Hops (Humulus lupulus L.) are commercially important as an essential flavoring in beer. Glands on the hop cone contain many unique compounds, making the chemistry of the hop plant extremely complex. The compounds most important to the brewing industry are the bitter acids, which give beer its characteristically bitter flavor, and the essential oils, which give beer its "hoppy" aroma.
German beermakers have been using wild hop (Humulus lupulus L.) to flavor their brew for hundreds of years.The manufacture of beer utilizes 98% of the world's production of hop.
Latin Name:Flos Lupuli
Botanical: Humulus Lupulus (LINN.)
Family(Order):Cannabaceae
Humulus lupulus L.
Common Names:Hop Bine,common hop,hop,Houblon, Lupulin,Lupuli strobilus, Humulus, Lupulus;English=Hops,German = Hopfen, French = Houblon, Spanish = Hombrecillo, Italian = Luppolo,
Parts used: The dried strobiles from the female plant.
Collection: The strobiles are collected before they are fully ripe in August and September and dried carefully in the shade They should not be stored for longer than a year because the lupulin is prone to oxidation.Harvest the ripe cones in late summer or early fall. When ripe, the cones are bronze-colored and slightly open.
Havesting and Storage: Hops stored at room temperature lose their effectiveness and produce a bad-smelling chemical, valeric acid. Commercial hops are stored in the cold (a refrigerator is fine), protected from oxygen, and you should do the same if you are storing hops for months. To minimize exposure to oxygen, put fresh but well-dried hops in a plastic bag. Before sealing the bag, expel as much air as possible, but don't crush the hops in the process.When harvesting the cones for craft use, pick them while they are still light green, before they ripen. Ripe cones shatter and can't be preserved.
Constituents: Up to 1% volatile oil (humulene, myrcene, caryophylline, farnescene); 15-25% resinous bitter principles and phloroglucinol derivatives known as alpha acids (humulone, cohumulone, adhumulone, valerianic acid) and beta acids (lupulone, colupulone, adlupulone); condensed tannins and phenolic acids, flavonoid glycosides (astralagin, quercitin, rutin), fats, amino acids, unidentified oestrogenic substances, choline, asparagin. The oil and bitter resins together are known as lupulin.
Hops and Lupulin Exrtact Humulus lupulus L 0.30% HPLC grains tannins; flavonoids including kaempferol and quercetin mono- and diglycosides; xanthohumol and other chalcones
Botanical Description of Hops:
Hops is also known by the name Hop Bine. Hops grows throughout Europe, Asia and North America, and belongs to the same group of plants as the stinging nettle. The word "Hops" comes from "hoppan", meaning "to climb" in reference to Hops being a climbing vine.
Humulus is a climbing perennial. The annual stems twist in a clockwise direction, growing up to 6m in length and giving rise to 3-5-lobed sharply-toothed leaves with a very rough surface. The smaller leaves are single lobed. The flowers are dioecious: the small male flowers occur in loose panicles in the upper leaf axils, the female ones in closely-stacked, cone-like catkins made up of bracts with tiny flowers tucked into the axils. The cones grow threefold after fertilisation, up to 5cm in length, and change colour from pale greenish-yellow to yellow-brown. This herb is found Europe to Asia and favours hedgerows, thickets and open woods.
The Hop (Humulus Lupulus, Linn.) is a native British plant, having affinities, botanically speaking, with the group of plants to which the Stinging Nettles belong. The sole representative of its genus in these islands, it is found wild in hedges and copses from York southwards, being only considered an introduced species in Scotland, and rare and not indigenous in Ireland. It is found in most countries of the North temperate zone.
The root is stout and perennial. The stem that arises from it every year is of a twining nature, reaching a great length, flexible and very tough, angled and prickly, with a tenacious fibre, which has enabled it to be employed to some extent in Sweden in the manufacture of a coarse kind of cloth, white and durable, though the fibres are so difficult of separation, that the stems require to be steeped in water a whole winter. Paper has also been made from the stem, or bine, as it is termed.
The leaves are heart-shaped and lobed, on foot-stalks, and as a rule placed opposite one another on the stem, though sometimes the upper leaves are arranged singly on the stem, springing from altenate sides. They are of a dark-green colour with their edges finely toothed.
The flowers spring from the axils of the leaves. The Hop is dioecious, i.e. male and female flowers are on separate plants. The male flowers are in loose bunches or panicles, 3 to 5 inches long. The female flowers are in leafy cone-like catkins, called strobiles. When fully developed, the strobiles are about 1 1/4 inch long, oblong in shape and rounded, consisting of a number of overlapping, yellowish-green bracts, attached to a separate axis. If these leafy organs are removed, the axis will be seen to be hairy and to have a little zigzag course. Each of the bracts enfolds at the base a small fruit (achene), both fruit and bract being sprinkled with yellow translucent glands, which appear as a granular substance. Much of the value of Hops depends on the abundance of this powdery substance, which contains 10 per cent of Lupulin, the bitter principle to which Hops owe much of their tonic properties.
As it is, these ripened cones of the female Hop plant that are used in brewing, female plants only are cultivated, since from these alone can the fruits be obtained. Those with undeveloped seeds are preferred to ensure which the staminate plants are excluded, only a few male plants being found scattered over a plantation of hops.
We find the Hop first mentioned by Pliny, who speaks of it as a garden plant among the Romans, who ate the young shoots in spring, in the same way as we do asparagus, and as country people frequently do in England at the present day. The young tops of Hop used formerly to be brought to market tied up in small bundles for table use. The tender first foliage, blanched, is a good potherb.
The leaves and flower-heads also have been used also to produce a fine brown dye.
Cultivation of Hops:
It has been estimated that in pre-war times 70 per cent of the Hops used in brewing was home produce and 30 per cent imported, chiefly from the United States and Germany. Hops are also grown in France,West China,South Russia, Australia and New Zealand.
