two or three times. One acre can produce 1,000 to 1,200 lb. of the dried herbs.
HOPS Humulus lupulus, L.( N. O.: Moraceae)
Features: The Hop plant is a long-lived dioecious perennial and is propagated commercially from rhizome sections or“ root cuttings”. The Hop is one of the few crop plant species in which male and female flowers are borne on different plants. Introduced and cultivated in the United States for its cones and strobiles, which are used medicinally and in the manufacture of beer, ale and porter.
Lupulin is preferred to the Hops itself and is procured by beating or rubbing the strobiles and then sifting out the grains, which form about one-seventh part of the Hops. Lupulin is a globose, kidneyshaped grain, golden yellow and somewhat transparent. This substance is the bitter principle of Hops, and is used in aqueous solutions of Lupulin.
The stem is rough, very long and will twist around any adjacent support. Leaves in pairs, stalked, serrated, cordate. Three- or five-lobed flowers or strobiles, consisting of membranous scales, yellowish-green, round, reticulate; veined, nearly ½ in. long. Odour is peculiar and somewhat agreeable; taste slightly astringent and exceedingly bitter. Medicinal Parts: The strobiles or cones. Solvents: Boiling water, dilute alcohol. Bodily Influence: Tonic, Diuretic, Nervine, Anodyne, Hypnotic, Anthelmintic, Sedative, Febrifuge. Uses: This old-time plant is an excellent agent for many conditions. The fluid extract of 10 drops is often used in cough syrups where there is nervousness, and in heart palpitation.
The decoction of the Hops cleanses the blood, making it useful in venereal diseases and all kinds of skin abnormalities such as itch, ringworm, spreading sores, tetters and discolorations. It will tone up the liver, assist a sluggish gall-bladder, and will increase the flow of urine. Principally used for sedative or hypnotic action, producing sleep, removing restlessness and alleviating pain, especially so if combined with chamomile flowers. Use both internally and externally.
The Lupulin tincture is used in delirium tremens, nervous exhaustion, anxiety, worms, and does not disorder the stomach or cause constipation. Also useful in after-pains and to mitigate the pain attending gonorrhoea.
A pillow made of the dried Hops, sprinkled with alcohol to bring out the active principle, is used for wakefulness and generally induces sleep. Dose: 1 teaspoonful of the flowers, cut small or granulated, to 1 cupful of boiling water. Drink cold 1 cupful during the day, a large mouthful at a time. Of the tincture, 5 – 20 min. Externally: An ointment made by boiling 2 parts of Stramonium( Jimson weed) and 1 part of Hops, in lard, is an excellent application in skin irritation and itching skin. Homoeopathic Clinical: Tincture of the seeded spikes— Trituration. Tincture of Cupuline— Dyspepsia, Dysuria, Gonorrhoea. Russian Experience: Hmel is the Russian name for Hops, which to them( and us) is an expression for persons that are slightly drunk. This plant grows wild in many parts of the Russian territory and is cultivated for industrial breweries. Folk Medicine: The medical properties have long been appreciated for success as Diuretic, Sedative and Calming. Used for inflammation of the bladder, tuberculosis, and as a hair tonic. The root decoction for jaundice and dandruff. Dose: 1 – 20 min., or decoction of 2 tablespoonfuls to 1 pint of water, a mouthful three times a day; as a tea, ½ cup three times a day.