Hops

The plant is noted for being the ingredient that gives beer, otherwise insipid, its bitter-aromatic taste. From a clinical point of view, hops have sedative properties and are useful in the treatment of states of hyper-excitability, insomnia of a nervous origin, states of tension. It is, in fact, an excellent nerve sedative and equilibrator. By virtue of the bitter and aromatic properties it is used as stomachic, to stimulate the appetite, and nervous dyspepsia. In the latter form it may help to dampen the reflected hypersensitivity of the stomach and, at the same time, to tone muscle function and stimulate glandular secretion. The special flavour of hops is due to some of the constituents, particularly humulones and humulus lupulus. These constituents have a structure resembling that of hyperforin present in hypericum. As for the principles responsible for that property, there are still many questions.