When most people here hops they immediately think of beer. Hops provide a bitter aromatic flavor to beer. They are used to offset the sweetness of the malt in beer production. Before people began using hops in beer brewing many other herbs and flowers were regularly used for bitterness including dandelion, burdock root, and heather. Hops have a strong antibacterial property and it was noticed that when they were used in beer production the beer would last much longer and not be as prone to spoiling. Over the centuries hops replaced all other herbs and flowers as the most common bitter and aromatizing ingredient in beer.
Hops are actually the female flower cluster of the hops species, Humulas lupulus. This flower is also known as a strobile. The hops plant is a climbing vine. When they are grown commercially the plants are trained to grow up wires or strings so more of them can be grown closer together. Once the male plants are recognized they are destroyed, because the female flower clusters are more prized without seeds. The male plants are removed to prevent pollination. The female plants are often cloned from other female mother plant so that only female plants are then cultivated.
There are records of hops being cultivated as far back as the year 700 in the region that is now modern day Germany. The first mention of hops being used in brewing beer was around the year 1100. In Great Britain hopped beer was first imported from Holland. It was not until the 1500’s that hops began to be grown in England, and it was not until the 1600’s that hops were cultivated in the United States. Germany is still the number one producer of hops in the world with the United States in second place. In the United States the Pacific Northwest is the major area of hops production.
In addition to beer production hops have been used for centuries as a medicinal herb. Primarily hops were prized for having anti-anxiety, relaxant, and sedative properties. Hops work great as a natural remedy for insomnia. They are available individually in herbal capsule form in many health food stores, but the most common way hops are used in natural medicine today is in combination with other natural sleeping aids such as valerian, passion flower, melatonin, theanine, and lemon balm. Hops work very synergistically with these other nutrients to create very effective natural sleeping products. Many of the better natural sleep aids on the market are every bit as powerful and effective as prescription medications without the long list of side effects. These natural insomnia cures are also not addictive making them a great alternative to pharmaceutical medications.
As with other herbal products the best way to get the full benefits of hops is to look for products that provide hops in a standardized extract form. The most potent form of hops available will be listed as (4:1) (strobile). In this way the active components of the herb are isolated and concentrated in a clinically controlled way. This process insures that each pill you take will have the same potency as the last. Otherwise with all herbs there can be much variation between potencies depending on the exact part of the plant that is consumed, the growing conditions at the time of harvest, and other uncontrolled natural events.


















This herb is proved best for decreasing the desire for alcohol,reduce irritation and also helps to get enough sleep.Its helpful in reducing tension,insomnia and helps in proper digestion.
HIFU´s last blog ..Welcome
yeah..
I know about this herb, in my country we called it "mengkudu"
this herb can reduce blood pressure and it's better to eat it raw
opan@healthy eating for kids´s last blog ..The Benefits of Chocolate for Children
Herbal remedies are being used by more and more people to treat different ailments, such as cancer, arthritis, liver damage, obesity and other sicknesses. Herbal medicines make use of different natural ingredients such as plants and extracts that are produced by plants. These alternative medicines and supplements are also made from different herbs, flowers, barks of trees, roots, berries and many other natural ingredients that can be found everywhere. Herbal remedies are known to improve some illnesses. This includes mental illnesses and physical conditions. They are also said to improve a person's immune system, and that makes the person less vulnerable in acquiring different types of diseases. There are reasons why a person will opt to take an herbal medicine instead of pharmaceutical medicines.
Benefits of Herbal Remedies
Here are some of the benefits of choosing herbal medicine over pharmaceutical medicines:
1. Accessibility. People don't need to have a prescription in order to acquire different herbal medicines for their condition. This is one of the reasons why people choose herbal medicines over traditional medicines. It is easier to get these herbal medicines. There are specialty shops that provide different herbal medicines, remedies and supplements that you can purchase without having to get a prescription from your doctor.
2. Price. Herbal medicines cost far less than pharmaceutical medicines. This is because herbal medicines do not go through different manufacturing processes in order to get made. They are all-natural, and the ingredients that make up herbal medicines are widely available. That is why some people who are sick and don't have the funds to buy expensive pharmaceutical medicines choose to take herbal medicines.
3. Side Effects. As herbal remedies are natural, they have far fewer side effects than prescription medication. Nevertheless, herbal remedies also have side effects for some people who might be allergic to some of the natural ingredients that are used in making the medicine. According to studies, herbal medicines have minimal side effects, and most people who take these herbal medicines do not experience the side effects.
4. History. Herbal medicines and supplements are known to have been used by people since ancient times to treat different ailments and diseases. They are also known to cure almost every sickness that a person can acquire. People from the olden times used herbal treatments for different diseases and found them to be very effective.
Even if these benefits convince you to take herbal medicine remedies instead of pharmaceutical medicines, it is still important to know and read about the herbal medicine that you are planning to take. Some people may have allergic reactions or experience side effects from taking herbal supplements. It is also advisable to contact or get advice from people who are experts in the field or from people who have already tried the herbal medicine that you are going to take. These are just some of the benefits that you can get from taking herbal medicine remedies. That is why about 80% of the world's population chooses herbal medicine remedies over pharmaceutical medicines.
I’ve dedicated my life to natural healthy organic foods, supplements and helping to educate consumers on what we need in our bodies and what we should avoid at all cost. Most consumer don’t know most of the things that can keep them healthy. With the very unhealthy mass produced, genetically modified, chemically enhanced foods and supplements on the market, consumers need the proper information to start avoiding all those products. When there is enough demand for high quality foods and supplements, then we will be able to tackle America’s Health problems. Until then, it will be very hard to fight big business and stop them from adding harmful ingredients and making products by un-natural mean just to stretch them further and last longer in-order to protect their bottom line. We have the power as the consumer and it’s all about spreading small amounts of information like this article to help educate everyone. You can follow the link by My Name Above to visit my store and also join my facebook fan page from the links on my store. You can post information and take information or articles from my websites to post in great blogs like this without worry about giving me credit. Im more concerned about spreading the knowledge anyways.
I hope to write another article soon and keep posting great content in blogs like this.
Thanks and keep up the great work!!