Ipsophyto

No 7 Hops…Humulus Lupus Cannabacea family

Almost every man knows about this herb, if he has ever had the pleasure of consuming beer. Indeed, some of them, sometimes suffer the classic brewers droop, which points to its superb powers as a sedative.

Hops was classified with Cannabis in a family of its own although recent advances in D.N.A technology means that many plants are being reclassified by taxonomists and they may well end up back in with the stinging nettle family.

The plant loves riversides, especially clambering over cracked willow as is evident on the bank of the Isis in Oxfordshire. This habit earned it the common name of willow wolves foot. The lupus part of its name equates to wolves, reinforcing the fact that the scientific names of plants are worth discovering and reading up on.

The plant is a herbaceous perennial, growing upto and beyond 18 foot(6m). The stems twist clockwise giving rise at intervals to opposite leaves, which are broadly ovate though more or less cordate at the base. The leaves are deeply lobed(3-5 each leaf) sharply toothed, being hairy and rough on the surface. Smaller leaves are not lobed. The plant is dioecious (flowers are single sex on different specimens).

Male flowers grow in loose panicles from each leaf axis in the upper leaves, being around 5cm across and yellow-green in colour. Female flowers resemble, fat closely stacked catkins, made up of bracts, with the flower itself tucked into the bract axils. After fertilisation the flower grows three fold, up to 8cm long, changing colour from a yellow-green to yellow-brown, then to brown. Flowers taste bitter, distinctly aromatic with a heavy scent subtly reminiscent of beer.

The plant lives happily in most situations inn the south of the country, and locally in preferable microclimates further up north. Hops also grows freely where it is thought to originate, in Asia and Europe.

Parts used
The flower ‘strobiles’ being harvested from August –October depending on site and aspect. They require careful thorough drying because the scent will then improve. A volatile component ‘lupulin’ found within the flower is very prone to oxidation and therefore the plant does not store for long and should be replaced each year.

Constituents
Volatile oil inc: sesquiterpenes, such as humulene, geraniol, linalool, myricin, luparol, luparenol, valerianic acid, humulon, lupulon, bitter resin-lupulin, condensed tannins, asparagin, trimethylamine, choline and oestrogenic substances.
Pharmacology
Sedative properties come from valerianic acid and lupulin. This latter compound is anti-septic, affecting gram positive bacteria. Hops has reported anti-histamine and anti-oxytocic properties which lends to its use as a beneficial herb for the other lot, y’know, girls.

The herb commonly is employed as part of a night time sleep easy sedative combo with other similar plants such as Valeriana officinalis, Lactuca virosa, Tillia europea and Passiflora incanata.

One huge improvement would come about in society, in the authors view, if this plant was used mainly as a herbal sedative, without the alcohol. So come on boys, do yourself and your long suffering friends a favour and start consuming the medicine, not the poison. It does’nt turn you into a wanker after drinking a few cups either!