The hop vine, Humulus lupulus,is native to Eurasia, propagating vegetatively via rhizomes that sprout intolong vines. The hops are the cone-shaped female flowers (see picture).
Humulus is in the Cannabinaceae family along with Cannabis. It does not produce the cannabinoids its cousin is known for, but Humulus does produce other interesting phytochemicals includingterpenoids (e.g. myrcene), prenyl flavonoids (e.g. xanthohumol), tannins and other phenolic compounds.
Hops are famously used into flavour beer, imparting a bitter, slightly fruity taste. They are also an antimicrobial preservative. Indian Pale Ale was developed in the 18th century with extra hops added to preserve the beer during shipping.
In 1854 London, Dr. John Snow mapped a cholera outbreak to a particular water pump, noticing very few cases among local brewery workers who received free beer! A speculative rôle for hops in combatting the pathogen now seems unlikely as hop extracts are inactive against the Vibrio cholerae bacterium.
Hops have a long history of medicinal use that is now well supported by clinical evidence (Zugravu et al, 2022). In #traditionalchinesemedicine hops are known as Pi Jiu Hua (啤酒花)which means “beer liquor flower”. We at Green Mountain Biotech take particular note of the use of hop extracts in cosmetic products (Pereira et al, 2022).
Male beer-drinkers should know that gut microbes can convert iso-xanthohumol into physiologically-relevant amounts of phytoestrogen (Possemiers et al, 2006), and note that “teas made from hops were recommended to young male monks to help them remain chaste and celibate” (see White Rabbit Institute article cited below).
On that soberingthought, a Hoppy Weekend to all our readers
Furtherreading
•Wikipedia (2023). Humulus lupulus. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Humulus_lupulus&oldid=1158774251
• Lynch P (2017) John Snow Stopped Cholera in London with the Help of 500 Beer Drinkers. History Collection, https://historycollection.com/john-snow-stopped-cholera-london-help-500-beer-drinkers/
• Zugravu CA et al (2022). Antioxidants in Hops: Bioavailability, Health Effects and Perspectives for New Products. Antioxidants (Basel), 11(2), 241. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox11020241
• Pereira OR et al (2022). Hop By-Products: Pharmacological Activities and Potential Application as Cosmetics. Cosmetics, 9(6), 139.
•Article about Hops, White Rabbit Institute, https://www.whiterabbitinstituteofhealing.com/herbs/hops/
• Possemiers S et al (2006). The prenylflavonoid isoxanthohumol from hops (Humulus lupulus L.) is activated into the potent phytoestrogen 8-prenylnaringenin in vitro and in the human intestine. The Journal of nutrition, 136(7),1862–1867. https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/136.7.1862
