Humulus. Humulus lupulus.

Synonym—Hops.

Part Employed—The strobiles.

CONSTITUENTS—

Volatile Oil, Resin, Trimethalamine, Asparagin, Tannin.

Lupulinum, Lupulin is a granular powder separated from the strobiles of hops and is bright brownish-yellow in color, with the odor and taste of the drug, in which its principal strength resides. Dose, from five to ten grains.

PREPARATIONS—

Tinctura Humuli, Tincture of Hops. Dose, from one to two drachms.

Extractum Lupulini Fluidum, Fluid Extract of Lupulin. Dose, from ten to sixty minims.

Specific Lupulin. Dose, from one to ten

Action—Tonic, nervine, hypnotic.

Physiological Action—Hops stimulate the stomach, improve its tone, encourage the appetite and assist the digestion. They add force and volume to the heart, and when that organ is irregular from nervous irritation or from reflex gastric irritation, act as a soothing agent to overcome those conditions.

Specific Symptomatology—The influence of this agent is marked in those cases of nerve irritation and wakefulness where anxiety and worry are the cause. In this it is somewhat similar to hyoscyamus. It is more particularly serviceable where sexual irritation, spermatorrhea and dread of impotence are present, and where there is abnormal or erratic, and at times violent sexual excitement.

Therapy—In all forms of nervous excitement it is soothing in its influence, and a hypnotic of much value. This is especially the case in hysteria and in the sexual irritation of females.

In mild conditions of insomnia, with persistent worry, in patients recovering from neurasthenia, and in hysterical patients, or in cases where there is no organic difficulty or pain to cause the wakefulness, small and frequent or single full doses of this agent will have a marked tranquilizing effect. A pillow of hops will have a soothing influence in some of these cases, and may be all that is needed to induce sleep.

Fomentation made by dipping a muslin bag filled with hops into hot water, wrung out and applied over painful acute local inflammations and painful swellings, is a favorite domestic measure. Applied to facial neuralgia, or over an ulcerating tooth, or in the earache of children, it allays pain and promotes sleep.

In the treatment of delirium tremens a capsule containing a grain of capsicum and eight grains of lupulin given during the intense excitement preceding the attack, will sometimes ward it off. Half of a teaspoonful of each of the tinctures in combination may be given. A strong infusion of hops and cayenne pepper is excellent in this case to be drunk hot as demanded.

The anaphrodisiac influence of this agent suggests its use in priapism and in chordee, and in spermatorrhea where these conditions exist, and where there is sudden active determination of blood to the parts. It is not the remedy when the parts are cold, weak, inactive and non-excitable, and where the erections are feeble or impossible. Five to ten grains of lupulin at bedtime, with ten or fifteen drops of the fluid extract of ergot in those cases where the tendency to fullness of the circulation is marked, will preserve rest and quiet for the night. A full dose of camphor monobromate with lupulin is excellent.

A suppository containing lupulin and camphor monobromate, five or six grains of each, or the one-fourth of a grain of ergotin, may be inserted into the rectum at bedtime with fine results.

The sedative effect of lupulin is exercised to a good advantage in the treatment of nocturnal emissions by its influence in soothing the nerve centers, promoting rest and sleep, especially in hysterical patients, and in those who suffer from irritation in the genito-urinary tract and in the control of sexual excitement and desire. It prevents cerebral hyperemia and corrects disorders of the gastro-intestinal tract. It modifies the secretion of the gastric fluids inhibiting the output of acids.

The American Materia Medica, Therapeutics and Pharmacognosy, 1919, was written by Finley Ellingwood, M.D.
It was scanned by Michael Moore for the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine.