Hops

Humulus lupulus · Hop extract

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Sleep support^{1, 2} Mild mental stress³ Menopausal symptoms^{4, 5} Visceral body fat^6–8 Appetite and cravings⁹	Hormone-sensitive cancer¹⁰ Hypersensitivity to hops³ Alcohol or sedatives¹¹

Hops are the female flower cones of Humulus lupulus, best known for flavoring beer and used in supplements for mild stress and sleep complaints, menopausal symptoms, and metabolic uses¹⁰. Prenylated flavonoids with estrogen-like activity and bitter acids acting on metabolic pathways drive these effects. The European Medicines Agency recognizes traditional use for relief of mild mental stress and to aid sleep³. Typical users are perimenopausal and postmenopausal women and adults with occasional insomnia.

For menopausal symptoms, a standardized hop extract showed no significant overall effect in a crossover pilot, though later time points favored it. Most sleep data come from combination products, so effects of hops alone are less certain. Products listing hops number over a thousand in the National Institutes of Health Dietary Supplement Label Database, mainly liquid extracts and capsules, often paired with valerian; see Form comparison.

The caution behind the hormone-sensitive cancer pill is estrogenic activity: 8-prenylnaringenin is among the most potent plant estrogens¹². Per Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, patients with hormone-sensitive cancers consult their physicians before using hops products¹⁰. Health Canada product labels advise against combining hops with alcohol or sedating products¹¹.

Last updated October 16, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

36 sources, 34 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources