Hops

Humulus lupulus

Overview

Botanists use the term strobiles to refer to the female flowers or cones of the hop plant. The strobiles are well-known ingredients in beer (where they provide bitterness), and are also used in herbal medicine.

Usage

Hops are traditionally used as a relaxing sedative to help improve the quantity and quality of restful sleep and reduce ANXIETY and nervous tension.

They are rarely taken alone, and are usually combined with other sedative herbs, such as valerian. Several clinical studies have demonstrated that a combination of hops and Valerian helps relieve INSOMNIA, reduce the time taken to fall asleep, increase the amount of time spent asleep and improve sleep quality. In one study, a combination of hops and Valerian was shown to be more effective than Valerian taken alone.

Hops and Valerian are often taken with Passionflower, Lemon balm, chamomile and oats, a combination that acts as a relaxing and re-building tonic for the nervous system, while also supporting restorative sleep.

Since hops have mild oestrogenic properties, they may be especially beneficial when symptoms of INSOMNIA and ANXIETY are associated with MENOPAUSE. A small amount of research suggests that they may also help reduce hot flushes.

Instructions

Cautions

Back to Materia Medica