Hops is a climbing vine once assigned to the mulberry family but now
placed in the Cannabaceae family, which makes hops a cousing to hemp.
The plant’s common name is adapted from the Anglo Saxon word hoppan,
which means “to climb.”
European herbalists of the 15th century attributed the herb with the
power to cleanse the blood and to ease gastrointestinal complaints. As
such, hops was a common ingredient in restorative tonics that typically
consisted of beer as the base. It must have been a boon when The
Reinheitsgebot, or the German beer purity law, went into effect in the
mid-16th century, proclaiming that all beer be produced exclusively from
malt, hops and water. The herb was considered so vital to a formula for
good digestion and good beer that it was depicted in the coat of arms
worn by brewers.
