Reaching for a brew at the end of a long day is something of an ancient ceremony.
Many people, from a 1400s monk to ’80s Bruce Springsteen to me and perhaps you, find it relaxing to squash stress and anxiety over hops and alcohol.
We recharge. We regroup. We have another round.
But if you’re one of those “hoppy or bust” microbrewery frequenters, imbibing, or drinking, could potentially have benefits far beyond stress relief.
Hops, or
They’re the dried flowers that offer a bitter, almost grassy taste. This flavor can become flowery or tropical, based on their variety and any additional ingredients in the beer, like malts.
Medical Daily reported that due to their high phytoestrogen content, hops have been used in herbal medicine since before the 1500s.
Phytoestrogens are compounds found in plants that exert properties similar to the hormone estrogen when consumed. Phytoestrogens are found in many foods and beverages, including soybeans and beer.
Phytoestrogens have been studied for their use in:
preventing certain types of cancers- boosting heart health
- improving libido
Some even wonder if hops may be responsible for your boyfriend’s man boobs. But I digress. The real question is, can beers be medicinal?
Dr. Vincent Caruso, a New Jersey-based chiropractor, looks to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for advice on using hops and barley for medicinal purposes.
According to the
Without a drugstore in sight, people put their trust in their herb garden for medicinal plants, which were also added to their rice brews.
These included anti-inflammatory and cancer-fighting plants such as wormwood and mugwort.
Taking a cue from TCM, Dr. Caruso tells Healthline, “Hops are helpful as sedatives, and are used to treat insomnia, depressive symptoms, nervous tension, and anxiety.
“Barley can also strengthen the spleen, aid the gall bladder, and detoxify.”
It should be noted that these effects were shown in
And when it comes to hoppy beers, American breweries have your back.
American hops, which are a kind of flavor-punch-in-the-face strong, are generally found in greater concentration in India pale ales (IPAs) or American pale ales.
Breweries categorize beers with International Bitterness Units, or IBU. The IBU scale is between zero and, technically, infinity.
Less bitter American lagers rest between 8 and 18 IBUs. Double and triple IPAs come in around 120 IBUs. Traditionally, higher IBUs translate to more hops and, in this case, greater benefits.
To put this in perspective, experienced brewers at homebrewtalk.com say they need as many as 8 ounces of hops to make 5 1/2 gallons of IPA or American pale ale.
Lighter ales need as few as 1 ounce, which is quite a difference!
Back in the ’80s, scientists discovered traces of antibiotic tetracycline in a 1,600-year-old Nubian mummy.
Tetracycline is known to bind with calcium before being deposited into the bones. It’s
Biological anthropologist George Armelagos told Seeker, who reported on the original story, “They may not have known what tetracycline was, but they certainly knew something was making them feel better.”
In fact, he theorized that this ancient population drank antibiotic-laced beer from the age of 2.
Further research from the
A
Although some evidence suggests that moderate alcohol consumption may lead to greater bone mineral density, heavy drinking can lead to negative consequences for bone health.
For example,
The results showed that although women who consumed small amounts of alcohol defined as 2–3 times per week and 1–2 or 5–6 glasses per occasion had higher bone mineral density, women categorized as heavy drinkers had a 1.7-times greater risk for developing osteoporosis than light drinkers.
Heavy alcohol consumption has also been associated with a greater risk of fractures.
Beer isn’t just empty calories. There’s a rather unique makeup of nutritional values, such as:
- antioxidants
- phosphorus
- calcium
- potassium
- manganese
- calcium
- fluoride
- silicon
All this could make your choice of beer more nutritional than your average rum and coke.
Although beer does contain some nutrients, it’s important to note that beer should never replace food.
It’s also important to note that drinking too much beer can lead to negative health effects, including excess calorie consumption and nutrient deficiencies.
It could help you sleep better
As you may know, feeling a little bleary-eyed after a few hoppy beers is actually pretty common.
A 2012 study examined the effects of nonalcoholic beer with hops. Researchers found that women who drank nonalcoholic beer with hops with dinner had decreased anxiety and better sleep quality.
Keep in mind that the beer used didn’t contain alcohol. Some research shows that drinking alcoholic beverages, including beer, may have negative effects on both sleep quality and anxiety.
It could help your skin
Cindy Jones, PhD, a cosmetic biochemist at Colorado Aromatics, has an outside-in approach to medicinal brews — for them to aid our biggest organ of all, the skin.
“Beer, as well as hops, can be great ingredients for skin care. Hops have anti-anxiety properties, as well as anti-inflammatory properties, which is why we use hop extracts in skin care,” she says.
What if beer is the anti-aging secret weapon we’ve been searching for all along?
“Malt found in beer exfoliates, stabilizes collagen and elastin, improves microcirculation, and prevents premature aging skin. The yeast found in beer is rich in B vitamins, which help moisturize the skin,” Jones says.
But this benefit is all about the topical application. Jones likes to head to local microbreweries to teach beer enthusiasts about the benefits of beer for the skin, including how to do a DIY beer facial.
Although some skincare experts recommend topical treatment with beer, research supporting this practice is lacking.
What’s more, drinking alcoholic beverages like beer can actually be detrimental to skin health and may even accelerate facial aging.
Of course, alcohol is a tricky beast, apt to drown out medicinal qualities with overindulging. It’s a fine line between moderation and drinking too much, so it’s best to stick to guidelines:
- one drink a day for women
- two drinks a day for men
For beer, one drink is 12 fluid ounces.
“Imbibing too much of any spirit, even if it has ingredients that can boost the function of our organ systems, can be a significant drain on the liver.
“It can result in a reduction in our overall health and well-being,” Dr. Caruso reminds us.
So treat beer like you would medication. Follow your doctor’s orders and stick to the recommended dosage.
Allison Krupp is an American writer, editor, and ghostwriting novelist. Between wild, multicontinental adventures, she resides in Berlin, Germany. Check out her website here.