Name Identification and Archeology of Hops:
Humulus: Latin name of uncertain origin, may have descended from Low German word humela, hop; which is the common name of this genus placed by Munz in the Moraceae or mulberry family, but moved by Jepson along with Cannabis into the new family Cannabaceae.
lupulus: literally a "small wolf," alluding to the plant's habit of climbing over and smothering trees on which it grows. H. lupulus is the European hop and was once called "willow-wolf" because of its propensity for climbing on willows
The origin of the name of the Hop genus, Humulus, is considered doubtful, though it has been assumed by some writers that it is derived from humus, the rich moist ground in which the plant grows. The specific name Lupulus, is derived from the Latin, lupus (a wolf), because, as Pliny explains, when produced among osiers, it strangles them by its light, climbing embraces, as the wolf does a sheep. The English name Hop comes from the Anglo-Saxon hoppan (to climb).
Ancient Hebrews used Hops to deter the spread of the Bubonic Plague. Hops gained acceptance in England as an ingredient in beer and as a medicinal herb in 17th century. ops appear to have been used in the breweries of the Netherlands in the beginning of the fourteenth century. In England they were not used in the composition of beer till nearly two centuries afterwards. The liquor prepared from fermented malt formed the favourite drink of our Saxon and Danish forefathers. The beverage went by the name of Ale (the word derived from the Scandinavian l - the Viking's drink) and was brewed either from malt alone, or from a mixture of the latter with Honey and flavoured with Heath tops, Ground Ivy, and various other bitter and aromatic herbs, such as Marjoram, Buckbean, Wormwood, Yarrow, Woodsage or Germander and Broom. They knew not, however, the ale to which Hops give both flavour and preservation. For long after the introduction of Hops, the liquor flavoured in the old manner retained the name of Ale, while the word of German and Dutch origin, Bier or Beer, was given only to that made with the newly-introduced bitter catkins.
It has been stated that the planting of Hops in this country was forbidden in the reign of Henry VI, but half a century later the cultivation was introduced from Flanders, though only to a limited extent, and it did not become sufficient for the needs of the kingdom till the end of the seventeenth century. The prejudice against the use of Hops was at first great. Henry VIII forbade brewers to put hops and sulphur into ale, Parliament having been petitioned against the Hop as 'a wicked weed that would spoil the taste of the drink and endanger the people.' In the fifth year of Edward VI, however, privileges were granted to Hop growers, though in the reign of James I the plant was still not sufficiently cultivated to supply the consumption, as we find a statute of 1608 against the importation of spoiled Hops.
Hops were at first thought to engender melancholy.
'Hops,' says John Evelyn, in his Pomona (1670), 'transmuted our wholesome ale into beer, which doubtless much alters its constitution. This one ingredient, by some suspected not unworthily, preserves the drink indeed, but repays the pleasure in tormenting diseases and a shorter life.'
Hops gives beer its distinctive taste and prevents bacterial growth. For centuries, it has also been considered valuable as a food, whereby the young shoots have been eaten like asparagus in many countries. American Indians made a sedative from the blossoms, and they also applied heated, dried flowers to relieve toothaches.
German beermakers have been using wild hop (Humulus lupulus L.) to flavor their brew for hundreds of years. Hop was introduced to the United States from England in 1629. The first commercial hop yard in the United States was established in New York in 1808. Cultivation of the crop rapidly spread south and west. Wisconsin became a major producer of hop for a brief period late in the nineteenth century, but New York remained the leader until the crop was virtually wiped out in both states by downy mildew in the 1920s.
Traditional Use and Current Status:
Hops and Its Traditional Use:
Traditionally, hops were considered soothing to the stomach, an appetite stimulant (due to the bitter taste), slightly sedative, a sleep aid, and diuretic. A popular way of using hops as a sleep aid was to stuff a pillow with the fruiting bodies, moistening them slightly before bed to prevent them from rustling and keeping an insomniac awake! A poultice of hops was used to relieve pain of rheumatic Joints and a tea was taken to relieve muscle spasms and soothe the nerves.
Hawthorn is notably absent from medical works and herbals of early-nineteenth-century America and Europe. It came to the attention of the medical profession in the 1890s by means of a single reference in a medical journal. By the early twentieth century, it was a mainstay of heart disease treatment. Still widely used in Europe and Asia, it is less frequently recommended in America.
The manufacture of beer utilizes 98% of the world's production of hop. Before the days of pasteurization, brewers used hop for its antibiotic properties as well as its flavor. In some countries the young shoots are eaten as a boiled vegetable.
The female "cone," which contains the small flowers and later the fruits, has resin glands which produce lupulin. Lupulin contains the essential oils and resins that give the hop its aroma and beer its bitter flavor. The alpha acids in the resin contribute to the bitter components and constitute 4.5 to 7% of the weight of the dried hop in most domestic varieties and 8 to 12% in some English varieties. Eight to 13 oz of hop are used for each barrel of beer.
Current Status:phytomedicine and sleeping aid
In European phytomedicine, hops preparations are used to relieve mood disturbances, such as unrest and anxiety, and for sleep disturbances. Hops are also prescribed for nervous tension, excitability, restlessness and lack of sleep, and to stimulate appetite. Laboratory studies show that hops have a wide range of biological activity. rhe bitter acids in the fruits are antibacterial. Extracts of the fruits strongly reduce smooth-muscle spasms. Studies have both confirmed and disputed hops' sedative and estrogenic activities.
The hormonal effects of Hops were noticed when female gatherers of the plants got their menstrual cycles early. Primary chemical constituents of this herb include humulone, lupulinic acid, bitter principle (lupulin), essential oil, valerianic acid, flavonoids (quercetin, rutin), choline, phytoestrogens, and tannin. Hops is rich in vitamin C and B-complex, and also contains various minerals. Many herbal preparations for insomnia combine Hops with more potent sedative herbs, such as valerian. Hops tea is recommended for conditions of nervous diarrhea, insomnia, and restlessness. It can also help to stimulate appetite, dispel flatulence, and relieve intestinal cramps. This herb can be usefully combined with valerian for coughs and nervous spasmodic conditions. The cold tea of Hops, taken an hour before meals, is particularly good for digestion. Hops also has diuretic properties and can be taken for various problems with water retention and excess uric acid. Hops can be made into a sachet and placed in ones pillowcase as a sleeping aid and nightmare preventive
Medicinal Action and Uses of Hops:
Parts Used Medicinally of Hops: (a).The strobiles, collected and dried as described. (b).The Lupulin, separated from the strobiles by sifting.
