The Probert Encyclopaedia of Nature

HOP

The hop (Humulus Lupulus) is a native British and European plant of the hemp family Cannabiaceae, natural order Urticaceae. The root is perennial giving out several herbaceous, rough, twining stems with large lobed leaves. The the fertile flowers are green; the fruit is a catkin and the catkins are added to beer to give it its aromatic and bitter flavour. The young shoots are sometimes boiled and eaten like asparagus; the fibres of the old stems make good cords and were formerly used. The use of the hop catkins depends upon a peculiar bitter substance which they contain, called lupulin, which is a yellow powder, containing a bitter principle and a volatile oil. The lupulin constitutes from 10 to 12 per cent by weight of the catkin, and the bitter principle forms from 8 to 12 per cent of the lupulin. Having tonic, stomachic, and narcotic properties hops were often used medicinally. Pillows stuffed with hops are used to induce sleep.
Research Hop