SEPTEMBER 20, 2010 ABOUT HOPS

"Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival."
- C. S. Lewis

DO WE NEED FRIENDS? As I get older I believe this quote more and more. How many true friends do you have? Can the friends be counted on one hand? Two hands?

We all had friends in grade school, high school and college. How many do we still keep in touch with? Facebook, Classmates and my Space has allowed us to keep in contact. True friends know you inside and out. Life partners, as in my case are often your best friend. For me, it is the best friend I have. Yes, I have another best friend with whom I have been through the tough times. And many I once thought to be friends are mere acquaintances. And there are a few, increasing in number lately that I wouldn't want even as an acquaintances. These "folk" are bad karma, or drama infested. I strive for 'drama free'. I make a decision because I want to make a decision. Today I choose whom I want to be friends with. This is not a Friend Request Confirmation on Facebook. Friendship does give value to survival. Make a list of your true friends. How many are there really?


A tisane made with fresh HOPS is a remedy for sleeplessness. Hops (Humulus lupulus) is a sedative herb that I have not discussed. The others discussed so far have been Valerian, Passion Flower, and the California Poppy. Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis ) was discussed when discussing digestive disorders as I use it for the nervous stomach.

Those who like beer, know Hops. It is used in beer brewing. Hops are used primarily as a flavoring and stability agent in beer, to which they impart a bitter, tangy flavor, though hops are also used for various purposes in other beverages and herbal medicine. Hops were cultivated continuously around the 8th or 9th century AD in Bohemian gardens in the Hallertau district of Bavaria and other parts of Europe The first documented use of hops in beer as a bittering agent is from the eleventh century. Prior to this period, brewers used a wide variety of bitter herbs and flowers. Dandelion, burdock root, marigold, and horehound were often used prior to the discovery of hops. Hops are used extensively in brewing today for their many purported benefits, including balancing the sweetness of the malt with bitterness, contributing a variety of desirable flavors and aromas, and having an antibiotic effect that favors the activity of brewer's yeast over less desirable microorganisms.

The hop plant is a vigorous climbing herbaceous perennial, usually trained to grow up strings in a field called a hopfield, hop garden or hop yard when grown commercially. Many different varieties of hops are grown by farmers around the world, with different types being used for particular styles of beer.

There is apparently more to beer than just drinking it. The effect of hops on the finished beer varies by type and use, though there are two main hop types: bittering and aroma. Bittering hops have higher concentrations of alpha acids, and are responsible for the large majority of the bitter flavor of a beer. The degree of bitterness imparted by hops depends on the degree to which otherwise insoluble alpha acids (AAs) are isomerized during the boil. Flavors and aromas are described appreciatively using terms which include grassy, floral ,citrus , spicey, "piney," "lemony," and "earthy".

Hops are also used in herbal medicine in a way similar to valerian, as a treatment for anxiety, restlessness, and insomnia. A pillow filled with hops is a popular folk remedy for sleeplessness. Hops may be used alone, but more frequently they are combined with other herbs, such as valerian. The relaxing effect of hops may be due, in part, to the specific chemical component dimethylvinyl carbinol. Tom's deodorant is aluminum free and I believe contains hops, for its antibacterial affect.

UNTIL TOMORROW...