Medicinal Action and Uses of Hops:
Hops have tonic, nervine, diuretic and anodyne properties: Their volatile oil produces sedative and soporific effects, and the Lupamaric acid or bitter principle is stomachic and tonic. For this reason Hops improve the appetite and promote sleep.
The official preparations are an infusion and a tincture. The infusion is employed as a vehicle, especially for bitters and tonics: the tincture is stomachic and is used to improve the appetite and digestion. Both preparations have been considered to be sedative, were formerly much given in nervousness and hysteria and at bedtime to induce sleep; in cases of nervousness, delirium and inflammation being considered to produce a most soothing effect, frequently procuring for the patient sleep after long periods of sleeplessness in overwrought conditions of the brain.
The bitter principle in the Hop proves one of the most efficacious vegetable bitters obtainable. An infusion of 1/2 oz. Hops to 1 pint of water will be found the proper quantity for ordinary use. It has proved of great service also in heart disease, fits, neuralgia and nervous disorders, besides being a useful tonic in indigestion, jaundice, and stomach and liver affections generally. It gives prompt ease to an irritable bladder, and is said to be an excellent drink in cases of delirium tremens. Sherry in which some Hops have been steeped makes a capital stomachic cordial.
A pillow of warm Hops will often relieve toothache and earache and allay nervous irritation.
Sluggish livers: An infusion of the leaves, strobiles and stalks, as Hop Tea, taken by the wineglassful two or three times daily in the early spring, is good for sluggish livers. Hop Tea in the leaf, as frequently sold by grocers, consists of Kentish Hop leaves, dried, crushed under rollers and then mixed with ordinary Ceylon or Indian Tea. The infusion combines the refreshment of the one herb with the sleepinducing virtues of the other.
Hop juice cleanses the blood: and for calculus trouble nothing better can be found than the bitter principle of the Hop. A decoction of the root has been esteemed as of equal benefit with Sarsaparilla.
As an external remedy, an infusion of Hops is much in demand in combination with chamomile flowers or poppy heads as a fomentation for swelling of a painful nature, inflammation, neuralgic and rheumatic pains, bruises, boils and gatherings. It removes pain and allays inflammation in a very short time. The Hops may also be applied as a poultice.
The drug Lupulin is an aromatic bitter and is reputed to be midly sedative, inducing sleep without causing headache.
It is occasionally administered as a hypnotic, either in pills with alcohol, or enclosed in a cachet.
Preparations of Lupulin are not much used in this country, although official, but in the United States they are considered preferable for internal use.
Medicinal virtues:
It will open obstructions of the liver and spleen, cleansethe blood, loosen the belly, cleanse the reins from gravel and provoke the urine. The decoction of the tops cures the itch and breakings out of the body, tetters, ringworms, spreading sores, rnorphew and all discolourings of the skin.The decoction of the flowers and tops helps to expel poison. Half a dram (89o mg) of the seed in powder, taken in drink, kills worms in the body, brings down women's courses and expels urine. A syrup made of the juice and sugar cures yellow jaundice and eases the headache that comes of heat.
Hops in General use:
Hops is best known as the preservative and flavor used to make beer. However, Hops has also been used by herbalists for centuries to reduce nervous tension. Hops acts as a natural sedative to calm the nerves and reduce stress & anxiety. Hops also promotes a good night's rest by counter-acting the effects of sleeplessness and insomnia.
Hops have been cultivated to be used in the brewing of beer since at least A.D. 1000, but they also have a mixed history of use in healing. Ancient Hebrews used hops to help ward off plague. In North America, several Native American tribes independently discovered the healing properties of hops and used them as a sedative and sleep aid, to relieve toothache, and to improve digestion. By the end of the 1800s, hops were being routinely used in mainstream medicine in the United States as a sedative and digestive tonic. Although hops were sometimes used as a sleep aid in Europe, until relatively recently their major use in Europe was in the brewing of beer, to which they add a bitter flavor and act as a preservative.
Today European herbalists are much more enthusiastic about the healing properties of hops. They are used in three ways: as a sedative, to aid digestion, and as an antibiotic.
Hops' best known medicinal function is as a mild sedative and sleep aid. For centuries pillows filled with hops have been prescribed for people who have difficulty falling asleep. Hops extracts taken orally are also said to promote sleep. Hops are chemically complex and contain many different compounds. Scientists have separated out several components that are sedative in nature, although it is not clear whether hops contain enough of these compounds to actually make a person sleepy. Studies are ongoing, but the German Federal Health Agency's Commission E, established in 1978 to independently review and evaluate scientific literature and case studies pertaining to herb and plant medications, has approved hops for sleep problems, restlessness, and anxiety. Hops belongs to the same family of herbs as marijuana, and some people claim it produces a mild, relaxed, euphoric feeling when smoked. There is no scientific evidence for this claim.
The second major use of hops is as an aid to digestion. It has been used for centuries in both traditional Chinese medicine and Native American healing to stimulate the appetite, ease digestion, and aid in relieving colic. It is believed that hops stimulates the secretions of the stomach.
The German E Commission has also concluded that hops may act as a digestive aid. Scientists have isolated another extract from the plant that in the laboratory inhibits spasms in the digestive tract and other smooth muscle. Follow-up studies in people have not yet been done.
Chinese healers use hops to treat tuberculosis and as an antibiotic. Test-tube studies show that the bitter acids in hops inhibit the growth of certain bacteria and fungi, including the common bacteria Staphylococcis aureus (responsible for staph infections) and Bacillus subtilis; but do not inhibit Escherichia coli, a bacterium that causes digestive upsets. This antibacterial action may account for the preservative effect of hops in brewed beer. A 1999 study also showed that some compounds isolated from hops were effective in test-tube studies in reducing the proliferation of certain types of human breast and ovarian cancer cells. As of 2002, hops extract is being studied as a possible cancer chemopreventive.
