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Hops Monograph
Family Name: Cannabaceae Family Name: Hemp Latin Name: Humulus lupulus L. Common Name: Hops Related Species: Cannabis sativa (only relative) Sense of the Plant: Vivid Dream Trial by Loni and friends I created a combination tincture of hops strobiles, their yellow resin, mugwort buds, salvia leaves and ground morning glory seeds using both white and brown Vinegar on October 25th. We ingested it around three weeks later on the 18th and 19th of November. First night 3 friends and I took 1 tablespoon tincture, a strong dose, with a strong tincture more than 40% plant material. Two of us ingested it in tea, one on salad, and another took it like a shot and drank tea after. We all noticed fluttering stomachs within a half an hour. We didn’t feel down or sleepy but a bit drunk and giddy actually. Vision became hazy, and we all became a little spacey and slow. Two hours latter we retired and dreamed vividly. The second night me and one other brave soul upped the anti and took two tablespoons in shot form. Increased upset stomach at first, then more haziness and a faster effect of drowsiness follows. That night when I turned out the lights I saw white, green, and yellow stroblight and light bright dot effects for what feels like 3 minutes followed by a mellow wave like vision. Each morning after taking the tincture we all expressed an ease of waking after the deep sleep. The second morning I felt a little slow for the first few hours of the day. Here are other first person experiences with hops: Sleepy Hops by Clarknova DOSE : 2 tsp oral Hops (extract)I made an extract of hops in white vinegar. What I did was take a small glass jar and fill it with hops and then pour white vinegar over it (now I know that cider vinegar is better for extracts). Then I let it sit in the sun for a few days and store the jar for at least a few months. When the extract was ready, I strained the herb out and was left with an amber-colored, bitter liquid. The first time I tried the extract I took 2 teaspoons. I knew that hops is a relaxant so I took it before bedtime. At the time I took it I was feeling pretty anxious and jumpy, I wanted to sleep but was so full of nervous energy, I couldn't even sit still. Within 10 or 15 minutes, the hops took effect and I felt so relaxed, just absolutely free of tension and a bit sleepy, but mostly relaxed and good. I did get into bed and fall asleep and slept very deeply and easily and remembered having pleasant dreams. Now I use the hops extract occasionally if I have trouble getting to sleep. I only take about 1 teaspoon, and that is sufficient. I always sleep in a very relaxed, dreamy state, and I wake up with pleasant dreams and feeling good, if slightly groggy. I wouldn't recommend excessive use, however. Hops is a diuretic and after taking it a few days it will really flush my system, which is good occasionally. Drink plenty of water! Experience Year: 2003 ID: 25307 Relaxing Without Being Distorting, Hops by Jennifer DOSE : smoked Hops (dried)I have been using hops almost daily and it has become my favorite herb of all time. Hops is related to cannabis and I have noticed some cannabis-like effects from it. I normally use hops in a cigarette with tobacco. It gives a nice relaxing effect and heavy eyes. In many respects it's like smoking pot minus the head change. I really enjoy the relaxing effect without having my thoughts distorted like when using cannabis. I also find that vaporizing hops give a stronger effect. When I vaporise I just do it in my pipe with a lighter flame above the bowl. Hops won't set me back like cannabis does but I notice it. Another thing I really like about it is that because it's used in brewing beer the chances of it becoming illegal are virtually 0. Additionally, although hops is related to cannabis it is not likely to show up on a drug test. Experience Year: 2004 ID: 33931
*These and other experiences can be read on this remarkable database http://www.erowid.org/experiences
