Beyond beer, what are hops used for? Well, humulus lupulus (hops) is related to cannabis (humulus cannabis) and while you can’t smoke it, the herb is used for calming: reducing anxiety, encouraging sleep, and many other medical properties. 

• As a tea, hops are quite bitter and the flavor.  Its bitterness is actually a plus when it comes to digestion.  Bitter herbs help to stimulate digestion, so you can use it to make homemade bitters and take ½ teaspoon before meals. 
• The hops plant is a wonderful herb for skincare.  Infusing oils with hops (ie soak the hops flowers in olive oil for a day or so) and it can be used to make soap and healing salves. Hops’ calming effect works on the skin as well to reduce inflammation and help with both wrinkles and acne.
• For anxiety and insomnia, the aroma of hops has a great calming effect.  Making a pillow filled with hops to fall asleep easily. 
• Hops have analgesic properties and can be used to reduce pain.  They are particularly effective as a gynecological aid.  The plant also has estrogen-like characteristics as they contain phytoestrogens. These share many properties similar to human estrogen, meaning hops can help to treat menopausal symptoms.

It’s not just the beer that is medicinal, its all of its ingredients. “Beer Is Proof that God Loves Us and Wants Us to Be Happy[1].”  Hops are a critical and often underrated part of beer.    

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[1] A highly questionable quote often attributed to Benjamin Franklin.  There is no record of him saying this about beer, but he did pen a letter with similar thoughts about wine.

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