Hops
Hops are the cone-shaped flowers of the hop plant, Humulus lupulus, best known for flavoring beer. They contain compounds such as humulone and xanthohumol.
Also listed as Humulus lupulus, Hops Extract, Hops Flower, Hops Flower Extract
What it is studied for
The strongest rated effects first. Bars show the size of the effect, the letter grades the evidence, and each rating lists the studies behind it.
Which part of hops is used?
Medicinal hops preparations use the flowers of Humulus lupulus. EMA covers chopped or powdered flowers and liquid or dry extracts, including teas and oral medicines. 1
What is being studied?
Hops contains compounds including humulone and xanthohumol. Experiments with mouse bone cells found reduced bone resorption, the breakdown of bone tissue. That gives researchers a hypothesis, not evidence that a hops supplement prevents fractures. 2
Why people take it
SuppCo community snapshot, 2026-09-28. Reasons for use are not evidence that it works.
Questions people ask
Does a positive stress score mean lower cortisol?
Not in the pilot study: symptom scores improved, but morning cortisol did not change significantly. 3
Is a valerian-and-hops study proof for hops alone?
No. EMA notes that combination studies cannot establish the separate contribution of hops. 1
Are bone benefits established?
The cited bone-resorption findings came from experiments with mouse bone cells. They do not demonstrate fracture prevention in people. 2
Sources
- Lupuli flos: herbal medicinal product European Medicines Agency
- Assessment report on Humulus lupulus L., flos European Medicines Agency, 2014