There has been much debate in the healing community about whether hops contain a compound related to or easily converted into estrogen, the main female hormone. Some herbalists believe that the presence of an estrogenic compound accounts for the dampening of male sexual arousal and the control of sexual nervous tension
ascribed to fresh hops. Other herbalists disagree, maintaining that those effects are related only to the relaxing or sedative properties of hops. In 2002, however, a team of British researchers reported on the activity of a phytoestrogen that was recently discovered in the female flowers of hops plants. The compound, known as 8-prenylnaringenin, appears to be stronger than previously identified phytoestrogens.
In addition to their uses in healing, hops are used as an ingredient in perfume and occasionally as a tobacco or food flavoring. Their main food use and commercial value is in beer.
From folk medicine uses to laboratory studies:
In folk medicine, hops is best known for its calming effects. Supposedly, during the Dark Ages or earlier, individuals who worked as hops growers, collectors, or handlers were noticed to be more relaxed -- even to the point of fatigue. Hops began to be used as a sedative and sleep aid. Subsequently, hops gained a reputation for being effective in treating anxiety, insomnia, restlessness, and related conditions. It is still used for sedation, often in combination with other sleep-promoting herbals such as valerian; even though little scientific evidence supports this use.
In a few small laboratory studies, chemicals in hops have demonstrated some additional activity. Humulone and lupulone, weak acid components that give hops a bitter taste, also killed bacteria or kept them from spreading. These same chemicals may help to prevent the formation of new blood vessels, potentially giving them anticancer effects. Hops may also have other protective effects against some cancers. In several small studies of laboratory cultures or animals, hops prevented different cancer types from starting, growing, or spreading. Perhaps more significantly, a chemical derived from hops has caused laboratory cultures of leukemia cells to disintegrate. Whether any of these anti-infective and anticancer effects may apply to humans has yet to be determined.
Historical uses: Hops feature only occasionally in early herbals, and the health benefits ascribed to them are similar to our understanding today.
Sedative: The herb is used mostly for its sedative effect. A sachet placed inside a bed pillow releases an aroma that calms the mind. Hops help to reduce irritability and restlessness and promote a good night's sleep.
Tension: Blended with other herbs, hops are good for stress, anxiety, tension, and headaches, though they should not be used if depression is a factor. The antispasmodic action also makes them useful for certain types of asthma and for menstrual pain.
Aid to digestion: Hops are beneficial for the digestion, increasing stomach secretions and relaxing spasms and colic.
Other medical uses: Temporomandibular joint syndrome or disorder / TMJ (TMD).
Culinary uses: Serve young hop shoots as you would asparagus. The shoots, which are best when they are 5 to 10 cm (2 to 4 inches) long, should be boiled for 2 to 3 minutes. Then change the water and steam the spears until tender. Serve with melted butter or cheese sauce. In hop-producing areas of Europe, blanched hop spears are sometimes served as a delicacy.
Hops are an essential ingredient of beer, whether brewed at home or in commercial breweries, as it is the resin in the cones' lupulin glands that gives beer its bitterness.
Hop extracts and oil are used commercially to flavor yeast, candy, ice cream, puddings, gelatins, baked goods, chewing gum, confectionery, and condiments.
Craft uses: Include the dried cones in wreaths and garlands.
Identification of a potent phytoestrogen in hops (Humulus lupulus L.) and beer:
The female flowers of the hop plant are used as a preservative and as a flavoring agent in beer.
However, a recurring suggestion has been that hops have a powerful estrogenic activity and that beer may also be estrogenic.
In this study, sensitive and specific in vitro bioassays for estrogens were used for an activity-guided fractionation of hops via selective solvent extraction and appropriate HPLC separation.
Some Uk Sceintist have identified a potent phytoestrogen in hops, 8-prenylnaringenin, which has an activity greater than other established plant estrogens.
The estrogenic activity of this compound was reflected in its relative binding affinity to estrogen receptors from rat uteri.
The presence of 8-prenylnaringenin in hops may provide an explanation for the accounts of menstrual disturbances in female hop workers.
This phytoestrogen can also be detected in beer, but the levels are low and should not pose any cause for concern.
Hops and Recipes for Herb Beers:
Formerly every farmhouse inn had a brewing plant and brewhouse attached to the buildings, and all brewed their own beer till the large breweries were established and supplanted home-brewed beers. Many of these farmhouses then began to brew their own 'stingo' from wayside herbs, employing old rustic recipes that had been carried down from generation to generation. The true value of vegetable bitters and of herb beers have yet to be recognized by all sections of the community. Workmen in puddling furnaces and potteries in the Midland and Northern counties find, however, that a tea made of tonic herbs is cheaper and less intoxicating than ordinary beer and patronize the herb beers freely, Dandelion Stout ranking as one of the favourites. It is also made in Canada.
Dandelion is a good ingredient in many digestive or diet drinks. A dinner drink may be made as follows: Take 2 OZ. each of dried Dandelion and Nettle herbs and 1 OZ. of Yellow Dock. Boil in 1 gallon of water for 15 minutes and then strain the liquor while hot on to 2 Lb. of sugar, on the top of which is sprinkled 2 tablespoonsful of powdered Ginger. Leave till milk-warm, then add boiled water gone cold to bring the quantity up to 2 gallons. The temperature must then not be above 75 degrees F. Now dissolve 1/2 oz. solid yeast in a little of the liquid and stir into the bulk. Allow to ferment 24 hours, skim and bottle, and it will be ready for use in a day or two.
A good, pleasant-tasting botanic beer is also made of the Nettle alone. Quantities of the young fresh tops are boiled in a gallon of water, with the juice of two lemons, a teaspoonful of crushed ginger and 1 Lb. of brown sugar. Fresh yeast is floated on toast in the liquor, when cold, to ferment it, and when it is bottled the result is a specially wholesome sort of ginger beer.
