Foraging Autumn Hedgerows-Healing Powers At Your Fingertips- Part Two- Hops

Hedgerow Covered in Hops

In late summer many hedgerows are adorned with garlands of hop flowers, these papery cones emerge atop thick vine-like stems with heart-shaped leaves. These stems have wound their way up to the very top of the hedgerow to access the full sun having started out in early spring as delicate shoots at ground level. These early shoots are delicious and have been prized as a vegetable since prehistoric times, often known as 'poor man's asparagus'.

This year appears to have been a good one, a large amount of cones have erupted on the hedgerows here, giving them the appearance of over-dressed Christmas trees as they mingle with the red of hops and haws.

Hops are mainly associated with beer flavouring in the brewing industry or for the garlands often found dressing old beams in cosy country pubs.

The value of hops should not only be found in the pint and public house, they have been used in medicine for centuries and their health benefits are well established.

The story of hops is still unfolding, modern researchers have now revealed some incredible new benefits of hop compounds including an impressive ability to influence the gut microbiome and help relieve menopausal symptoms.

History of Hops

Humulus lupulus is a member of the Cannabaceae family, Humulus derives from Humus = Earth and lupulus is a derivative of 'lupus' the latin for wolf. The association with wolves is believed to refer to the way hops climb up other plants, twisting tightly around their stems like a wolf strangling a sheep.

Hop plants are either male or female and the flowers, or strobili of the female are harvested for beer and medicinal use. The taste of hops is very bitter and they are highly aromatic.

Over one million years ago the ancient wild hops began their journey across Asia, spreading from China and across the Caucasus Mountains toward Europe.

Hops were grown in gardens and monasteries in England from the end of the 14th century and are synonymous with the county of Kent. The Kent hop fields were the historical heart of British hop production from the 16th century, over 3,000 acres were dedicated to the crop and characterful oast houses were used to dry them in. Many families enjoyed hop-picking holidays.

Hops now grow wild in many parts of the UK having naturalised here, most likely as escapees from monasteries or hop gardens.

There is evidence of hops being traded in England as early as the 10th century. In Graveney, Kent an Anglo-saxon ship-wreck was found in the seventies, the Graveney boat was found to contain traces of hops.

Beer

98% of hops grown today are intended for the brewing industry. Beer or ale is one of the earliest alcoholic beverages made and consumed by man, emerging in many countries simultaneously.

Beer was originally flavoured with many different herbs, hops were later additions, mainly chosen for their antimicrobial properties to extend the life of ale. Today the demand for hops remains high due to the popularity of microbreweries and craft ales.

Folk Medicine

Hops have a long history of use as a medicinal plant, they have both internal and external use and there actions are described in the classic text 'A Modern Herbal'

• Tonic

• Nervine

• Diuretic

• Anodyne

• Sedative

• Soporific

• Stomachic

Grieve (1931) suggests a simple infusion of hops for improving the appetite and general digestive issues. Hop tea is recommended for 'sluggish livers' and Hop Juice for 'blood-cleansing'. Externally she recommends fomentions and poultices of hops.

The distinct sedative effect of hops was observed in the hop pickers who succumbed to daytime sleepiness from handling vast amounts of them. Hop pillows and infusions became popular sleep remedies and hops were eventually approved for use in Germany for sleep and anxiety.

Other Uses

• Hair dye

• Fabric

• Paper

• Packaging

• Cattle fodder

• To keep demons at bay

Modern Medical Research

With the benefits of modern science, we now know that hops contain a vast array of phytochemicals and produce three types of secondary metabolites-

• Hop resins

• Hop oils

• Hop polyphenols

Hop resins are either hard or soft, the soft resins are the bitter acids that give the aroma and flavour of hops that is used for beer. These are called humulones and lupulones.

Hop oils are also used in brewing, perfume-making and as general flavouring. They include myrcene, linalool and geraniol.

Hop polyphenols include quercetin and catechins. Catechins are found in the seeds and are utilised in the nutraceutical industry for their antimicrobial properties. The polyphenols in hops also give them their oestrogenic activity which will be explained shortly

The polyphenols have many health benefits as they are highly antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial. These include-

• Anti- thrombotic activity, preventing blood clots in the veins and arteries by inhibiting platelet activation

• Anti-diabetic

• Bone health- prevent bone resorption in osteoarthritis

Natural HRT

Hops can be very helpful in treating the symptoms of oestrogen deficiency including hot flashes, fatty liver and visceral adiposity and weight gain.

The flavonoids xanthohumol and isoxanthohumol are oestrogen precursors that are transformed and activated by the intestinal flora into phytoestrogens.

Xanthohumol has weak oestrogenic activity but due to the amazing medicine- processing unit that is a healthy microbiome, this compound can be transformed in the gut to become the most potent phytoestrogen in the plant kingdom.

Gut Health

A 2023 study identified a compound called TXN which is derived from XN a hop polyphenol. TXN was found to combat metabolic syndrome by reducing the gut population of one microbial species of Oscillibacter. TXN reduces these microbes which thrive off high-fat diets and have been found to promote inflammation in adipose or fatty tissue. TXN improves glucose metabolism and activates immune-enhancing macrophage cells.

A vicious cycle can be initiated whereby obese individuals have impaired glucose metabolism, this then leads to further weight gain, also affecting brain physiology.

A 2022 trial looked at how bitter taste receptors effect appetite, they found that the bitter hop extract modulated the release of hormones involved in appetite and blood sugar control.

Skincare

The antimicrobial action of the bitter acids found in hops make them of use as an acne treatment, if you follow for my next blog I will explain ways in which hops could be incorporated into skincare.

Foraging and Preparing Hops

Hop garland hanging in my kitchen

Collect your hops whilst they are still lime-green and choose a dry, sunny day. Make sure you have the correct plant and choose from an uncontaminated area.

Hops can be used fresh but need to be used fairly quickly as they soon lose some of their powers due to high, volatile oil content. They can be dried, I hang mine in garlands and dry over my wood-burner, you can also spread a thin layer of hops on a oven-tray and bake on the lowest setting until brittle.

Dried hops can be powdered using a pestle and mortar and then used as seasoning or to add to drinks.

Enamel bowl full of Hops

What Can I Make With Hops?

Keep following for my next blog post full of step-by-step Hop recipes for internal and external healthcare.

References

1. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12231-021-09528-1

2. Grieve, Maud, and C. F. Leyel. A Modern Herbal: The Medicinal, Culinary, Cosmetic and Economic Properties, Cultivation and Folk-Lore of Herbs, Grasses, Fungi, Shrubs, & Trees with All Their Modern Scientific Uses. Harcourt, Brace & company, 1931.

3. https://news.oregonstate.edu/news/compound-derived-hops-reduces-abundance-gut-microbe-associated-metabolic-syndrome

4. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35102364/