Humulus lupulus
Hop, Humulus lupulus (lat.)
Medicinal purpose
The fruit is gathered before completely ripe, and dried in thin row, in a cool and windy place. Then it is smoked with sulfur and stored in boxes. The dry preparation has pleasant scent. When shaking the ripe and dried fruits lupulin is generated; this is known as “hop’s wheat” in pharmacies. Lupulin makes up 7-16% of dried fruit. Hop is widely used in folk and scientific medicinal practice of lots of world countries. It is called “Northern grape” in France and used as restorative and soporific, as well as during sexual over-aroused conditions and heart problems.
The plant is used in Poland to cure general weakness, neurasthenia, climacteric neurosis, and stomach-intestine diseases. It is used to cure sexual problem, especially painful erection, sleeplessness, appetite absence, jaundice, urethra inflammations, menstrual problems and headaches. In Austria and Germany hop is well-known cure for neurosis and sleeplessness (the pillow is filled with dried preparation and slept on). In Hungary and Czech Republic the hop squash is a component of “chovalettin” and “valosedan”, anti-anxiety preparations. Hop is used as ointment against pus wounds in Belarus. In Russian folk medicinal practice hop is widely used to cure gastritis, gingivitis, neurasthenia, hair-loss, neuralgia, radiculitis, etc.
In Abkhaz folk medicinal practice the plant was used to cure skin pus wounds and to ease the digestion process. In Armenian folk medicinal practice hop is known as diuretic and anesthetic means, also used against diarrhea. In 1818 a detailed description about hop was given by a famous doctor S. Shahrimanyan. The author mentioned the soporific qualities of the plant, and its stimulating affect on the stomach.
Hop is not finally established in scientific medicine. Though hop ethereal oil and humuline have sedative qualities, and make a part of famous valocardine which is used against heart problems, number of vegetaneurosis, intestine pains, etc.
The ointment made from hop powder is used against podagra, rheumatic pains in joints, pus wounds, as well as pain reliever. The fruit decoction is a good cure against dandruff and hair-loss. Considered this fact of folk medicine, hop is used in perfumery in shampoo production. The extract of the plant is also good for appetite, and against sleeplessness. K. A. Marjanyan has used hop decoction to cure chronical gastritis. Decoction (10 grams to 500 ml water) was taken 1 table-spoon, 3 times a day, 5-10 minutes before eating, for 3-4 weeks.
Use
Other use
Warning
These are folk remedies and are no guarantee is made as to either their effectiveness, or their safety.