Meadow Sweet was also formerly much in favour. The mash when worked with barm made a pleasant drink, either in the harvest field or at the table. It required little sugar, some even made it without any sugar at all.
Another favourite brew was that of armsful of Meadowsweet, Yarrow, Dandelion and Nettles, and the mash when 'sweetened with old honey' and well worked with barm, and then bottled in big stoneware bottles, made a drink strong enough to turn even an old toper's head.
Old honeycomb from the thatch of an ancient cottage, filled with rich and nearly black honey, when boiled into syrup and then strained, was used in the making of herb beer, while the wax was put at the mouths of the hives for the bees.
Dandelion, Meadowsweet and Agrimony, equal quantities of each, would also be boiled together for 20 minutes (about 2 OZ. each of the dried herbs to 2 gallons of water), then strained and 2 lb. of sugar and 1/2 pint of barm or yeast added. This was bottled after standing in a warm place for 12 hours. This recipe is still in use.
A Herb Beer that needs no yeast is made from equal quantities of Meadowsweet, Betony, Agrimony and Raspberry leaves (2 OZ. of each) boiled in 2 gallons of water for 15 minutes, strained, then 2 lb. of white sugar added and bottled when nearly cool.
In some outlying islands of the Hebrides there is still brewed a drinkable beer by making two-thirds Heath tops with one-third of malt.
HOP BITTERS, as an appetiser, to be taken in tablespoonful doses three times in the day before eating, may be made as follows: Take 2 OZ. of Buchu leaves and 1/2 lb. of Hops. Boil these in 5 quarts of water in an iron vessel for an hour. When lukewarm add essence of Winter green (Pyrola) 2 OZ. and 1 pint alcohol.
Another way of making Hop Bitters is to take 1/2 oz. Hops, 1 OZ. Angelica Herb and 1 OZ. Holy Thistle. Pour 3 pints of boiling water on them and strain when cold. A wineglassful may be taken four times a day.
To make a good HOP BEER, put 2 OZ. Hops in 2 quarts of water for 15 minutes. Then strain and dissolve 1 lb. of sugar in the liquor. To this add 4 quarts of cold water and 2 tablespoonsful of fresh barm. Allow to stand for 12 hours in a warm place and it will then be ready for bottling.
Indications: Neuralgia, insomnia, excitability, priapism, mucous colitis, anorexia; topically for crural ulcers. Specifically indicated in restlessness associated with nervous tension headache and/or indigestion.
Therapeutics and Pharmacology:
Humulus is a central nervous system relaxant used extensively to treat of insomnia, and hop pillows are very popular. The volatile oils are active here, although the valerianic acid bitter component also contributes to this action. Hop pillows induce relaxation by acting on the olfactory centre and thus on the central nervous system through the limbic system. Humulus helps relieve tension and anxiety and may be used where tension results in restlessness, headache and indigestion. Alcoholic extracts of Humulus show a strong spasmolytic action on smooth muscle and is of benefit wherever there is visceral tension, for example, in nervous dyspepsia, nervous colitis, palpitations, nervous or irritable coughs, and asthma. It reduces the effects of the nervous system on the digestive system, whilst at the same time gently stimulating the digestion.
Its relaxing and astringent actions can be applied to mucous colitis as well as tense bowel states such as irritable bowel syndrome, diverticulitis or Crohn's disease. Humulone and lupulone have an anti-inflammatory action. These constituents are also antibacterial, particularly affecting gram-positive bacteria, in a mechanism thought to involve primary membrane leakage. The herb's antiseptic action is used in the treatment of infections of the upper digestive tract, ulcers, skin eruptions and wounds. The resistance of Gram-negative bacteria to the resin acids is attributed to the presence of a phospholipid-containing outer membrane, as humulone and lupulone are inactivated by serum phospholipids. Antifungal activity has been demonstrated towards Candida albicans, and the flavone constituents show activity against Staphylococcus aureus.
The oestrogenic substances in Humulus may cause loss of libido in men. It has been used with some success in the treatment of premature ejaculation and priapism. Recent research suggests an anti-oxytocic property, supporting the claims for its use in dysmenorrhoea and amenorrhoea (particularly when associated with anorexia nervosa).
In popular healing Humulus is used as a diuretic, for bladder inflammation, jaundice and other liver complaints, and is believed to have a hypotensive effect. Asparagin contributes to the plant's diuretic action.
Combination,Caution,and Comments of Hops:
Combinations: Humulus combines well with Valeriana as an hypnotic and with Chamaemelum for nervous dyspepsia.
Preparation and Dosage: (thrice daily)
Regulatory Status: GSL Schedule 1
Dried strobile:0.5-1g or by infusion
Liquid Extract: 1:1 in 45% alcohol, 0.5-1ml
Tincture: 1:5 in 60% alcohol, 1-2ml
Fresh and dried hops have different properties and are used to treat different symptoms. Fresh or newly dried hops, usually dampened with glycerin to reduce the rustling noise, are used in sleep pillows to help ease a restless or anxious person into sleep. As the hops age, they change in chemical composition. For this reason, the hops in pillows should be changed every few months. Fresh hops can also be made into a tea that is taken to combat insomnia. The tea is made by steeping about two teaspoons of fresh hops in one cup (250 ml) of boiling water for five minutes.
Dried hops change in composition when exposed to light, heat, or moisture. They should be stored in a container that excludes moisture and light, and should be kept at room temperature. Dried hops are used to treat digestive and other complaints. They can be prepared in a myriad of different ways. As a tincture, about 1/2 tsp (2 ml) can be taken three times a day. Capsules are available commercially to take before meals to aid digestion. Dry extract or powder can be added to boiling water to make a tea. Compresses are made by soaking a pad in the infusion or diluted tincture. An essential oil is produced by steam distillation. Hops are also used in combination with other herbs in commercially available remedies.
