yin, generating fluids, and removing Dampness, elevating it from a simple topical remedy to an internally used herb.

Li Pi gained its most famous clinical application through Wu Jutong's Wen Bing Tiao Bian (《温病条辨》, Systematic Differentiation of Warm Diseases), written in the Qing dynasty. In this text, Li Pi appears as a component of Sang Xing Tang (桑杏汤), a formula for the light clearing of warm-dryness attacking the Lungs. Wu Jutong used Li Pi as an assistant herb to moisten the Lungs and generate fluids alongside Sha Shen, complementing the dispersing action of Sang Ye and Xing Ren. The inclusion of pear skin rather than the whole fruit reflects Wu's principle that "light herbs must not be used heavily" (轻药不得重用), keeping the formula light and suitable for superficial warm-dryness conditions.

The name "Li" (梨) is a homophone for "Li" (利, meaning "beneficial" or "flowing downward"). Li Shizhen noted in the Ben Cao Gang Mu that the pear's nature "flows downward" (其性下行流利), linking its name to its therapeutic action of promoting the descent of Lung Qi and moistening dryness. China's cultivation history of pears extends back over 4,000 years, documented as early as the Shi Jing (Book of Songs) and Qi Min Yao Shu.

Modern Research

3 published studies investigating the pharmacological effects or clinical outcomes of Li Pi

1

Phenolic Compounds and Chromatographic Profiles of Pear Skins (Pyrus spp.) — Analytical study, 2008

Lin LZ, Harnly JM. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2008, 56(19), 9094–9101.

This study used LC-DAD-ESI/MS to profile phenolic compounds in the skins of 16 pear varieties. The researchers identified 34 flavonoids and 19 hydroxycinnamates, with arbutin and chlorogenic acid being the predominant phenolic compounds across all pear skins studied. Different pear varieties showed distinct phenolic profiles, allowing classification into four groups.

Link
2

Chemical composition, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial activities of Chinese pear fruit (Pyrus bretschneideri Rehd.) — Preclinical study, 2012

Li X, Zhang JY, Gao WY, Wang HY. Food and Chemical Toxicology, 2012, 50(10), 3673–3679.

This study isolated five compounds from P. bretschneideri, including ursolic acid derivatives, quercitrin, and alpha-amyrin. The ethyl acetate fraction showed strong anti-inflammatory activity in carrageenan-induced rat paw edema and xylene-induced ear edema models, supporting the traditional use of pear for treating inflammatory conditions.

PubMed
3

A review of pears (Pyrus spp.), ancient functional food for modern times — Review, 2021

Lee GH et al. PMC, 2021.

This comprehensive review examined evidence for pear's medicinal functions including anti-diabetic, anti-obesity, anti-inflammatory, and respiratory protective effects. It noted that beneficial compounds such as flavonoids and triterpenoids are concentrated in the peels, and that pear extracts combined with Fritillaria bulb showed enhanced anti-inflammatory effects in animal models.

Research on individual TCM herbs is growing but still limited by Western clinical trial standards. These studies provide emerging evidence and should be considered alongside practitioner expertise.