Hop cones: medicinal properties and contraindications, use in folk medicine. Hop cones. Medicinal beneficial properties. Application

The beneficial properties and contraindications of hops are often the subject of debate. This amazing plant is a real decoration of the site. Its “beads” - pineal-shaped complex inflorescences - attract attention, beckon and fascinate. The culture is also known under the following names: beer flower, bitterweed, beer flower. Beer is made from it - this is generally known information. But few people know what benefits the plant and medicines prepared from it have on the health of the human body.

Composition, vitamins and microelements of hops

Hops are widely used not only in brewing, but also in cosmetology, traditional and folk medicine, cooking, landscape design.

The beneficial properties of this plant are due to its unique composition, which includes the following substances:

vitamins (A, C, P, PP);
acids (hop, nicotinic, valeric, phenolcarboxylic);
waxes and gums;
thiamine, choline, carotene, lupulin;
flavonoids, anthocyanins, bitterness, essential oils etc.

The composition of a medicinal plant directly depends on its age. In folk medicine, ripe hop cones are most often used, because they are concentrated in valuable components, which have a beneficial effect on the condition of the body.

Dry fruits contain up to 20% tannins and 8% minerals.

Hops: medicinal and beneficial properties

Common hop fruits have been used in folk medicine for a long time. Since the times of Kievan Rus, information about the benefits of this plant has been preserved. The healing properties have been confirmed by numerous studies and tests carried out in laboratory conditions.

Medicines made from hops are useful for patients who suffer from gallbladder and kidney diseases. The products have a positive effect on the condition of the digestive system, have wound-healing properties, and help cure gastritis and ulcers.

Common hops (climbing or fragrant hops) are a perennial herbaceous plant, which is found everywhere in the temperate climate zone, and has a lot of useful properties, thanks to which it has enough wide range applications.

In medicine, the list of diseases that can be cured with the help of hops is extremely diverse; in bread production, it is used as a starter or for making yeast. Everyone knows the use of hops in beer production.

1 Biological excursion

A plant with a very long cord-like rhizome, a hollow stem, covered along its entire length with rather poisonous spines. Rough wide castings on long stalks, also covered with spines.

There are female and male plants. Female hop inflorescences are the same cones that we are all accustomed to. Male plants - instead of cones, they form panicle-shaped inflorescences. Hop vines can grow in one place for many years. The time for flowering is July-August, the time for final ripening is mid-late September.

There are only two main groups different varieties hops:

district;
breeding.

Varieties of regional groups are natural, wild-growing, subject to centuries-old natural changes within the variety, depending on changes in climatic conditions and soil conditions. Selected ones, of course, were bred in laboratories, and are divided into three categories: fine, coarse and medium. To this day, it is the subtle categories of hop products that are considered most suitable for beer.

2 Application of hops

Common hop is a clockwise climbing plant that has long been used by people for all sorts of needs. Everything is used - cones and stems, leaves and pollen, young and old shoots, roots.

It is convenient to make hedges from it, weave gazebos and fences with it. Bees love hop plantations because during the flowering period there is an unusual amount of pollen. And hop cones were often used in weaving workshops to dye fabrics in any shades of yellow and brown flowers. From hops (or rather from their stems) you can make a fiber strong enough to weave ropes or coarse threads for burlap.

As already mentioned, beer is made from hop cones, and liquid yeast is used for baking bread. And young shoots of the plant are widely used for food, for soups, salads, or as a food vitamin supplement rich in essential oils, phenols, acids and flavonoids.

“Urolesan” and “Valocordin”, hormonal drugs and medicines for various dermatitis, painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs, for acne, dandruff, gout, insomnia, scurvy and spasms - this is just a short list of ailments that ordinary hops can cope with.

Along with its beneficial properties due to its toxicity, the plant also has contraindications. The use of drugs based on cones is contraindicated during pregnancy and breastfeeding, as well as for children under 2 years of age.

In case of hormonal disorders associated with increased secretion of estrogen, a medicine made on the basis of hop components can cause serious harm. hormonal background. Oil can have a wide range of manifestations of various allergic reactions.

2.1 Useful properties of hops

As a rule, hop varieties may differ in their chemical composition. The quantity and quality of the healing properties of hops will depend on the climatic conditions and geography of its growth, the immediate proximity to specific plants, the proximity of water bodies and the condition of the soil.

