Hops (humulus lupulus)

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Other names for hops

hops

Synopsis of hops

Hops (Humulus lupulus) are the female flowers (cones) of a perennial climbing plant native to Europe, western Asia, and North America. While best known as a key flavoring and preservative ingredient in beer, hops have a long history of use in herbal medicine, particularly for their sedative, antispasmodic, digestive, and mild estrogenic properties. The cones contain bitter acids (humulone, lupulone), essential oils (myrcene, humulene), flavonoids (xanthohumol), and phytoestrogens, all contributing to hops’ broad pharmacological effects.

In modern herbalism, hops are primarily used to promote relaxation, reduce anxiety, and support sleep, often as part of nervine or sedative formulas. They help ease insomnia, restlessness, tension headaches, and mild depression, especially when linked to nervous digestive upset. Hops are also mildly phytoestrogenic, which can make them useful in managing menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, mood swings, and night sweats.

Their bitter principles stimulate digestive secretions, making hops beneficial for indigestion, poor appetite, and sluggish digestion. They are typically consumed as a tea, tincture, extract, capsule, or as part of a sleep blend, often paired with valerian, passionflower, or lemon balm.

Historical Use
Hops have been used medicinally since at least the 9th century in Europe, and perhaps earlier in ancient Roman and Egyptian medicine. Monastic texts from the Middle Ages describe their use as a bitter tonic and digestive aid, and by the 16th century, hops were being widely cultivated for use in brewing beer—initially valued for their preservative and antimicrobial effects.

In traditional Western herbalism, hops were used for nervousness, irritability, and insomnia, and even placed inside sleep pillows to promote restful sleep. They were also applied externally in poultices for inflammatory conditions and skin irritations.

In North American Indigenous medicine, related hop species were used similarly for pain, restlessness, and digestive complaints.

Today, hops continue to be a key herb in sleep and anxiety formulas, as well as in bitters for digestive support, combining a long-standing folkloric role with modern evidence-based use in calming the nervous system and supporting hormonal and gastrointestinal balance.

Hops is used for these health conditions

Anxiety (Scientific)
Insomnia (Traditional)
Menopause (Scientific)
Sleep (restless and disturbed) (Scientific)
Stress (Scientific)
Tension (Traditional)

hops is used to support these body systems

Brain (Traditional)
Digestive System (Traditional)
Estrogen (Scientific)
GABA (Scientific)
Gastrointestinal Tract (Traditional)
Nerves (Scientific)
Parasympathetic Nervous System (Traditional)
Reproductive System (Traditional)
Serotonin (Traditional)
Stomach (Traditional)