03/23/2026
Got Hops?
Hops is one of the most powerful natural plant remedies we have. Most people think of hops only as a brewing ingredient for beer. We can thank the alcohol industry for funding a lot of medicinal plant chemistry research on hops.
Hops is one of our main herbs for anxiety, stress and related disorders. It is a very powerful sedative for insomnia. It has very strong muscle relaxation and muscle pain relieving properties. It also has broad spectrum anti-inflammatory compounds similar to turmeric/curcumin. It is also a wonderful digestive bitter. It can help with a variety of digestive ailments.
If you have ever drank hops tea, you will quickly see that beer gets most its flavor from the hops. Each variety of hops has different chemistry and slightly different levels of healing effects. Hops works well in any format including tea, capsules or tincture.
Hops has over 1,000 phytochemical in it. This is not super uncommon for plants. Just think that every time you take a drink of hops tea, you are getting over a 1,000 phytochemical! Alpha acids and beta acids are the main types of compounds. Hops also has essential oils, resins, flavonoids and many other compounds.
The alpha acids create most the flavor of beer. Each variety of hops can have higher or lower concentrations. Brewers know this and even include alpha acid content in beer menus often. The main alpha acids are humulone and cohumulone. They are responsible for many of hops nerve calming, muscle relaxing and sleep inducing effects. They also contribute to the hazy look of stronger microbrews.
I made a short video showing the alpha acid content of a variety of hops. Check in out.
This video is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to treat, diagnose or cure disease. Discuss any changes with your healthcare provider. Hop...