(Humulus lupulus)

"The mouth of a perfectly happy man is full of beer."

— John Evelyn, 1670

"We don't know why beer-drinking rodents developed fewer tumors. Follow-up studies must be done." -- Dr. Richard Nelson, University of Illinois, 1968

Contrary to what many people might think, beer is not synonymous with hops. Any fruit or vegetable will ferment under the right circumstances, and beer was probably accidentally invented at about the same time as agriculture began, a result of processing grain gone bad. Thus, beer is probably much older than even Methos. But hops was an herb that was added to beer to improve the flavor and prevent spoiling only as recently as the 11^th century.

The old brewers knew what they were doing. Hops contains two chemicals (humulone and lupulone) that can kill bacteria that cause spoiling. These bacteria fighters also may help prevent infection, although not as strong as some herbal antibiotics. One study shows hop effective against tuberculosis bacteria, lending some credence to one of its traditional Chinese uses.

The hop first attracted attention not as an ingredient in beer but as a medicinal herb in early Egypt. The Roman historian Pliny dubbed hops lupus, or wolf, after noticing the way it twines tightly around other plants. The word Hops comes from the Anglo-Saxon word hoppan, "to climb." Folk names include "Beer Flower" and "Flores de Cerveza." Hops were grown by the Romans.

Hops are very sensitive to day length and need a specific amount to grow successfully. Normally this is between 35° and 50° North or South latitudes. Wild hops are also normally found in the same Northern latitude.

In 746 CE the Dutch and Germans began adding hops to beer in South Central Europe, now known as Bohemia, Slovenia and Bavaria. The British would not begin using hops until after 1524. (Simpson, 1989) In less than one hundred years, a new drink called bier made from Bavarian hops became famous. It was developed after hops was added to bread to encourage fermentation and preservation. Since bread was sometimes used in brewing, it was discovered that hops increases beer's alcoholic content. The English, however, continued to make the traditional ales, flavored with bitters like alehoof and alecost (costmary and ground ivy), and preferred to sleep on hops pillows, instead. Indeed, the Europeans used to fill their entire pillows with hops for a sound night’s sleep. In the 15^th Century, Henry VIII warned that humele was a wicked weed that "would spoil the taste of the drink and endanger the people" and forbade its use. In Russian, the word hmel describes both the herb and a slightly drunk person. Medieval brewers were reluctant to use hops, saying they caused "melancholy and tormenting disease." Indeed, Hops should be avoided during depression. Hops were never included in traditional English ale. Initially, they were thought to encourage the melancholic humor, and too many hops in German-style beer was, as Gerard records, "ill for the head."

Hops were brought over to America by the colonists and have enjoyed commercial production in many parts of the United States. Currently in the U.S. hops are grown commercially in the states of Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

Traditional magic uses of hops included healing incenses and sachets, primarily using the flower.

Hops tea is a nerve tonic, a mild sedative, and a muscle relaxant (anti-spasmodic). Thus, it is good for intestinal colic. The herb also acts as an astringent and antibiotic, and is good for digestive tract infections. Hops is a remedy that has a marked relaxing effect upon the central nervous system, used extensively for the treatment of insomnia. It eases tension and anxiety, and may be used where this tension leads to headaches, restlessness and indigestion. Again, avoid its use if you suffer from depression. Externally, the antiseptic action is utilized for the treatment of skin ulcers. A hops poultice can relieve the pain and inflammation of earache or toothache. The essential oil is used in perfumes and lotions, although contact with it has been known to cause skin allergies.

The sedative properties of hops was proven in 1983, when scientists discovered a sedative chemical in the plant. This is present in only trace amounts in the fresh leaves, but as the herb dries and ages, its concentration increases. If you use hops as a possible sedative, use dried, aged herb. Dried hops quickly degrade with exposure to light and humidity. A hops "sleep pillow" encourages a sound sleep.

Hops relaxes the smooth muscle lining of the digestive tract, according to French researchers, supporting its traditional use as an antispasmodic digestive herb. In addition, a new study shows that beer may actually help fight cancer. According to recent research from Oregon State University, flavinoids in the hops act as antioxidants (compounds that fight cellular damage), helping to kill off cancer cells as they begin to develop. Of course, the hops wouldn’t necessarily have to be in the beer for you to enjoy this benefit!

Traditional folk medicine also used to claim that feeding hops to cattle as fodder would increase milk production. This seemed to be substantiated when German researchers discovered that hops contains chemicals similar to the female sex hormone estrogen, which may help to explain some of the menstrual changes in woman hops pickers, (who were exposed to the oil of the plant through handling). Other studies dispute this finding. Currently the issue remains unresolved. This estrogenic effect appears to increase lactation for nursing mothers. Ironically, it also probably acts as an anaphrodisiac for men, which is something the brewing companies really would rather didn’t become common knowledge; that the "manly beers" they are promoting in their advertisements might actually reduce libido in its male drinkers!

For possible infection prevention and as a digestive aid, use the freshest hops you can find. For insomnia, use dried, aged herb. To make in infusion, use two teaspoons of herb per cup of boiling water. Steep for five minutes. Hops tastes warm and pleasantly bitter. Hops should not be given to children under age two. It should also be avoided by pregnant or nursing women, or women with estrogen-dependent breast cancer.

This twining perennial herb has large toothed, grapelike leaves and flowers with a distinctive scent of beer. There are thirteen varieties, indigenous to Europe and Asia. . Hop plants are either male or female. A tall, spindly, clinging vine, it grows fifteen to thirty feet. Flowers are green-yellow catkins. The female flowers are enclosed in the strobiles. The male flowers hang in six to ten inch clusters. Female flowers on separate plants form long, narrow bract pairs. Blooms July to August. Hops, as a species, is related to marijuana.

The young shoot is eaten as a vegetable, boiled, steamed or eaten raw and served like asparagus, and the leaves blanched for soups, but hops is commercially cultivated mainly for the brewing industry throughout northern Europe. Hops is also used for basketry and wickerwork. The fiber is good for producing paper, as well, and the fibers from the stems are used in the textile industry. The ripe, female inflorescences, called "strobiles," are added to beer to flavor, clarify, and preserve it. The hops cones are gathered before they are fully ripe in August and September. They should be dried with care in the shade.

 A Catalog of Hop Varieties and comparative data about them.

Glen Tispeth's Hop Page -- This is a subsection of The Real Beer Page (you'll find a link below) with the emphasis on all things "hoppy."

Here's a great list of other Hops links!

For those beer lovers out there (like METHOS!), here is one of the best, the ultimate, links for beer: The Real Beer Page! (Click on the logo above.)

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Leah Rosenthal