Usually, when considering the properties of hops as plants from the point of view of chemical composition, they take the average values of the content of various indicators. Thus, the cone of a plant can contain from 0.3% to 3% essential oil, 11-26% of various bitter (tannin and astringent) substances, and shoots and young leaves - up to 0.18% ascorbic and formic acid.

In addition, the extract obtained from hops retains all glycosides, flavonoids, tannins and dyes, waxes, resins and acids. And the amount of content of all these elements in the plant depends not only on the hop variety, but also on choosing the right moment for harvesting. As a rule, the time for harvesting comes when the buds turn yellow.

So, let's summarize. Hops are used in:

landscape design;
medicine and pharmacology;
cooking;
bakery;
brewing;
cosmetology and perfumery.

2.2 Medicinal properties of hops (video)

2.3 How to use cones to make mash?

Fragrant hops can be collected for mash at the end of summer, or at the very beginning of autumn, before they begin to turn brown. The bud should be a transitional color from dark green to yellow. You need to collect varietal hops either before heavy rains, in dry, preferably sunny weather, or wait until the hop crop dries out a little from the accumulated moisture.

Then, the collected material must be thoroughly dried at home, in a well-ventilated area, constantly stirring, for a uniform fermentation process. The beneficial properties of hop cones will manifest themselves the more, the better the quality of the original product is prepared.

The starting drying temperature is from 29-30 °C, with a gradual increase in temperature to 35 °C. An indicator of good drying is that the stem bends, but does not break yet. Under-dried or over-dried, it is not only no longer suitable for making drinks, but also loses most of its beneficial properties.

The recipe for sourdough at home is quite simple. We take:

one glass of dried hop flowers;
two glasses of water;
a tablespoon of sugar;
half a glass of flour.

You need to fill the flowers with water and simmer over low heat. enamel dishes evaporate until exactly half of the water remains. Then leave to steep under the lid for 8 hours. Then strain, add flour and sugar, stir until homogeneous mass and leave to ferment without a lid for 2-3 days in a warm room. The prepared starter approximately doubles in size, after which it is considered ready.

Made on hop starter The product, thanks to the large amount of antioxidants in hop cones, is used and stored twice as long without losing its qualities. In addition, due to this amazing plant, the mash becomes lighter, and healing effect manifests itself in the fight against harmful microorganisms formed during the preparation of the drink.

Currently, two types of hop products are used on a production scale:

in the form of granules;
in the form of extracts.

To make the pellets, the hop cone is ground into powder, sealed and vacuum-pressed.

The extract is prepared as an extract, for which an ethanol solution is taken in which the oil and resin are dissolved.

The use of such raw materials in brewing is due to their comparative cheapness and availability, among other things, constantly allowing you to experiment with drinks, producing new varieties.

Health 04/24/2014

Dear readers, today I suggest we talk about hop cones. Surely, having heard the very name “hops”, many of us will associate it with fun, perhaps even intoxication, remembering the ancient Dionysus. However, hops are, first of all, a plant, and only then a state. And, by the way, the plant is very useful. I’m going to talk about this in today’s article.

Hops is a plant that came to us from ancient times. According to legend, the pagan god Yarilo loved it, and the plant itself was identified with fertility, strength and health. In ancient times, it was hops that were sprinkled on newlyweds, wishing them success and happiness.

Today, hops are often used as an ornamental plant, draping over garden arbors or decorating verandas. Dried hop cones are often used in ekibans - dried flower arrangements. Yes, most often the hop plant and hop cones are perceived precisely as a material used in brewing production. However, in addition to the listed areas of application, the use of hop cones in recipes for our health is not the least important.

Hop cones. Properties

Common hop ((Humulus lupulus) is a perennial herbaceous plant. But those same cones are nothing more than its inflorescences. Moreover, they are male and female. But they are valuable in terms of content useful substances These are the female inflorescences, which are called cones. They give off a characteristic intoxicating aroma. Of particular value is lupulin - small yellow pollen (hop flour). It has a bitter taste and is a mixture of essential oil, tannin, wax, resin, lignin (thanks to this substance, hop cone pollen becomes sticky).

Hop cones are recognized as a medicine by many doctors, and traditional medicine including. And their use is due to the fact that the properties of hop cones are valuable not only for brewers.

