Hops

Hops are used for beer, right? Yes, we all know that simple fact, but hops are use for many other things too. To start with, the hopvine is a wonderful annual climber, which has dark green three lobed leaves and pretty pendant umbels that are used for brewing. Only female plants are used medicinally though.

Cultivation

Kent is considered to be the home of the finest hops and they are grown here from cuttings taken from mature plants the previous year. You can buy hop seedlings in garden centres, although if you want specialised varieties for brewing, mail order is your best bet. They are easy to grow – as long as you have a trellis or fence for them to grow up and/or along – a happy hop can make 19 feet over the season!

Parts used

The umbel or bract, both of which are just very complicated terms for the hanging down green ovals that are actually the container for the flower. Inside the bract are brown threads that look like hairs and have more active constituents than the bract as a whole.

Uses

Research into the properties of the hop vine has only just begun, because the plant’s long established history as a brewing aid was so taken for granted that other uses for the hop were virtually ignored. Scientists are currently examining the sedative effects of the hop, especially for people who have nervous conditions – hop pillows have always been known to help people sleep. Today hops are also used as a tea, with 10 of the threads or 40 of the entire bracts, being steeped in a pint of water to help with insomnia and anxiety.

Hop photograph by the mad Penguin from flickr under a creative commons attribution licence.

 

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