Hop
Mulberry family. Perennial herbaceous creeping plant. The stem is long, curly, tetrahedral, with sharp thorns, hollow inside. The hop stems cling to vertical supports, the tip of the shoot makes circular movements (one revolution every 2 hours 8 minutes). It has a fleshy rhizome and can be eaten in the spring. The leaves are long-petiolate, three to five lobed.
The plant is dioecious, blooms in July–August. Male flowers are small, green, collected in inflorescences. Pistillate flowers are represented by spikes-cones. The bracts have glands containing “lupulin” - the main medicinal principle of hops. The fruits are small nuts and ripen in August–September.
It grows in the European part of the country, as well as in Siberia. Prefers riverine thickets, ravines, and damp deciduous forests. Cultivated as a food, medicinal and ornamental plant.
Plant parts used
Hop cones contain an essential oil (1–3%) consisting of humulene, luparone, luparenol and isovaleric acid, aliphatic terpenes, diapentene (30–50%), aliphatic terpene alcohols (geraniol and linalool) and alcohol esters of myrcenol (30–50%). 40%), resinous substances in significant quantities, bitterness (up to 5%) and phytoncides.
The plant has a pronounced calming effect and is taken for neuroses, insomnia, hysteria, menopausal complaints, and for neurocirculatory dystonia of the hypertensive type.
Hops are classified as bitters and are used for asthenia and gastritis as a general tonic that improves appetite and digestion. Cones are sometimes added to preparations prescribed for the treatment of various diseases of the liver, kidneys and bladder, given its anti-inflammatory, choleretic and diuretic effects.
Hop preparations are indicated for painful menstruation, nocturnal emissions and excessive sexual excitability; it is added to preparations for metabolic disorders.
Preparations from the plant have an analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic effect and are therefore effective for cystitis and urethritis.
In folk medicine, hops have long been used as an external remedy: in the form of an ointment or poultice to relieve pain and inflammation in gout, rheumatism, abscesses and bruises. For seborrhea, wash the head with infusion of cones. A pillow filled with fresh hop cones helps with insomnia.
Hops is a poisonous plant . In case of an overdose, general malaise, headache, nausea, vomiting, pain in the heart and shortness of breath may occur.