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Sharon
I would bet that fresh is best even though the moisture content is somewhere in the 80% range (according to the beer making site I was reading about them on) – even though you have to use a stronger alcohol. However, since it’s winter and there are no fresh hops to be had – what would your recommendation be – hops pellets or dried “flowers”? Pros and cons for each please? I do plan on growing some this summer, but I’m looking for some to tincture now to hold us over till summer. Thanks!
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Darlene Norris
I ordered some dried hops from Starwest Botanicals on Amazon. Made a tincture with them that works great for pain. I’ve been trying to get some hops plants going here, but so far, no luck. I know it can be done because I’ve seen them growing with wild abandon in different places up here in the Upper Peninsula of MI. I will keep trying, though. Be careful where you plant them, because they can be invasive, like in the vines covering whole hillsides. Something like kudzu down south! In the meantime, these dried hops seem to work very well.
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Gee thanks for the “encouragement” Darlene! Actually because we are in a high altitude desert, virtually nothing becomes invasive – not enough water mainly. Also, they will be growing in a raised bed with a weed barrier bottom! Glad they work so well for you – hubby is even a believer in them now after helping his aching thumb!
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Edna Billesberger
That’s awesome! I’m new but looking forward to making a great pain relief balm very soon. In Canada we have a herb that is legal there and is amazing for pain. I used my balm for planters fasciitis and it took the pain away almost instantly. Hopefully I can find something that works like that here in Mexico.
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Edna, I’m betting that several of us would like to know what your wonderful herb is!
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Kim Pozivilko
Hi Darlene, I am from the lower pennisula of Michigan (Saint Joseph)… and I have Cascade Hops growing up my clothes line! They come back every year. We even have Hops farms all over down here… a sight to see! Next year I will try to post a photo of them’
Kim Pozivilko
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Hi Kim! Yes, I know they raise a LOT of hops downstate! I hope to get them going on our property too! I’ll keep trying until I succeed! It would be cool to see a photo of one of the hops farms.
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Karen
what ratio do you tincture the hops with? They dont seem to work at the 1:5. What exactly is this folk method I have heard of?
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Greg Boggs
The folk method is basically you just pour in as much as you need to get everything nice and covered
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Dr. Patrick Jones
I don’t know what “hops pellets” are. Dry hops are great for tinctures and make wonderful medicine.
Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.
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I forgot to ask if there is a particular variety that is a better choice than others medicinally. I see rhizomes for sale, but I have no idea on which to choose!
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Humulus lupulus is the species I use. The strobile (sort of like a flower) is the best medicinal part.
Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.
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Thanks, I knew the Latin name from your videos, but there are many varieties within that. As an example they say: ”
Zappa™ is a native, North American, Humulus lupulus variety, neomexicanus, recovered from the wild in New Mexico. Named after Frank Zappa, in collaboration with the Zappa family, this hop is as counterculture as the musician himself.
Spicy with strong notes of tropical fruit (mango, passion fruit), citrus, and pine. Additional descriptors include savory, mint, and Fruity Pebbles.”
Within the different varieties, there are pelleted (which I think loose much of the essential oils in the pelleting process if I am correct), or dried “leaf hops”. I just don’t know which would do better for tincturing! I will happily take any and all advice – I only ended up on the beer making site when searching for good dried hops…
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Some plants have lots of varieties from selective breeding. For the most part, medicinal properties are probably similar, but anything they’re doing to change flavor or odor is changing chemistry somewhat. So, if I had a choice, I’d just get regular hops from an herb website vs line-bred, beer making hops from a beer website.
I’ll have the girls put some dried hops up on the website. That way you can all buy them from someone more handsome than Frank Zappa. :0)
Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.
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Thanks Doc – I’d much rather buy from that really funny vet guy than some beer maker guys! By the way, are your herbs organic (or just grown organically, but not certified)?
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Everything I grow is done organically though I haven’t bothered to jump through the hoops to get the certification. We try to only buy from organic producers but can’t guarantee what anyone out there is really doing.
Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.
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Excellent to know – I figured that was the case, but wanted to know, and now it’s here for other people who also want to know and search for the answer! Have a HAPPY and SAFE New Year’s!
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If using dry hops for tincture, I assume vodka is fine now that the moisture is gone. Should I powder them first like most things?
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I just put the dry hops in the jar and poured vodka over them. Put a lid on, stick it in the pantry and forget about it for a couple of weeks, and you have hops tincture. Works great!
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Good to know Darlene that they need nothing special! I’ll get started on that right away!!
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Me too, I never bother grinding the hops unless I’m doing a formula.
Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.
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Great! Saves me a lot of time and clean up! Is that the case with most of your herbs – you don’t powder unless you’re including them in a a formula? Just trying to figure out whether to powder the ones I want to make simples from…
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Darlene, that is exactly how I make Hops tincture… You can go on Richters site and go to the plants section… they have 9 varieties of Hops plants that you can buy. I looked up Cascade Hops that I bought from them as a plant years ago… it is still growing like crazy in my backyard… you can buy a hops plant for $10. I would dig up some of my roots and give them to you… but it may be cheaper in the end to order a plant… I have always had wonderful success with my plants from Richters. Now I just have to learn how to use them… I am always so careful… I have many plants… but never use them because I didn’t know how to safely… Thats why I am so thankful for this class. Finally someone that I feel I can learn from!
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Oh yes, I’m familiar with Richters! Haven’t ordered from them in years, but I should check them out again. We got hops plants from the county soil conservation people at their annual plant sale. I’m going to try them again in a better location where I can baby them until they get going. If they don’t make it again, I’ll probably order from Richters. Thanks for the suggestion!
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Kim, thanks for the kind offer on the plant, but I agree, with the shipping costs being what they are now, I’m better off to find it local. I’ll also check out Richters.
Darlene, really cool that you have a county soil conservation sale! Wish we did.
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Yes, it’s pretty nifty. They sell all kinds of fruit trees and bushes, native plants, different berry-producing bushes for the wildlife (and humans) at amazingly reasonable prices . Not too many herbs, though, apart from hops and elderberry. The best part is that they sell plants that are hardy here in the UP, which is a whole different animal from downstate MI. There’s no shipping involved, as you go to pick them up locally. It’s really a nice service, and it helps to improve the soil and adds to food available for wildlife.
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BTW, I powdered the hops since it was so bulky with all the “petals” and it looked like it would be way too thirsty, and ended up with a 1:7 – but if I had been a bit more patient and waited for everything to get settled after all the shaking, I “might” could have done with a 1:5 (definitely a 1:6) – but it will still be good medicine!!
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Hops is absurdly thirsty. I don’t think it’s even possible to do a 1:5. I do a 1:8. Folk method works too.
Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.
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Then I don’t feel bad about my powdered 1:7! And yours would be dry also at the 1:8, right? What about if we’re doing fresh with Everclear?
You know what would be INCREDIBLY helpful to us as students? If there was a list of herbs that you use, and what ratio you generally are able to tincture them – that way, we would know if we are “on track” with our numbers, or if we’ve done something wrong! Just a simple “Doc’s usual ratios – hops dry 1:8, cayenne powder 1:4” (mine could have actually been a 1:3), etc, etc… Just something to think about so we have some ideas on what things “typically” might be when we tincture. You rock Doc! 🙂
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Honestly, I do almost everything 1:5
Mullein is absurdly thirsty as is hops. So, simples of those will have to have more hooch. If either of those are in formulas, I can just do the 1:5.
Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.
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paige earegood
I had no idea that hops were medicinal until now, thank you for the information! I am a new student 🙂
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