Herbal Health Information on Hops

SOME INTERESTING FACTS:

• MALE AND FEMALE FLOWERS ON SEPARATE PLANTS

• THE ROMANS ATE THE YOUNG SHOOTS AS AN ASPARAGUS LIKE VEGETABLE.

• FERMENTED MALT HONEY AND OTHER HERBS (GROUND IVY/MARJORAM/HEATHER/YARROW) WERE THE ORIGINAL BEER MADE BY THE SAXONS AND DANES CALLED OL /ALE

• DUTCH FIRST STARTED USING HOPS TO MAKE BEER IN 14TH C AND THEY WEREN’T USED IN ENGLAND TO UNTIL THE 16TH C

• AS THEY WERE SO BITTER HENRY THE V1 BANNED THE PLANTING OF THEM AND HENRY V111 FORBADE BREWERS TO PUT IT INTO ALE, PARLIAMENT HAVING BEEN PETITIONED AGAINST HOPS AS A WICKED WEED THAT WOULD SPOIL THE TASTE OF THE DRINK AND ENDANGER THE PEOPLE.

• IT WAS EDWARD V1 WHO EVENTUALLY GRANTED HOP GROWERS PRIVELEGES AND THE REST IS HISTORY!!

• KENT SURREY HAMPSHIRE AND SUSSEX WERE THE BIG HOP GROWING AREAS IN THE U.K.AND HOP PICKING IN KENT WAS TRADITIONALLY DONE BY WHOLE FAMILIES FROM LONDON GOING TO PICK HOPS FOR THE SEASON.

• MEDICINALLY HOPS HAVE BITTER PROPERTIES SO ARE EXCELLENT FOR DIGESTION.

• THEY ARE ALSO SEDATIVE NERVE TONICS.

• I USE THEM IN MIXES TO HELP PEOPLE RELAX AND SLEEP.

• SLEEP PILLOWS OFTEN HAVE HOPS IN THEM.

• THEY ARE ALSO STRONGLY DIURETIC SO IT MAY NOT BE THE QUANTITY OF THE BEER BUT THE QUALITY MAKING PEOPLE RUN TO THE LOO!

Linda Bostock
Medical Herbalist/Herbal Health Information