Hop cones. Benefit:

Contains vitamins and minerals: vitamin C, B vitamins, calcium, magnesium, potassium
Have a sedative and even hypnotic effect
Can relieve pain, relieve inflammation, cramps
Tones the gastrointestinal tract
Used as a diuretic
The bitterness contained in pollen is used to stimulate appetite.
Support women Health, help with problems with the menstrual cycle in women, help in the treatment of cystitis.

The beneficial properties of hop cones are used to treat diseases such as insomnia, neurosis, inflammation Bladder and kidneys, gastric ulcers, for the treatment of certain problems in gynecology.

Use of hop cones. How to brew them? Recipes for health.

As for the dosage forms in which this remedy can exist, the most popular are infusion and decoction of hop cones. There is also an ointment with crushed hop cones and lupulin directly collected from the cones.

1. Hop cones for insomnia and nervous excitability.

For the infusion, take equal parts of hop cones and motherwort, add about a fifth of the already obtained composition of mint or lemon balm leaves. If desired and there are no contraindications, you can add valerian root to the collection. Pour two tablespoons of the mixture with one liter of boiling water and let it all brew for about 10 hours. Take half a glass before meals three times a day.

You can simply brew hop cones (1 tablespoon per glass of water). Let it brew and drink like tea before bed.

Often, dried hop cones serve as a filler for pillows, which are also used for soothing purposes.

2. Hop cones for joint pain. Recipe:

Grind one tablespoon of hop cones to a powder and mix with the required volume vegetable oil(your loved one). We need the mixture to be thick in consistency (approximate ratio 1:4). Also used for bruises, rheumatism, inflammation.

You can pre-boil the hop cones - 1 table. spoon into a glass of water and cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Then we combine one spoon of the decoction with four spoons of Vaseline, mix well and apply to the places of bruises, bruises, and abrasions. This remedy will relieve the pain of radiculitis.

3. Hop cones for kidney or bladder diseases

Prepare the infusion: 1 tbsp. spoon for 1 liter of boiling water and simmer for 15 minutes in a water bath. Drink a quarter glass three times a day before meals. We drink the infusion with one glass of boiled water each time.

Hop cone oil for feminine beauty. Hop cones for breast enlargement. Myth or reality?

IN Lately Hop cones are mentioned as a means for breast enlargement. And all because they contain a certain analogue of the female sex hormone (estrogen). This phytoestrogen 8-PN changes the hormonal background of a woman in the direction of increasing female hormones. In other words, it “activates” femininity, or rather, its external manifestations. This also affects bust size. I don't know how much this method effective - no one among my friends has used it yet. But Runet is literally replete with reviews and recipes that include hop cones for breasts.

The two most common recipes are hop cone infusion and hop cone oil.

Infusion of hop cones:

How to cook it? Pour 1 tablespoon of hop cones into boiling water and leave (preferably in a thermos) for eight hours. It is recommended to drink this infusion up to three times a day, 100 ml, 30 minutes before meals. The course should not exceed one month. Then you should take a break for a month.

But hop cone oil is used externally. You can look for it in pharmacies, or you can prepare it yourself. To do this, chop a handful of dry hop cones and mix with 100 ml base oil(olive, sesame, flaxseed). The mixture must be shaken well and make sure that the dry component has settled down.

Now we hide the prepared product in a dark place and store it for two weeks, shaking the jar daily, as if shaking all the contents. After 14 days, strain the oil and can be used. It is usually applied daily to the décolleté area with light massage movements.

The first effect may be noticeable after the first month of use. However, it will be possible to talk about any noticeable results only after three months of use.

However, doctors insist that it is not worth interfering with the body’s hormonal balance, otherwise the abuse of phytoestrogens can cause serious health problems, including oncology. So wisdom to everyone in these matters.

Hop cones in cosmetology

As we found out, follow the beneficial properties of hop cones - bactericidal and anti-inflammatory effect. In addition, the plant is rich in vitamins. This means that its use in cosmetology is appropriate and quite logical. “Intoxicating” cones can improve the condition of skin and hair, cope with areas of inflammation on the skin, acne, and prolong the youthfulness of facial skin.

An infusion of hop cones as a facial toner.

In particular, an infusion of hop cones can be used as a tonic for washing. Pour a teaspoon of hop cones into 200 ml of water, bring to a boil and hold for low heat within five minutes. The cooled and strained infusion is used to wipe the skin of the face daily. This product will help cope with the negative manifestations of oily skin, and will also help reduce fine wrinkles.

