HOPS

Description

Voluble, vivaceous, climbing plant that arises from the underground rhizome. Stems are vigorous and might reach 10 m long. They are dark green and hollow, voluble and dextrorse and climb by rolling themselves around any support available. They are born in spring and die in winter. Leaves are lobed-palmeated, toothed, opposite, petiolate of up to 20 cm. Male flowers are grouped together in branched inflorescences that are protected by 5 stamens. The female ones go in pairs under a bract in a way the inflorescence form a pale green cone. Fruits are rounded achenia.

It blooms from June to September. Hop lives in humid areas and rich in nutrients soils, in cool forests, alders, dumps and cultivated land boundaries.

Part used

Female inflorescences (strobiles or cones) and the reddish-brown powder obtained by shaking its cones (lupulin).

Indications

Internal use

• Anxiety, nervousness, difficulty falling asleep (insomnia).
• Lack of appetite, dyspepsia, slow and heavy digestion, hepatobiliary dyskinesia, cholecystitis, gastrointestinal spasms.
• Headaches, convalescence.
• Premature ejaculation.
• Menopause and painful menstrual periods.

External use

• Rheumatic pains, neuralgia (lumbago, sciatic).
• Acne. Dermatomycosis.

Bibliography

- Estrada JL, Gozalo F, Cecchini C y Casquete E. Contact urticaria from hops (Humulus lupulus) in a patient with previous urticaria-angioedema from peanut, chestnut and banana. Contact Dermatitis. 2002 Feb;46(2):127.

- Goetz, P. Traitement des bouffees de chaleu par insuffisance ovarienne par l´extrait de houblon (humulus lupulus). Revue de Phytothèrapie Pratique. 1990; (4): 13-15.

- Langezaal CR, Chandra A y Scheffer JJ. Antimicrobial screening of essential oils and extracts of some Humulus lupulus L. cultivars. Pharm Weekbl Sci. 1992;11;14(6):353-6.

- Lee, KM., Jung, JS., Song, DK., Kräuter, M. y King, YH. Effects of Humulus lupulus extracts on the central nervous system in mice. Planta Med. 1993; (Suppl): A691.

- Liu J, Burdette JE, Xu H, Gu C, van Breemen RB, Bhat KP, Booth N, Constantinou AI, Pezzuto JM, Fong HH, Farnsworth NR y Bolton JL. Evaluation of estrogenic activity of plant extracts for the potential treatment of menopausal symptoms. J Agric Food Chem. 2001;49(5):2472-9.

- Milligan SR, Kalita JC, Pocock V, Van De Kauter V, Stevens JF, Deinzer ML, Rong H y De Keukeleire D. The endocrine activities of 8-prenylnaringenin and related hop (Humulus lupulus L.) flavonoids. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2000 Dec;85(12):4912-5.

- Okamoto, R. y Kumai, A. Antigonadotropic activity of jop extract. Acta Endocrinol. 1992; 127: 371-377.

- Pradalier A, Campinos C y Trinh C. Systemic urticaria induced by hops. Allerg Immunol (Paris). 2002;34(9):330-2.

- Schmitz M y Jackel M. Comparative study for assessing quality of life of patients with exogenous sleep disorders (temporary sleep onset and sleep interruption disorders) treated with a hops-valarian preparation and a benzodiazepine drug. Wien Med Wochenschr. 1998;148(13):291-8.