Hops
(Humulus lupulus)
common hops

Description: A perennial climbing vine. The stems are rough, generously armed with small curved prickles. Leaves are rough, opposite, cordate, serrate and 3-5-lobed. Flowers are yellowish-green. The male flowers are arranged in hanging panicles. The female flowers are in catkins which develop into scaly, cone-like fruit in pairs with leafy, imbricated bracts and a distinct scent of beer. Found in the Pacific west U.S. in rich, moist land. It is widely cultivated, mainly for the brewing industry.

Edible, Medicinal: The young shoots are eaten as a vegetable and the leaves blanched for soups. The ripe, female flower cluster, called strobiles, "hops" are added to beer for flavor, to clarify and to preserve it. It is a anodyne, diuretic, febrifuge, hypnotic, sedative, and tonic. Hop tea is a nerve tonic, a mild sedative and a muscle relaxant. It helps to induce sleep and to prevent nightmares. A cure, for some, in uncontrolled sexual desires and a quarrelsome nature. Also used for earache, toothache, neuralgia. It tones the liver, increases flow of urine and bile. The estrogen content increases lactation, therefore soothing irritable infants. It is an aphrodisiac for men. For external use, a hop poultice made from the crushed hops into a paste, with water and bran, is applied cold for inflammations, swellings, sores, boils, skin rashes, tumors and cysts. The essential oil is used in perfumes and lotions. Pillows made of muslin and stuffed with dried hops and lavender can be helpful for restless sleep.