Hop

A well-known creeper that climbs within other plants or objects. Perennial roots are sheer, simple, giving root offspring. The stems are long, up to 5 meters or more tall, thin, hollow, curly, tetrahedral, with sharp hooked spines.

The leaves are opposite, simple, three-five-lobed, long-petiolate, upper alternate, gradually becoming entire upwards, with stipules. The flowers are small, unisexual, female – green, with membranous scales-leaves collected in ears, called cones; leaves are covered with glands; male – yellowish-green, with membranous flowers within and 5 stamens in paniculate inflorescences. The fruits are nuts, yellowish-green cones collected in seedlings, drooping, later turning brown. Blooms in July-August.

 

Hop is a fairly common plant in the forest-steppe and steppe regions. It occurs in damp places, in bushes, willows, along river banks and ravines.

Medicinal raw materials are cones-cones, or earrings and glands. Cones are harvested in clear weather a few days before they are fully ripe, when the bracts are still tightly covering the cone. To obtain glands, dried cones are sifted through a sieve that passes glands. The smell of dried raw materials is pleasant, the taste is bitter, with a slimy taste, after long storage it acquires an unpleasant odor and becomes unusable. Storage period 1 year. When cones are used medicinally, it is necessary to strictly ensure that they are neither overripe (yellow-brown) nor unripe (bright green).

The cones contain coloring, mucous (gum) substances, alkaloid-homulin, etc. The glands or lopulin contain, in addition to coloring, bitter, fatty substances, resinous substances and organic acids (valeric acid).

An infusion of cones has a sedative, anti-inflammatory, diuretic, tonic effect on the gastrointestinal tract and improves appetite. It is prescribed in the form of an infusion or as part of a collection for neurosis (especially in menopause), insomnia, gastritis, as a means of reducing painful irritation of the bladder with cystitis, as well as a means of weakening sexual activity.

According to French researchers, the cones have tonic and firming properties. In its antiseptic properties, it is stronger than salicylic acid, which is due to the influence of lupulin. They can be used with excessive sexual excitability, as a means of strengthening the cardiovascular system, especially with myocardial weakness, and as an appetite enhancer. A pillow filled with fresh hop cones has a firming effect that even a very critical doctor can believe.

In folk medicine, hops are used as a means of improving digestion, with gastritis, as an antihelminthic, with cystitis, urethritis, chronic diarrhea, scurvy. As an analgesic and sedative, they drink a decoction for inflammation of the bladder, neurasthenia, neuralgia, diseases of the liver and spleen, inflammation of the kidneys (nephritis), gallbladder (cholecystitis), dropsy and jaundice. Outwardly – in the form of an aqueous decoction as an analgesic for sciatica, as a sedative; to strengthen the hair, wash the head with a decoction; with lichen and bruises – make compresses in the form of lotions. Pillows filled with cones have long been used for insomnia. With multiple abscesses (due to improper metabolism), hop products are taken orally.

In homeopathy, hop cones have sedative, cardiotonic, diuretic and anti-inflammatory properties. Used as an infusion inside for diseases of the kidneys, renal pelvis and bladder. With dysuria, insomnia, hypertension and atherosclerosis – in the form of baths.

Application

Decoction: 10 g per 200 ml; 1 st. spoon 3 times every day.

Tincture: 25%; 40 drops 3 times every day. Cone Powder: Half a teaspoon 3 times daily.

Outwardly: condensed decoction or ointment in a ratio of 1:4.

Infusion: 20 g of cones per 1 liter of boiling water or powder; a small teaspoon 3 times every day with water.

Ointment from powdered cones equally with lanolin or lard – for rubbing with pain in the joints as an anesthetic.

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