Hops: Magical Properties & Uses

Hops is the herb of deep, dreamless, restorative sleep: where valerian eases the mind into rest and passionflower creates peace, hops produces simple, heavy unconsciousness for the body that is exhausted beyond dreaming. Its primary magical uses are in sleep workings for the physically or nervously depleted practitioner, and in healing workings that require the body to rest its way back to health. In dream magic it is not the herb of visionary dreams but of the healing sleep that enables clear dreaming later. The dried cones placed in a sleeping pillow release their sedative compounds with warmth; replace them regularly as the volatile oils dissipate.

Hops (Humulus lupulus) has well-documented sedative properties. The volatile compounds, particularly 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol formed from alpha-acids during drying, have demonstrated GABA-A receptor activity comparable to mild sedatives. It is approved in Germany as a herbal medicine for sleep disorders and anxiety, typically in combination with valerian, and clinical trials for the combination preparation show positive results for insomnia. It should be used with caution alongside pharmaceutical sedatives. It should not be used by those with depressive illness, as it may worsen low mood.

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The bitter green cones that flavoured the ale of every English tavern also carry one of the deepest sleep-giving spirits in the herbal apothecary. The hop plant (Humulus lupulus) was used as a bittering agent in beer from the medieval period, replacing herbs like ground ivy and costmary. King George III is said to have slept on a pillow stuffed with hops: the volatile compounds are released by body warmth. In German folk tradition the hop harvest in September was one of the great communal events, accompanied by its own songs and customs. Culpeper associated hops with Mars and noted their use for cleaning the blood and liver as well as their soporific properties.