Additional Comments: Pliny referred to hops as 'willow wolf', because of its tendency to twine around willows and other trees. Hops have been used in brewing since Roman times, although their introduction to brewing in England was not until the 17th century. Female hop-pickers first drew attention to the effect of the herb on the reproductive organs - they suffered disrupted or absent menstruation whilst working with the plants due to the absorption of the oil through their hands. Mrs Grieve recommends hop tea as a tonic for a sluggish liver.
Modern Applications:
A bitter aromatic tonic, with sedative and diuretic properties. The flowers contain a natural antibiotic. Hops will produce sleep when nothing else will. A pillow stuffed with Hops is the country remedy for inducing a good night's sleep. Poultices made from the flowers are used for boils and painful swellings. An infusion of i oz (28 g) of the flowers to i pt (568 ml) of water acts as a bitter tonic and will rectify indigestion and improve appetite. The herb stimulates oestrogen production and in men curbs excessive sexual desire and is a remedy for spermatorrhoea. A tincture is available from herbalists. The dose is 5-2o drops. The use of Hops is contraindicated in depression.
Application Dosages:Strobiles
Iinfusion: For insomnia, add 2 tsp fresh hops to a cup of boiling water, and infuse for five minutes. Freshly dried or freeze-dried hops can also be used.
Tincture: Take up to 2 ml, three times a day, as a sedative for nervous tension and anxiety. Combine with other digestive herbs, such as marshmallow, plantain, chamomile, and peppermint for irritable bowel syndrome. Take 1.5 ml on a sugar lump for nervous stomach. Prescribed for some sexual problems, including premature ejaculation.
Compress: Use a pad soaked in the infusion or diluted tincture on varicose ulcers.
Wash: Use an infusion of fresh or freshly dried hops for chronic ulcers, skin eruptions, and wounds.
Capsules: Available commercially; take two before meals as an appetite stimulant. Do not use for more than a few days in succession.
Caution: Humulus acts as a mild depressive on the higher nerve centres and is therefore contraindicated in depression. Its sedative effects may potentiate the effects of existing sedative therapy and alcohol. The pollen from the strobiles may cause contact dermatitis and the strobiles themselves rapidly lose their effectiveness with storage. Chronic exposure to hops by those who work with them has led to nausea, vomiting, abnormal sweating, somnolence, agitation, fever, bradycardia, mydriasis, and skin reactions such as erythema, conjunctivitis and pustular dermatitis. Paradoxically, many of these symptoms are the opposite of the therapeutic effects of this herb.
Precautions: Hops are not recommended for people suffering from depression. Their sedative action may accentuate depressive symptoms in these people. Some herbalists recommend that pregnant women and those with estrogen sensitive breast cancer avoid hops because of the possibility that they contain an estrogenic compound. Hops are included on the United States Food and Drug Administration's list of foods "Generally Recognized As Safe" (GRAS).Patients who are allergic to hops should not use them. If you are taking sedative drugs, do not take hops except under a physician's supervision.
Very little information is available on how hops might affect a developing fetus, an infant, or a small child. Therefore, its supplemental use is not recommended during pregnancy, while breast-feeding, or during early childhood.
Individuals who have major depression are advised to avoid taking hops due to case reports of worsened depression symptoms in some individuals who took hops as a supplement.
Side effects: There are no known side effects if hops are used in the recommended dosages. Some people who pick fresh hops may develop a skin rash (contact dermatitis).
Because hops can cause drowsiness, individuals who need to drive or perform other tasks that require alertness should use it cautiously.Allergies to hops pollen or plants may occur among individuals,including brewers,who work with fresh or dried hops.
Interactions with Prescription Drugs: When hops is used with prescription drugs that promote sleepiness, the effects of the drug may be exaggerated, resulting in sedation or mental impairment. Prescription drugs that can cause sleepiness include:
Anticonvulsants such as carbamazepine, phenytoin and valproic acid;Barbiturates such as phenobarbital;Benzodiazepines such as alprazolam and diazepam;Drugs for insomnia such as Ambien and Sonata;Tricyclic antidepressants such as amitriptyline, amoxapine, doxepin and nortriptyline
Because it may affect certain enzymes in the liver, hops may possibly interfere with the use of prescription drugs that are processed by the same enzymes. Some of these drugs include:
Allergy drugs like fexofenadine (Allegra) ;Antifungal drugs like itraconazole (Sporanox) and ketoconazole (Nizoral) ;Cancer drugs like etoposide, paclitaxel, vinblastine, or vincristine;Drugs for high cholesterol such as lovastatin;Oral contraceptives
Interactions with Non-prescription Drugs: The sleep-producing effects of over-the-counter products containing diphenhydramine may be enhanced by taking hops at the same time. Diphenhydramine is contained in many non-prescription sleeping pills as well as in some cough and cold products; therefore caution should be used when taking these medications with hops because excessive drowsiness may result.
Interactions with Herbal Products: Hops may cause excessive sedation if it is taken with other potentially sedating herbs such as: Catnip;Kava;St. John's Wort ;Valerian
Interactions with Foods and Drink: No interactions between hops and foods have been reported, but drinking alcohol at the same time as using hops by mouth may result in increased drowsiness.
Dosage: Hops is available as capsules, liquid extracts, tea leaves, and other dosage forms. Directions for use vary considerably. If you decide to take hops, follow the instructions on the manufacturer's label of the package that you purchase. The standard dosage of hops is 0.5 g (about 1 heaping teaspoonful) taken 1 to 3 times daily.
The dried fruits can be made into a tea by pouring 150 ml of boiling water over 1-2 teaspoons of the fruit. Steep for ten to fifteen minutes before drinking. Tinctures can be taken in amounts of 1-2 ml two or three times per day. Dried hops in tablet or capsule form can also be taken at a dose of 500-1,000 mg two or three times per day. As mentioned above, many herbal preparations use hops in combination with herbal sedatives, including valerian, passion flower, and skullcap.