Body System Affiliations: 1. Nervous System 2. Respiratory System 3. Cardio-vascular System 4. Digestive System 5. Reproductive System 6. First Aid 7. Skin Botanical Description: Habit: Climbing perennial vine Size: 20-25 feet at least usually longer. Arrangement: Opposite, but singly and alternate sometimes high on vine. Leaves: Resemble grape leaves, some heart-shaped, hairy, some are oval 3- to five-lobed leaves having coarsely-toothed edges. Flowers: Male and female flowers on separate plants. Female flower apetalous used widely and described first as paired blooms on short spikes that mature into strobiles, a green thinly layered cone. The scales contain the yellow fruit and have red hairs and a sticky resin paired with a strong garlic like scent. As they age they brown. Strobiles range in size and density, 1-2 inches long roughly. Fruit: Achenes; very small, yellow hairs, inside strobiles of female plant. Underground Parts: rhizomatous Personal Observation and Description: The humulus lupulus cascadia on my front porch has a wide variety of leave shapes, size and arrangement. Watching the growth over the summer was amazing. Depending on how sunny it was in a day our hops would grow noticeably longer sometimes 4-5 inches a day. In August hum lup slowed down and began producing strobiles by the hundreds. In October the flowers of our female cascadia hops vine dried and now in November only a few green leaves exist towards the end and middle of vine. Everything is turning brown. Ecology: Habitat: Ranging from Boreal Wet through Subtropical Dry Forest Life Zones Woodland Garden; Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Shady Edge; Hedgerow; North Wall By; East Wall ByRange: Suitable for temperate climates between latitudes 35–51°N and 34–43°S, with mean summer temperatures of 16–18°C.Native Where: Native to Europe and western Asia; now cultivated in North and South America, Africa, Asia and Australia also. Naturalized in many areas. Western (European-American) Uses/Relationships: Food: Hops have been used in English brewing since at least the 11th century. The dried, female flowers are added to beer because they impart a pleasant taste and aroma. Hops also contain enzymes that coagulate excess unwanted proteins that cause beer to become cloudy. They also contain compounds that have antibiotic properties and help to prevent bacterial action and spoilage of beer. Hops are very important in the beer industry because they help to produce a clear, sparkling brew. Interesting enough hops contain a strong amount of estrogen so males who drink too much beer beware your libido is taking a beating. Melaine and Bruce Morford, proprietors of the Windflower Farms in Washington harvest hop shoots destined for the kitchen, not the brew kettle. Many American homebrewers also grow hops in their backyards. After the hops become established, it almost becomes a necessity to harvest some spring shoots, as they spread so wildly. The Morfords have taken the harvest one step further, by preserving the harvested shoots in seasoned brine; thus, the hops shoots can be used like any premium pickled vegetable in a composed salad, or as a garnish. Hop Giardinara Method: Hops are considered a true culinary delicacy in Belgium. The Belgians use hops instead of asparagus in gratinee sauces. In one recipe hops is added to a basic creamy bŽchamel sauce, flavored with caramelized onions for sweetness. This is then poured over the hops shoots in a shallow casserole dish, and baked until tender. Young leaves can be eaten in salads. Use before the end of May. The leaves contain rutin. Materials/Technology: Clothing: A fine brown dye is obtained from the leaves and flower heads. Cosmetics: Essential oils taken from female flowers used in perfumes and extracts used for skin softening properties in skin creams and make-up.Paper: Made from the fiber. The stems are harvested in the autumn, the leaves removed and the stems steamed until the fibers can be removed. The fiber is cooked for 2 hours with lye and then hand pounded with mallets or ball milled for ½ hours. The paper is brown in color.Textiles and building materials: Vines can be used for basket weaving at the end of fall while still green and pliable. A fiber is obtained from the stems. Similar to Cannabis sativa but not as strong, it is used to make a coarse kind of cloth. It is sometimes used for filler material in corrugated paper or board products The fiber is very durable but it is difficult to separate, the stems need to be soaked beforehand for a whole winter. Energy: About 18,000 tons of dry vine were produced per year in the United States which could be used for pulp or biomass. Woody or low moisture herbaceous plants are the most efficient biomass source for thermochemical conversion into liquid fuels such as methanol. Hop vines have 26.2% lignin and 42.4% cellulose. The stubble as well as the hop residues, after processing, could, of