Hop cones for hair. Recipe.

To strengthen and improve hair health, it is recommended to rinse your hair after each wash. To prepare such a useful rinse, you need to take five tablespoons of hop cones and pour 500 ml of water over them. Boil over low heat for 15 minutes and let steep for another 30 minutes. To feel the first effect, the product must be used three times a week.

Hop cones: buy or collect?

Today you can find hop cones in a pharmacy. The packaging contains instructions for use and guarantees that the product was collected and stored under proper conditions. However, you can prepare hop cones yourself. Remember that only female inflorescences are used for medicinal purposes.

How to collect and dry hop cones?

You need to collect the cones a couple of days before they finally ripen. That is, when the inflorescence has a greenish-yellow color. This usually happens in mid-August. But the yellow-brown color and falling glands (particles of the plant that contain that very useful lupulin) indicate that the plant has already flowered and is unsuitable for use.

The cones break off along with the stalks. The collected material is dried in the open air, but in the shade to prevent direct contact with sun rays and drying out the plant. Usually hop cones are laid out on paper or cotton cloth. Properly dried inflorescences retain their color and even elasticity. If you need to prepare pollen separately, then after drying the inflorescences are sifted, and the glands with lupulin fall off, combining into a sticky yellow-green powder.

Hops cones. Contraindications.

Hops is a complex plant and products prepared from it should be used with great caution. First, get your doctor's approval. And secondly, remember that hops can become poisonous. That is, any overdose during the use of the drug internally will end in poisoning. The first signs are dizziness, nausea, drowsiness. So you need to take the drug strictly according to the dosage. No amateur performances.

A direct contraindication to taking drugs based on hop cones is pregnancy and breastfeeding. The drug is also prohibited for gynecological diseases: polyps, cysts, tumors, endometriosis, etc.). Additional phytoestrogens will provoke the growth of formations and their degeneration.

Don't discount allergies either. As with any herbal preparation, your body can react to hop cones with skin rashes and inflammation of the mucous membranes.

Be careful, attentive and wise. And, of course, be healthy!

My heartfelt gift for today A. Tsfasman - Snowflakes, Fast movement . Two wonderful pieces by Alexander Tsfasman in the version by G. Pystin and I. Tsygankov for two pianos, double bass and drums. An amazing duet from Novosibirsk. I remembered this composition. I just went to the theater the other day. There was the opening of the BTR festival - The Future of Theater Russia. And at the opening, graduate students of the Moscow Conservatory delighted us with an amazing concert. One of the pianists with the orchestra just performed “Snowflakes”. I couldn't find his post on the Internet. But this recording also made me very happy. You can listen to Tsfasman and listen to him. Do not miss! By the way, when my friend and I also performed these “Snowflakes” on 2 pianos...

I wish everyone beauty, health, and good mood. Take care of yourself and your loved ones. Apply simple recipes to maintain your health and beauty.

The benefits of many medicinal plants are recognized by official medicine; they are often used in pharmacology. One of these natural treasures is hop cones; both traditional healers and doctors are aware of their medicinal properties and contraindications. What diseases do hop cones help with? How should they be used correctly?

Medicinal properties

The unique healing properties of hop cones and grass are explained by the composition in which they are present: useful microelements V large quantities. Hop cones are rich in essential oils, zinc, potassium, and iodine. They contain ascorbic and nicotinic acid, B vitamins, tannin, and organic acids.

Effect of hops on the body:

anti-inflammatory, analgesic;
sedative;
rejuvenating;
helps cope with allergies;
improves the condition of blood vessels;
normalizes metabolism.

Diuretics, disinfectants, and sedatives are prepared based on hops; the plant helps to cope with joint pathologies and effectively eliminates bruises, burns, and frostbite. Hop cones are effective against many dermatological diseases - fungus, ulcers, poorly healing wounds.

Important! Hops contain xanthohumol, which is valuable substance prevents the growth of malignant tumors. Scientists also call this component an effective anti-HIV-1 agent.

Hops are useful for men - preparations based on it increase sexual stamina and prevent premature ejaculation.

Cones need to be harvested from late August to mid-October, healing properties Only inflorescences with a yellow and greenish tint have them; brown ones will crumble during drying. Raw materials should be dried in the shade outdoors and stored in paper bags for 12 months.

Indications and contraindications

The scope of use of hop cones is quite diverse; they are used in the treatment of diseases of the nervous, cardiovascular, genitourinary system, improve the functioning of the digestive tract.

Indications for use:

nervous fatigue, frequent stress, insomnia;
diseases of the heart, gallbladder vessels, liver;
severe swelling, poor urine flow;
pathologies of the genitourinary system;
gastritis.

Hops are good for motion sickness, seasickness, the plant accelerates the regeneration process, cleanses and rejuvenates the body.

Hops are a useful and healing plant, but poisonous. You should know not only what the pine cones are used for, but in what cases it is contraindicated to take them. Components of infertility can accumulate in the body, so you should definitely take breaks during treatment; therapy can be carried out for no more than 1 month.

Preparations based on hops are contraindicated during pregnancy, during breastfeeding, with increased estrogen levels, polyps, tumors, endometriosis. Hop cones are not used for children under three years of age. A pillow filled with hops should not be used by asthmatics or during asthma attacks.

Hop poisoning is characterized by nausea with frequent bouts of vomiting, abdominal pain, and dizziness. Individual intolerance manifests itself in the form of severe allergic reactions. Exceeding the dosage for heart diseases can result in pressure surges and heart rhythm disturbances.

Benefits for women

Common hops are very useful for women - the plant normalizes hormonal levels and is widely used in cosmetology to get rid of acne and prevent aging. He is especially appreciated by girls medicinal properties for hair - they strengthen hair, help get rid of alopecia at an early stage, have therapeutic effect on the scalp.

Thanks to flavonoids, which are found in hop cones, they slow down the process of carbohydrate breakdown, regulate blood sugar and insulin levels, and speed up metabolism. Nutritionists recommend including drinks based on this in your diet. medicinal plant women who want to get rid of extra pounds.

Hops – effective and accessible remedy for breast enlargement, since they contain phytoestrogens, which activate the synthesis of female sex hormones. Pour 10 g of raw material into 270 ml of boiling water, after 10 minutes pour the infusion into a thermos and leave overnight. Drink 110 ml three times a day half an hour before meals. A noticeable result will appear after 4 weeks, after which you need to take a break for a month.

Important! Before you start taking hops internally, you must undergo hormonal tests.

It is safer to use hop oil to enlarge the bust - pour 150 ml of olive or sesame oil into 30-40 g of cones, put them in a dark room for a week. Strain, lubricate clean skin once a day for a month. During use, menstrual irregularities and heavy vaginal discharge may occur.

At the first signs of baldness, you need to prepare a hop decoction - pour 280 ml of 7 g of raw materials, simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Cool and rub into scalp an hour before washing your hair. This medicine can be added to the bath to reduce the manifestations of rheumatism and paralysis, only the amount of each component should be increased by 4-6 times.

Hops contain natural estrogen and help reduce menopause. But the beneficial hormone is contained only in fresh buds. Finely chop 3 g of fruit, pour 260 ml of boiling water, wrap, leave for 50–60 minutes. Strain, take 20 ml 4 times before meals.

For soothing baths and douching for gynecological pathologies, you can prepare a decoction of 60 g of hop buds and 1 liter of boiling water, boil the mixture on steam bath 20 minutes.

In folk medicine, decoctions, teas, infusions, tinctures are prepared from dry hops; the products are used externally and internally.

In case of overstrain or insomnia, hop tea will help - brew 3 g of finely chopped raw materials with 240 ml of boiling water, leave for a quarter of an hour, drink 40-50 minutes before bedtime.

The tincture helps with panic attacks, migraine attacks, anxiety - pour 120 ml of alcohol into 30 g of crushed cones, put them in a dark room for 7 days. To eliminate nervous pathologies, take 5 drops of the medicine 3 times a day, dilute in 40 ml of water. This medicine helps with gallbladder dyskinesia.

To prepare the ointment, you need to grind 20 g of hop cones into powder, add 80 g of lanolin or melted pork fat, mix, store in the refrigerator. Use for psoriasis, bruises, neuralgia.

How to take hops for various diseases:

Hops are an excellent diuretic that is used for kidney problems and bladder. Pour 1 liter of water into 12 g of cones and simmer for 20 minutes. Drink the strained medicine 55 ml 3 times a day before meals, wash down with warm water.
For cystitis, pour 500 ml of boiling water over 12 g of raw material, leave in a sealed container for an hour, filter. Take 55 ml of infusion before each meal, and 50 ml before bed. The inflammation will disappear within 6–7 days.
Hepatitis, scrofula – brew 250 ml of boiling water, 10 g of hop cones, leave for 8 hours. Take 15 ml infusion 3 times a day.