Phytochemical Constituents of Hops:
The aromatic odour of the Hop strobiles is due to a volatile oil, of which they yield about 0.3 to 1.0 per cent. It appears to consist chiefly of the sesquiterpene Humulene. Petroleum spirit extracts 7 to 14 per cent of a powerfully antiseptic soft resin, and ether extracts a hard resin. The petroleum spirit extract contains the two crystalline bitter principles (a) Lupamaric acid (Humulone), (b) Lupamaric acid (Lupulinic acid). These bodies are chiefly contained in the glands at the base of the bracts. The leafy organs contain about 5 per cent of tannin which is not a constituent of the glands. Hops yield about 7 per cent Ash.
Up to 1% volatile oil (humulene, myrcene, caryophylline, farnescene); 15-25% resinous bitter principles and phloroglucinol derivatives known as alpha acids (humulone, cohumulone, adhumulone, valerianic acid) and beta acids (lupulone, colupulone, adlupulone); condensed tannins and phenolic acids, flavonoid glycosides (astralagin, quercitin, rutin), fats, amino acids, unidentified oestrogenic substances, choline, asparagin. The oil and bitter resins together are known as lupulin.
The oil and the bitter principle combine to make Hops more useful than Chamomile, Gentian or any other bitter in the manufacture of beer: hence the medicinal value of extra-hopped or bitter beer. The tannic acid contained in the strobiles adds to the value of Hops by causing precipitation of vegetable mucilage and consequently the cleansing of beer.
Fresh Hops possess a bitter aromatic taste and a strong characteristic odour. The latter, however, changes and becomes distinctly unpleasant as the Hops are kept. This change is ascribed to oxidation of the soft resin with production of Valerianic acid. On account of the rapid change in the odour of Hops, the recently dried fruits should alone be used: these may be recognized by the characteristic odour and distinctly green colour. Those which have been subjected to the treatment of sulphuring are not to be used in pharmacy. This process is conducted with a view of improving the colour and odour of the Hops, since sulphuric acid is found to retard the production of the Valerianic odour and to both preserve and improve the colour of the Hops.
Lupulin, which consists of the glandular powder present on the seeds and surface of the scales, may be separated by shaking the strobiles. The drug occurs in a granular, brownish-yellow powder, with the strong odour and bitter aromatic taste characteristic of Hops. The glands readily burst on the application of slight pressure and discharge their granular oleo-resinous contents. Commercial Lupulin is often of a very inferior quality, and consists of the sifted sweepings from the floors of hop-kilns. It should contain not more than 40 per cent of matter insoluble in ether and not yield more than 12 per cent of ash on incineration. A dark colour and disagreeable odour indicates an old drug.
The chief constituent of Lupulin is about 3 per cent of volatile oil, which consists chiefly of humulene, together with various oxygenated bodies to which the oil owes its peculiar odour. Other constituents are the two Lupamaric acids, cholene and resin.
Lupulin is official both in the British Pharmacopoeia and the United States Pharmacopoeia.
Fruit alpha-ylangene;aromadendrine;asparagine;asparaginic-acid;astragalin;beta-alanine;beta-carotene;beta-caryophyllene;beta-cubebene;beta-eudesmol;beta-farnesene;beta-pinene;beta-selinene;beta-selinene-epoxide-I;alpha-eudesmol;alpha-guaiene;alpha-humulene;alpha-muurolene;alpha-pinene;alpha-selinene;alpha-copaene;adhumulone;adlupulone;allo-aromadendrene;alpha-alanine;alpha-amino-adipic-acid;alpha-cadinene;alpha-cadinol;alloaromadendrene-epoxide;12aromadendrine-epoxide;4-deoxyhumulone;4-(4-methyl-pent-3-enyl)3,6-dihydro-1,2-dithiine;2',6'-dimethoxy-4,4'-dihydroxy-chalcone;4,5-epithiocaryophyllene;2,3,4-trithiapentane;2-methyl-but-3-en-2-ol;2-methyl-but-b-eb-2-ol;-chalcone.etc.
Recently, hops has been included with other herbals in products that are sold for breast enlargement. While hops does contain at least one strong phytoestrogen, the percentages are so small that enormous amounts of hops would have to be consumed on a regular basis to produce any effect. Phytoestrogens are chemicals that act like the female hormone, estrogen, in the body. Clinical and laboratory studies have failed to show that hops has significant estrogenic or breast-enhancing activity.
Hops bring marijuana's mind-altering effects?
Another false, but widespread belief is that smoking or snorting hops can create a feeling of euphoria. Although it belongs to the same family of plants that includes marijuana, hops does not contain any of the chemicals that produce marijuana's mind-altering effects.
Hops skin softening effects:
Due to skin softening effects, hops extract may be included in cosmetics and other topical preparations such as skin creams and lotions. Because it has some preservative properties, it may be used to prolong the time that beverages or foods remain fresh. At various times in history, the young leaves and shoots of hops plants have been eaten as a vegetable; cloth, paper, or twine has been made from its fibrous stems; a brown dye has been derived from its leaves; and the vines have been used to make baskets or furniture. Some preliminary results from recent environmental studies show that shredded hops stems and leaves may be effective in removing lead and other heavy metal contamination from waterways. Hops are most used, however, to flavor beer.
Hops Polyphenolic principles and bitter and bacteriostatic properties:
Chemically unstable polyphenolic principles, especially humulone and lupulone, are present in the resin of hops. They, or closely related conversion products, are responsible for the plant's bitter and bacteriostatic properties. Unfortunately, the content of these compounds varies appreciably in different varieties of hops, and in addition, these compounds are quite unstable in the presence of air and light. One study has shown that after nine months' storage, hops retained only about 15 percent of their original activity.
Alcoholic extracts of hops in various dosage forms have been used clinically in treating numerous forms of leprosy, pulmonary tuberculosis and acute bacterial dysentery with varying degrees of success by doctors throughout the People's Republic of China. This could be due to a couple of antibiotic bitter acids, lupulon and humulon, occurring in the herb. Both kill Gram-positive and acid-fast bacteria such as strains of staphylococcus, for instance. Staph infections are evident in suppurating wounds, runny sores, abscesses, boils and osteomyelitis (inflammation of bone marrow and adjacent bone and cartilage).