course, be channelled into energy production. Conventionally, the spent hops are often used as fodder or manure. *James A. Duke. 1983. Handbook of Energy Crops. unpublished. *Plants for a future database Medicine: Part Used: StrobilesMedicinal Actions: anodyne, antiseptic, antispasmodic, diuretic, febrifuge, hypnotic, nervine, sedative, stomachic, bacteriostatic and tonicIndications: including swellings and hardness of the uterus, poor lactation in new mothers, boils, bruises, calculus, cancer, cramps, cough, cystitis, debility, delirium, diarrhoea, dyspepsia, fever, fits, hysteria, inflammation, insomnia, jaundice, nerves, neuralgia, rheumatism, and wormsBody System Associations: Nervous System, Respiratory System, Cardio-vascular System, Digestive System, Reproductive System, First Aid, Skin Applications: By tea infusion, tincture, or poultice. Part Used: Seeds Medicinal Actions, Indications, and Body System Associations: The seeds contain gamma-linolenic acid, an essential fatty acid that is said to have many important functions in the human body and is rarely found in plant sources. EFAs are used therapeutically to treat and to prevent cardiovascular problems, including heart disease, high cholesterol, strokes, and high blood pressure. EFAs also have anti-inflammatory effects in the body, and are used in the nutritional treatment of arthritis, asthma, allergies, and skin conditions. EFAs are used as support for immune system disorders including AIDS, multiple sclerosis , lupus, and cancer. Applications: Eat the seeds or make an oil using them. *plants for the future database Propagation, Cultivation, and Grafting: Seed Propagation: Hops seed is the type of seed with a dormant embryo, as many tree and wild plant seeds have. To break this dormancy, first place your seeds in a glass of water. You will notice that most of the seeds will float and a few will sink. The seeds which float are viable and should be skimmed off and placed in another container of water. The material which sinks should be discarded, as it consists of broken seeds, dead material, and other debris. Soak the floating seeds for 24 to 40 hours. During this time many of the seeds will sink. Take all of the seeds and mix them with damp peat moss in a plastic sandwich bag. Close and seal it and place it in your refrigerator for 5 to 6 weeks. At the end of this time take the bag out and keep it at room temperature. The peat moss may be placed in a shallow container covered with plastic wrap. Sift through the peat moss seed mixture every day, looking for sprouted seed. Do not let the peat moss dry out. The seeds can germinate each day for 10 to 21 days. A few may sprout as late as 4 weeks. The sprouts should be removed and planted root down in loose, rich, well-drained soil. From germination until a few true leaves form, hops sprouts are very sensitive to overwatering. Keep the soil slightly on the dry side. While the peat moss is in the refrigerator and afterwards, you may notice some white mold forming. Don't worry about this. It only feeds on dead matter, not on viable seeds. When storing seeds, keep from moisture and heat, as these destroy viability. Rhizome Cultivation: Hops are propagated worldwide by rhizomes, but are rarely available to the general public as a result of the U.S. federal government's attempts to stop their possible abuse as material grafted onto marijuana stocks. Propagating hops by rhizomes has the advantage over seeds in that they will sprout sooner after planting if the weather is warm. However, they have serious disadvantages. Propagation by cuttings for too long limits the genetic bank of the plant. Thus the plant eventually ceases to produce seed and comes to an evolutionary dead end, because without seed natural mutations cannot occur. The plant then becomes totally dependent on man for its survival. All of the hops grown commercially in this country are seedless hybrids (all polyploid hops are sterile). With the standardization of the beer-making industry across the world, the last remaining areas that grow seeded hops are rapidly being forced to grow only seedless hybrids. If you wish to use roots, the cuttings should be planted horizontally with the buds upwards, 2 inches deep in a well-worked, rich loamy soil. Hops may also be propagated by layering. The lower part of the vine is laid on the ground and covered with soil. This will root and may be used for cuttings in winter. Hops is also propagated by cuttings of the shoots and branches. Each hops plant should be given a space 18 feet tall to climb. * Provided by http://www.erowid.org/psychoactives/cultivation/cultivation_growing-the-hallucinogens.shtml#HOPS
