The Herbweavers Journal #22 - Hops -5th Nov 2024

Hops - These delightful plants are around in November and ready for foraging. Their Latin name is Humulus lupulus and every part of the plant is edible at different times of the year, which makes it a great plant to find and keep going back to.

The flowers from female plants are used mainly as a flavouring and stability agent in beer. They have a bitter, zesty flavour. They can also be used to make teas, tinctures and infusions.  

You will find Hops in the hedgerows or climbing up small trees, fences and poles. It has papery green-yellow female flowers that are ready to pick from mid-September through till winter.

This plant is very good for us, it is filled with antioxidants, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects and this makes them great for prevention of some chronic, degenerative diseases. It is used as a sedative for anxiety and stress, tension and insomnia. They are often combined with other herbs such as valerian, passionflower and chamomile in a herbal tea to aid sleep.

Hops are also a great ingredient for sensitive and acne-prone skin due to the anti-inflammatory effects I mentioned above. It aids the skin by soothing and calming it when irritated, and the antioxidants can aid to shield the skin from environmental toxins and free radical damage, such as pollution and UV radiation to.

Besides its wide use as a flavouring agent, hops is used as an ingredient in many creams and lotions. Extracts of hops have been used in oral herbal medications predominantly as a tea or in a tincture too.

Magically, you can also stuff a pillow or sachet bag with hops to ensure peaceful sleep, mitigate insomnia, and ward off nightmares. To promote physical and spiritual healing, carry hops on your person. In Celtic mythology, hops are associated with the wolf, winter, the the underworld. Use when inviting the goddess Brigid into your space and also around Imbolc celebrations.

Available to purchase in my herb store.