To make a strong extract, combine 1-1/4 cups of cut, fresh hop fruit with 2-1/2 cups of good-quality imported Russian vodka or an expensive brandy. Put into a bottle with a tight lid or cork. Shake daily, allowing the herbs to extract for about 2 weeks. Let the herbs settle and pour off the tincture, straining the liquid through a clean muslin cloth or fine filter paper. Two tablespoonfuls each day taken orally on an empty stomach will help fight infection internally. The same amount may also be applied directly with some cotton on bedsores caused by hospital-induced staph. And clean strips of gauze may also be saturated in this tincture and then used to dress wounds so they'll heal more rapidly.
Help control dandruff: After the hair is scrubbed with a strong detergent and thoroughly rinsed with plain water, some of the above tincture may be rubbed into the scalp to help control dandruff. A quicker and easier way, though, is to rinse your hair well with a can of beer each day. Any brand will do just fine. Hops has been shown clinically to exert a strong sedative action on nervous patients and to help insomniacs get a good night's sleep. Bring 2 pints of water to a boil. Add 1 heaping tbsp. each of hops and valerian root. Cover and reduce heat, simmering for 5 minutes. Remove and steep an additional 45 minutes. Sweeten with a little pure maple syrup and drink 1-1/2 cups at a time to help relax the body. Keep in mind that since hops lose their sedative properties quickly when stored, they should always be used either as fresh as possible or pretty soon after they've been dried and cut up.
Hops volatile alcohol and sedative principles:
Early studies on hops failed to identify specific sedative principles, and their value, particularly when used in the form of a pillow, was thought to be more magical than medicinal. More recently, a volatile alcohol, 2-methyl-3-butene-2-ol (dimethylvinyl carbinol), has been isolated from hops and is believed to account for at least part of the plant's sedative properties. Present in fresh hops in very small amounts, the concentration of the alcohol increases on drying to reach a maximum value of about 0.15 percent within a two-year period.
Mobility tests in rats verified the sedative-hypnotic activity of the alcohol, and pharmacologically active concentrations of it were detected in freshly prepared hop teas. Although studies thus far carried out do not provide an explanation for all of the salutary effects attributed to hops by folklore, they do supply, for the first time, a logical scientific basis for at least part of their tranquilizing action. Continuing investigations will probably eventually supply the rest of the story regarding their benefit to humankind. Based on a reasonable certainty of efficacy and safety, rather than current controlled clinical studies, in Germany, a dose of 0.5 g of dried hops or extract equivalents is allowed to be labeled "for discomfort due to restlessness or anxiety and sleep disturbances". Hops are closely related botanically to marijuana, and some writers advocate smoking the plant material to obtain a mild euphoria. This practice cannot be recommended since unpleasant side effects are common, and the safety of smoking hops remains in doubt.
Hops as good remedy material:
Hop pillows are well known for inducing sleep, indicating the sedative action of hops -useful for relieving tension and anxiety, soothing pain, restlessness and agitation. The antispasmodic action reduces tension in muscles throughout the body, relieving spasm and colic in the gut, and makes hops a good remedy for irritable bowel syndrome, diverticulitis, nervous indigestion, peptic ulcers, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis and stress-related digestive problems. The bitters in hops aid digestive function, enhancing the action of the liver and the secretion of bile and digestive juices. The tannins aid healing of irritated and inflammatory conditions and stem diarrhea, while the antiseptic action of hops relieves infections. The estrogenic action of hops make them an excellent remedy for any problem around menopause. Hops have also been used for suppressed and painful periods. The asparagin in hops is a soothing diuretic, reducing fluid retention and hastening elimination of toxins from the system. This combined with the action on the liver have given hops a reputation for clearing skin problems. Their relaxant and antihistamine action is also useful here. Hops have been used in creams to keep the skin soft and supple and delay wrinkling. Their antiseptic action is useful for cuts, wounds and ulcers.
Scientific References:
1.Humulus Lupulus.Hops Hops Extract.
Claims & Warning:
Claims: Information this web site presented is meant for Nutritional Benefit and as an educational starting point only, for use in maintenance and promotion good health in cooperation with a common knowledge base reference...Furthermore,it based solely on the traditional and historic use or legend of a given herb from the garden of Adonis. Although every effort has been made to ensure its accurate, please note that some info may be outdated by more recent scientific developments......
Pharmakon Warning: The order of knowledge is not the transparent order of forms and ideas,as one might be tempted retrospectively to interpret it; it is the antidote....(Dissemination,Plato's Pharmacy,II.The Ingredients:Phantasms,Festivals,and Paints;138cf. Jacques Derrida.).
And as it happens,the technique of imitation,along with the production of the simulacrum,has always been in Plato's eyes manifestly magical,thaumaturgical:......and the same things appear bent and straight to those who view them in water and out,or concave and convex,owing to similar errors of vision about colors, and there is obviously every confusion of this sort in our souls.And so scene painting (skiagraphia) in its exploitation of this weakness of four nature falls nothing short of witchcraft (thaumatopoia), and so do jugglery and many other such contrivances.(Republic X,602c-d;cf.also 607c).
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Serie No.:R026.Basic Data Sheet Download
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seminal trace...Hops Extract.CAS.NO.008016-25-9.Humulus lupulus L.10:1.Humulus lupulus extract,Extract of hops,Hop extract.Content.Sesquiterpene Humulene.CAS.RN.NO:6753-98-6.M.F.C15 H24.
Collection: The strobiles are collected before they are fully ripe in August and September and dried carefully in the shade They should not be stored for longer than a year because the lupulin is prone to oxidation.Harvest the ripe cones in late summer or early fall. When ripe, the cones are bronze-colored and slightly open.
Hops and Its Traditional Use:
Phytochemical Constituents of Hops:
Scientific References:
Claims & Warning:
