Hops flower extract 10:1: concentrated from the female cones
Hop is a perennial climber in the hemp family, the same family as cannabis. Its bines wind upward around anything that offers a grip, and that is where the species name comes from, since lupulus means little wolf. The plant is dioecious, so male and female flowers grow on separate specimens, and only the female plants carry the cones that matter here. Hop is cultivated across the northern hemisphere, roughly between the 35th and 55th parallel, and grows wild in the Netherlands and Belgium as well.
Inside those cones sit thin bracts overlapping like roof tiles, and between them lies lupulin: a yellow, resinous powder formed by glandular hairs. It carries the alpha and beta acids, humulone and lupulone being the best known. They supply the bitterness in beer and help keep the beer, which is why hop is sometimes described as a natural preservative. The plant also has a long domestic history, with dried cones sewn into pillows, the familiar hop pillow. At Avalon hop sits in the relaxing herbs category.
What 10:1 means
In a 10:1 extract, ten grams of plant material have been reduced to one gram of powder, so you need less of it than of whole cones and it dissolves more readily. This jar holds 3 grams, which corresponds to the extract from roughly 30 grams of cones.
Brewing and storage
This is loose powder. Hop is usually brewed light: around one gram of extract per litre of boiling water, which matches some ten grams of whole cones. Let it steep for a few minutes and strain. The taste is pronounced, bitter and resinous, so a little honey helps. Keep the jar tightly closed, cool, dry and dark, since light and warmth cost aroma.
Good to know
Hop is a herb and not a substitute for anything else. Keep it out of reach of young children. If you take medication, sedatives, sleeping aids or antidepressants in particular, or you are pregnant or breastfeeding, speak to your doctor or pharmacist first.
Other herb extracts at Avalon Magic Plants
Hop is also stocked as whole dried cones in a 50 gram bag. The same category holds ginkgo biloba extract 10:1, motherwort extract 12:1, blue lotus extract 10:1 and the 1:1 tinctures of valerian and passionflower. Your order leaves in discreet packaging.
