Stress comes in different forms and the body expresses it in a way that gives us clues on what support we need. It takes time to learn how your body communicates to you. We’ve been taught that the body is deceiving or untrustworthy. Maybe even just a vehicle for you to drive till it wears out. But your body is your greatest ally in life. It is literally here to keep you alive. Pay attention to the language you would use for the type of stress your having, and how it feels in the body. This is the beginning of the journey to well-being and healing.
As we get older, we learn just how hard life can be. There is no escaping “hard”. It’s a part of the experience for all living creatures. That said, I think the times we are in are a different kind of hard that we (as humans along with other species) have experienced in the past.
I think that’s why there are so many “stress” herbs and protocols on the market. We are searching for relief. The good news is there are an abundant variety of plants, fungi, and medicines out there for us to work with. Today we will talk about hops.
I love this little goldish green strobile – Cone-shaped mass -A reproductive structure in many land plants that are shaped like a cone and contains ovule- or spore-bearing scales or bracts. It has a central axis, or stem, surrounded by spirally arranged structures that may be modified leaves or stems. You might call it the flower of the hops plant. I just like the word strobile. It’s fun to say and sounds fancy.
Before trendy bars started highlighting their hoppy brews, the hop plant was used as a traditional herbal medicine. With their aromatic and pungent scent, hops strobiles have been prized for their ability to help people relax. This use dates back thousands of years, at least since the ninth century.
Hops Uses & Plant Profile Summary:
- Botanical Name: Humulus lupulus
- Family: Cannabaceae- that’s right. get your CBD here 🙂 It’s in the Marijuana family.
- Parts Used: strobiles (cones)
- Energetics: cooling, drying. Add mallow if you need to balance the drying effect.
- Taste: bitter, pungent
- Plant Properties: relaxing nervine, phytoestrogenic, antispasmodic, anaphrodisiac (reduces sexual desire), aromatic, diuretic, digestive
- Plant Uses: stress, anxiety, insomnia, menopause, menstrual cramps, stagnant digestion, eczema, metabolic syndrome
- Plant Preparations: tea, tincture, fermentation
Brief History of Hops (and Beer)
Native to Western Asia, Europe, and North America, hops have many traditional uses. The fiber in the vines was used to make a rope or cordage, and the leaves and strobiles were used as a dye plant. Hops strobiles were used topically to heal wounds and for a variety of medicinal uses.
The first recorded use of hops for beer came from a monastery in northern France in 822 CE. Some surmise that hops were a desired ingredient in monastery beer because of their ability to inhibit sexual desire.
Several hundred years later, hops were being actively cultivated in Germany for beer. Years later in Europe, it was declared that hops were a required ingredient in beer. This may have been for reasons of taxation, but in addition to adding flavor, hops also stabilize beer, giving it a much longer shelf life.
What does bitter have to do with stress? In psychology, the emotional reaction and mood of bitterness is referred to as ’embitterment’. It is an emotional state of feeling let down and unable to do anything about it. Embitterment is different than anger because although it involves the same outrage it also involves feeling helpless to change things. Maybe even hopelessness is a good word here.
Bitter effects of plants on the digestive system– Hops’ bitter and pungent taste make them an excellent aromatic digestive herb. They are commonly used for upper gastric digestive disorders, including loss of appetite, stagnant digestion, weak digestion, gas, and bloating. Hops likely stimulate bile production and release, thus helping people to better digest fats. Think of hops specifically when there is indigestion associated with nervous tension. bitter foods and digestive bitters can stimulate peristalsis, which is the rhythmic movement of the digestive system that helps move food through the digestive tract. Bitters can stimulate peristalsis. Energetically speaking, bitters help move things through us to be digested and released.
Bitter Relaxing Nervine- hops are suited to people with intense personalities and strong emotions that result in nervous exhaustion, insomnia, and worry. Hops are great plant to learn the ART of Herbalism. This plant when prepared differently, acts differently.
Looking at the 3 different recommended preparations above- tea, tincture, and fermentation.
Tea- allows a very pronounced sense of relaxation without any other side effects of alcohol.
Tincture- Effective for sleep and staying asleep.
Fermentation- Escaping the stress.
All three of these have benefits at the appropriate time.
Phytoestrogenic
Hops affect hormones in a variety of ways. For example, they have some phytoestrogenic qualities that have been shown to benefit women with menopausal symptoms. In one study, 120 women in the early stages of menopause were given either a hops extract or a placebo for 12 weeks. Those taking the hops extract had significantly fewer hot flashes than those taking the placebo. This is a large topic worthy of its own class. I invite you to read this book by Stephan Buhner. There are many easy to follow recipies and lots of information on how hops taken in large quantities affect the body. Men should think twice about drinking lots of hoppy beers.
Todays recipe is simple.
Hops Tea
Boil 1 cup of water and add 5 hops flowers or stobiles. Let sit 20 minutes.
Enjoy warm or cold.
This is a pretty bitter plant. So start with 5 and adjust based on your experience in the body. If you need more hops for greater relaxation, add 2 at a time till you get the desired effect. If the beverage is too bitter, add honey. Sweet cuts bitter as a general rule.
In the summer, I like to add my cold hops tea with sparkling water. It feels like I’m having a beer but I don’t get the bubbly guts I would from a fermented brew.
Hops or Hope? Maybe it’s time I give my vine out back a new nick name? Hope
Wishing you “hoppiness“ and health,
Chrystal