Not just for beer drinkers - also for those wearing nighttime watch caps!
Hops are a climbing plant with attractively serrated leaves and beautiful greenish-yellow cones. They quickly climb several meters high on a support structure, but cause no damage to facades, as they die back in autumn and sprout anew in spring. Common hops are best known for their use in brewing beer, but few are familiar with their medicinal properties. Their effects: The antiseptic properties of hops were already described by Hildegard von Bingen. The bitter substances contained in hops stimulate the secretion of gastric juices, which is why they are used in folk medicine for loss of appetite and digestive problems. However, teas made from hop cones are also used as a mild sleep aid and sedative. To prepare them, pour boiling water over a teaspoon of hop cones and let the tea steep for five to ten minutes. Then strain the tea and drink it in small sips in a quiet environment. In the kitchen, young hop shoots, briefly boiled, are a delicacy.
Natural habitat: The wild form of common hops prefers to grow in riparian forests, but also on forest edges and bushes in drier areas.