Grafting with Marijuana: The commercially valuable component of hops is lupulin, a mildly psychoactive substance used to make beer. To our knowledge, no other known psychoactive substances has been isolated from hops. Most growers who have tried grafting Cannabis and Humulus are unsuccessful. Compared to many plants, Cannabis does not take grafts easily. A method that works about 40 percent of the time is as follows: Start the hops plants one to two weeks before the marijuana plants. Plant the seeds within six inches of each other or start them in separate six-inch pots. The plants are ready to graft when the seedling are strong (about five and four weeks respectively) but their stem has not lost their soft texture. Make a diagonal incision about halfway through each stem at approximate the same levels (hops is a vine). Insert the cut portions into each other. Seal the graft with cellulose tape, wound string, or other standard grafting materials. In about two weeks, the graft will have taken. Then cut away the unwanted Cannabis top and the hops bottom to complete the graft. *Provided by http://www.dutch-ganja.com/growing.html Grow Guide Ch. 18.6 Crombie, L., and Crombie, W.M.L. 1975. Cannabinoid Formation in Cannabis sativa Grafted Inter-Racially, and with Two Humulus Species. Phytochem. 14:409-412.
Harvest: Plant Part: Strobiles, cones, flowers Season of Harvest: Late July through August when ripe. Method of Harvest: When good size, an inch or two, a brown amber color, and much yellow resin, clip or pull off buds while enjoying the wonderful aroma. Dry quickly for hops deteriorate fast. Cautions: Skin contact with the plant causes dermatitis in sensitive people. Hops dermatitis has long been recognized. Not only hands and face, but legs have suffered purpuric eruptions due to hop picking. Although only 1 in 3,000 workers are estimated to be treated, one in 30 are believed to suffer dermatitis. Dislodged hairs from the plant can irritate the eyes. Personal Experience (see below)
Personal Experience: Medicine: Tincture Part Used: Strobiles Desired Medicinal Actions: Hallucinogenic sedative Targeted Indications: Poor sleep and dreams Harvest: 9-5-06 Humulus Lupulus Cascadia Site Location: 1008 NE Puget street Olympia WaSite Description: Rental house over summer, clay like soil, full on light, other plants include lawn of weeds and dandelions, grand fir, and rhododendron. Matt trained plant vertically up front right side of porch in 6 places, then horizontally across walkway and left side of porch. This is our plants third year. Porch littered with strobiles from roommates hop war. 3-4 previous pickers, hops just keep coming. I pick worried that before to long there won’t be many good specimens for medicine left. Technique: Plucked 1-4 hops in hand and placed in Ziploc bag.Processing: Stored in Ziploc bag then placed thin layer on board and dried by heated fan for a night. Storage: After dry I put hops back in Ziploc bag.Experience: The smell was wonderful, a garlic like bitter that made me smile much like the smell of weed, also similar in that they both leave behind on your hands a sticky resin. Application/Preparation/Pharmacy: Applications White and Brown VinegarPreparation First I slightly warmed the brown vinegar while shoving plant material in two different glass bottles with cork caps. I used a lot of hops strobiles, specifically the yellow resin at the bottom of bag, Mugwort blossoms, pulled off the branches in handfuls and the last of my bag of dried salvia divinorim leaves. I poured the warm vinegar in one and added room temp white vinegar to the other. About 2 days later I added ground morning glory seeds to both vinegars. We let it sit for 3 weeks at least before use, and have yet to strain out the plant material.Pharmacy Over a period of two days me and my friends (high tolerance to downers) tried one tablespoon the first night and two the second. I suggest not using often, but only when you need a good nights sleep. Reason/Purpose Lucid dreaming Experience (see Sense of Plant Page 1)Cautions based on experience: Remember to remove Morning Glory seeds from Pepper grinder, lol References Cited:
Loni Jean Ronnebaum - Healing Gardens - Fall - 2006
Loni Jean Ronnebaum
categories [ Plant Studies ]
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