The History Of Hops - Humulus Lupulus
Other Common Names: Hop; Common Hop, European Hops, Hoppu, Lupulin, Lupulo, Omerotu, Oubion, Serbetciotu, Humulus Lupulus
Range: Belgium; Britain; China; Germany; Nepal; Russia; Spain; Turkey; USA;
Habitat: Hedgerows, woodlands and sunny waste ground.
The origin of the name of the Hop genus, Humulus, is considered
doubtful, though it has been assumed by some writers that it is derived
from humus, the rich moist ground in which the plant grows. The
specific name Lupulus, is derived from the Latin, lupus (a wolf),
because, as Pliny explains, when produced among osiers, it strangles
them by its light, climbing embraces, as the wolf does a sheep. The
English name Hop comes from the Anglo-Saxon hoppan (to climb).
Hops appear to have been used in the breweries of the Netherlands in
the beginning of the fourteenth century. In England they were not used
in the composition of beer till nearly two centuries afterwards. The
liquor prepared from fermented malt formed the favorite drink of our
Saxon and Danish forefathers. The beverage went by the name of Ale (the
word derived from the Scandinavian ?l - the Viking's drink) and was
brewed either from malt alone, or from a mixture of the latter with
Honey and flavored with Heath tops, Ground Ivy, and various other
bitter and aromatic herbs, such as Marjoram, Buckbean, Wormwood,
Yarrow, Woodsage or Germander and Broom. They knew not, however, the
ale to which Hops give both flavor and preservation. For long after the
introduction of Hops, the liquor flavored in the old manner retained
the name of Ale, while the word of German and Dutch origin, Bier or
Beer, was given only to that made with the newly-introduced bitter
catkins.
'Hops,' says John Evelyn, in his Pomona (1670), 'transmuted our
wholesome ale into beer, which doubtless much alters its constitution.
This one ingredient, by some suspected not unworthily, preserves the
drink indeed, but repays the pleasure in tormenting diseases and a
shorter life.'
Hops have a long and proven history of herbal use, where they are
employed mainly for their soothing, sedative, tonic and calming effect
on the body and the mind. Their strongly bitter flavor largely accounts
for their ability to strengthen and stimulate the digestion, increasing
gastric and other secretions.
The female fruiting body is anodyne, antiseptic, antispasmodic,
diuretic, febrifuge, hypnotic, nervine, sedative, stomachic and tonic.
The hairs on the fruits contain lupulin, a sedative and hypnotic drug.
When given to nursing mothers, lupulin increases the flow of milk -
recent research has shown that it contains a related hormone that could
account for this effect.
Hop flowers are much used as an infusion or can also be used to
stuff pillows where the weight of the head will release the volatile
oils. The fruit is also applied externally as a poultice to ulcers,
boils, painful swellings etc. The female flowering heads are harvested
in the autumn and can be used fresh or dried. The female fruiting body
contains humulone and lupulone, these are highly bacteriostatic against
gram-positive and acid-fast bacteria.
Young leaves and young shoots - cooked. The flavor is unique and, to
many tastes, delicious. Young leaves can be eaten in salads.The leaves
contain rutin.The fleshy rhizomes are sometimes eaten. A tea is made
from the leaves and cones. It has a gentle calming effect.
The dried flowering heads of female plants are used as a flavoring
and preservative in beer. The flowering heads are sprinkled with yellow
translucent glands, which appear as a granular substance. Much of the
hop's use as a flavoring and medicinal plant depends on the abundance
of this powdery substance.
The seeds contain gamma-linolenic acid, an essential fatty acid that
is said to have many important functions in the human body and is
rarely found in plant sources.
Known Hazards: Skin contact with the plant causes dermatitis in sensitive people. Dislodged hairs from the plant can irritate the eye.
Other Common Names: Hop; Common Hop, European Hops, Hoppu, Lupulin, Lupulo, Omerotu, Oubion, Serbetciotu, Humulus Lupulus
Range: Belgium; Britain; China; Germany; Nepal; Russia; Spain; Turkey; USA;
Habitat: Hedgerows, woodlands and sunny waste ground.
The origin of the name of the Hop genus, Humulus, is considered
doubtful, though it has been assumed by some writers that it is derived
from humus, the rich moist ground in which the plant grows. The
specific name Lupulus, is derived from the Latin, lupus (a wolf),
because, as Pliny explains, when produced among osiers, it strangles
them by its light, climbing embraces, as the wolf does a sheep. The
English name Hop comes from the Anglo-Saxon hoppan (to climb).
Hops appear to have been used in the breweries of the Netherlands in
the beginning of the fourteenth century. In England they were not used
in the composition of beer till nearly two centuries afterwards. The
liquor prepared from fermented malt formed the favorite drink of our
Saxon and Danish forefathers. The beverage went by the name of Ale (the
word derived from the Scandinavian ?l - the Viking's drink) and was
brewed either from malt alone, or from a mixture of the latter with
Honey and flavored with Heath tops, Ground Ivy, and various other
bitter and aromatic herbs, such as Marjoram, Buckbean, Wormwood,
Yarrow, Woodsage or Germander and Broom. They knew not, however, the
ale to which Hops give both flavor and preservation. For long after the
introduction of Hops, the liquor flavored in the old manner retained
the name of Ale, while the word of German and Dutch origin, Bier or
Beer, was given only to that made with the newly-introduced bitter
catkins.
'Hops,' says John Evelyn, in his Pomona (1670), 'transmuted our
wholesome ale into beer, which doubtless much alters its constitution.
This one ingredient, by some suspected not unworthily, preserves the
drink indeed, but repays the pleasure in tormenting diseases and a
shorter life.'
Hops have a long and proven history of herbal use, where they are
employed mainly for their soothing, sedative, tonic and calming effect
on the body and the mind. Their strongly bitter flavor largely accounts
for their ability to strengthen and stimulate the digestion, increasing
gastric and other secretions.
The female fruiting body is anodyne, antiseptic, antispasmodic,
diuretic, febrifuge, hypnotic, nervine, sedative, stomachic and tonic.
The hairs on the fruits contain lupulin, a sedative and hypnotic drug.
When given to nursing mothers, lupulin increases the flow of milk -
recent research has shown that it contains a related hormone that could
account for this effect.
Hop flowers are much used as an infusion or can also be used to
stuff pillows where the weight of the head will release the volatile
oils. The fruit is also applied externally as a poultice to ulcers,
boils, painful swellings etc. The female flowering heads are harvested
in the autumn and can be used fresh or dried. The female fruiting body
contains humulone and lupulone, these are highly bacteriostatic against
gram-positive and acid-fast bacteria.
Young leaves and young shoots - cooked. The flavor is unique and, to
many tastes, delicious. Young leaves can be eaten in salads.The leaves
contain rutin.The fleshy rhizomes are sometimes eaten. A tea is made
from the leaves and cones. It has a gentle calming effect.
The dried flowering heads of female plants are used as a flavoring
and preservative in beer. The flowering heads are sprinkled with yellow
translucent glands, which appear as a granular substance. Much of the
hop's use as a flavoring and medicinal plant depends on the abundance
of this powdery substance.
The seeds contain gamma-linolenic acid, an essential fatty acid that
is said to have many important functions in the human body and is
rarely found in plant sources.
Known Hazards: Skin contact with the plant causes dermatitis in sensitive people. Dislodged hairs from the plant can irritate the eye.
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