Important! Hop fruits are included in Valocordin - this drug is prescribed for heart pain, poor sleep quality, and psychosomatic disorders. They are also present in Urolesan - the medicine is intended for the treatment of kidney and liver pathologies.

Medicinal infusions based on hops

For heart failure, you need to mix 40 g of motherwort, hawthorn inflorescences, and hop cones. Brew 5 g of the mixture with 240 ml of boiling water, strain after half an hour, drink all the medicine in 1 day in equal portions.

Composition of the soothing collection:

elecampane and sweet clover root;
hop cones;
mint and lemon balm leaves;
rosemary.

Mix 25 g of each component, brew 10 g in 500 ml of boiling water, cool, drink throughout the day.

For older people, you can prepare a strengthening remedy - mix 40 g of hop cones and motherwort, add 20 g of mint leaves. Pour 10 g of the mixture into a thermos, brew 600 ml of boiling water, and leave overnight. Strain, consume 110 ml three times a day.

Antifungal agent - mix 30 g of burdock root and hop heads, add 10 g of calendula inflorescences, pour the mixture into 1 liter of water, simmer over low heat for 1 hour. Add Vaseline to the cooled mass until a homogeneous thick substance is obtained. Apply the product to the affected areas every 3 days. Duration of therapy is 2 weeks.

Hops – unique plant, which helps get rid of many serious diseases, is effective in fighting and preventing cancer, and has a rejuvenating effect. But it should be remembered that it is poisonous - during treatment the dosage should be observed, and be sure to take breaks in therapy.

Female hop inflorescences are plant materials used for hair growth and strengthening. The cones contain biologically active substances that can destroy pathogenic fungi, the main culprits of dandruff. Thanks to this complex effect, fragrant fruits are used by dermatologists in the treatment of seborrheic dermatitis, psoriasis, baldness and various mycoses. Cosmetologists recommend hops for hair when it loses shine, firmness and elasticity. But useful plant contains a certain amount of toxic substances, so the duration of the course of treatment should not be exceeded.

Hop cones are a universal and time-tested remedy for strengthening hair.

Why is a medicinal plant good for hair?

In addition to stinging nettle and burdock root, folk healers have always added hop cones to their potions, which help restore beautiful hair. appearance. And after studying the chemical composition of the fruit, they began to be actively used in official medicine and cosmetology. Extract from hop cones is contained in medicinal shampoos, rinses, lotions, balms and masks. By purchasing such a product, the buyer solves several problems at once. Regular rinsing or washing your hair has a variety of effects:

eliminates oily, dry or combined dandruff;
increases hair elasticity by moisturizing split ends;
returns healthy shine;
accelerates growth;
prevents hair loss.

Thanks to the presence of hop cones useful compounds microcirculation in the scalp improves. Normalization of blood circulation causes a complete supply of all layers of the epidermis nutrients, microelements, vitamins. Another useful property of hops is the acceleration of cell regeneration. The keratinized scales quickly separate from the surface of the head when combing or washing the hair, and new healthy tissues form in their place.

Warning: Hair often begins to fall out significantly due to pathologies developing in the body: endocrine disorders, diseases gastrointestinal tract. This negative symptom is diagnosed in patients with increased nervous excitability and emotional instability.

Vitamins

When preparing an infusion of hop cones, all the vitamins contained in plant materials are transferred to it. These biologically active substances, penetrating the scalp, help strengthen the hair follicle. Chemical composition hops is unique - it contains exactly those vitamins that are necessary for the health of curls:

thiamine accelerates metabolic processes, which leads to rapid hair growth;
nicotinic acid prevents premature hair loss and prevents the loss of coloring pigments;
ascorbic acid increases local immunity, protects hair from negative impact external factors;
tocopherol fights active radicals, returns hair to its former firmness, elasticity and shine;
Vitamin K stops the spread of inflammatory processes, takes part in the destruction of pathogenic yeast fungi, and normalizes the permeability of blood vessels.

But highest value in the treatment of damaged hair has choline. This vitamin is found in all cell membranes. Therefore, after using decoctions of hop cones, the hair begins to strengthen from the inside, and damaged structures are gradually restored. This ability is actively used by cosmetologists in the treatment of split ends.

Organic acids

The presence of organic acid in any plant raw material significantly expands its range of applications. And hop fruits contain several of these chemical compounds:

Butyric acid forms a protective film on the hair, preventing excess evaporation of liquid and promoting constant hydration. Such a barrier protects curls from dangerous ultraviolet radiation, high or low temperatures, and gaseous chemicals;
acetic acid is the most effective remedy, returning natural shine to hair. This organic compound helps to tighten and straighten frizz;
hop tannic acid significantly accelerates hair growth when using hop cones in warming cosmetics, for example wearing masks;
formic acid exhibits antiseptic properties, preventing the spread of pathogenic bacteria and pathogenic fungi, reduces the severity of inflammatory processes;
Humulenic acid is found in the essential oils of buds. When applying any cosmetic or medicinal product with hops, the general tonic effect of the beneficial plant is manifested.

Thanks to valeric acid, cone extract is included in pharmacological preparations with sedative properties. And when the infusion is applied to the scalp, the organic compound eliminates skin itching, which causes suffering to a person due to seborrhea and dermatitis.

Biologically active substances

From freshly picked and already dried hop cones comes pleasant aroma. This is how various essential oils with healing properties for hair manifest themselves. They reduce the ability of pathogenic microorganisms to actively grow and reproduce. Powerful disinfectant effect essential oils used by dermatologists and cosmetologists to improve scalp health and improve blood supply to hair follicles. Other benefits of hop cones for hair:

natural wax forms a dense film, making hair thicker and stronger;
lupulin soothes the scalp, prevents the formation of infectious foci by pathogenic bacteria - staphylococci and streptococci;
tannins make hair stronger, eliminate brittleness and hair loss.

It is worth mentioning separately phytoncides - natural organic compounds that can have a rejuvenating effect on all tissues of the human body. After their penetration into the epidermis and hair follicles, the production of elastin and collagen accelerates and increases. It is on their presence that health and beautiful view hair.

Proper use of a medicinal plant

Dermatologists and cosmetologists recommend not using infusions of hop cones more than three times a week. This ban applies not only to liquid dosage forms, but also for compresses and masks. The fact is that plant materials contain phytoestrogens. These biologically active substances are similar in their therapeutic effect to estrogens. Hormonal compounds are used to eliminate the symptoms of menopause:

tides;
headaches;
increased nervous excitability.

But in girls and young women, as phytoestrogens accumulate in the tissues, the menstrual cycle is disrupted. Therefore, after carrying out 10-15 wellness procedures, you should take a month's break. During this time, natural compounds will be eliminated from the body, and the use of products with hops will become absolutely safe.

Basic solution

Dry plant materials do not have a therapeutic effect. To extract nutrients and biologically active substances it is necessary to make a stock solution. Masks, compresses, lotions and rinses are already being prepared on its basis. You can collect and dry hop cones yourself or purchase them at your nearest pharmacy. The infusion should be prepared following the following algorithm:

grind the fruits using a blender, mortar and pestle, or simply grind with your hands;
5 tbsp. pour a spoonful of dry mixture into a liter of boiling water;
leave for 3 hours, strain.

To prepare the decoction, you need to do everything in the same sequence, just do not infuse the solution, but boil it for 15 minutes.

Tip: Contains hops huge amount biologically active substances can provoke the development allergic reaction. Before applying to the scalp, rub a few drops of the infusion into your wrist or elbow. If after half an hour there is no redness on the skin, you can safely begin the treatment procedure.

Cosmetics and medicinal products

Infusion and decoction can be used as an independent remedy as a rinse. But based on it, more effective means are being prepared:

Mask. When preparing the base infusion, in addition to hop cones, nettle leaf and burdock root are added in equal proportions to an enamel container. The resulting thick liquid is rubbed into the scalp, left for 25-30 minutes, and then washed off with warm water;
Rinse aid. A decoction of chamomile or string is added to the original infusion in the same quantity. Rinse your hair with the resulting solution after each shampoo.

If a person has an excessively oily scalp, then the sebaceous glands produce a lot of secretion. It gives an unhealthy shine to hair and clogs skin pores. To restore optimal functioning of the sebaceous glands, traditional healers recommend rubbing hop tincture into the scalp. To do this, dry cones are filled with vodka and infused in a dark place for two weeks. Before use, the product should be diluted with an equal amount of water.