Hops (Humulus lupulus) Extract: What It Is, Traditional Use & Research

[ 01 ] Key Facts

Dose in element3	element3 Rest: 20mg (standardised to 0.35% rutin)
Form	Concentrated hop strobiles extract standardised to 0.35% rutin; contains bitter acids (humulone, lupulone) and the volatile compound 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol, which contributes to its traditional calming use.
Signs you may need more	Light or fragmented sleep, difficulty staying asleep, evening restlessness.
Safe range	60–500mg dry herb equivalent per day. Clinical studies have used 100–500mg daily with good tolerability. Not recommended during pregnancy. May enhance the effects of sedative medications.

Food sources

Beer (in small amounts)
Hops tea

[ 02 ] Rationale

Why this ingredient is in element3

Hops’ calming reputation has a memorable origin: hop pickers in European breweries noticed unusual drowsiness during harvest. The compounds behind it are the bitter acids humulone and lupulone, and the volatile 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol. Together, these are the focus of modern research into the herb's long-standing calming, sleep-supportive reputation.

Hops is most often studied alongside Valerian Root. The two have a long history of traditional use together, and that pairing is the one most represented in the research. The European Medicines Agency lists the combination among its traditional herbal registrations for sleep support — a recognition few herbal combinations have.

Within element3 Rest, hops works alongside Passionflower and Valerian Root — three traditional calming botanicals that have long been used together to support relaxation in the evening. Combining them is a considered way to support a natural wind-down before sleep.

Hops also contains naturally occurring plant compounds (including 8-prenylnaringenin) that are of research interest for women during the menopausal transition. element3 Rest includes Hops primarily for its traditional evening, sleep-supportive role.

At 20mg, hops is included as a synergistic partner to valerian to support sleep.

[ 03 ] At 35+

Relevant at 35+

Sleep often changes after 35. Deep sleep decreases, nights become more fragmented, and staying asleep gets harder — and these changes tend to become more noticeable through perimenopause. Hops is traditionally used to support restful sleep, which is part of why it's included in element3 Rest for women at this life stage.

Everyday stress can make it harder to switch off in the evening, even when you're tired. Calming botanicals like hops have traditionally been used to help create the conditions for a natural wind-down at the end of a busy day.

Sleep often changes during perimenopause, and many women find their evenings harder to settle into. element3 Rest brings together traditional calming botanicals, including Hops, to support a restful end to the day during this transition.

[ 04 ] Your Questions

Your Questions

What is hops extract?

Hops (Humulus lupulus) is the cone-shaped flower of the hop plant, most widely known as a bittering and flavouring agent in beer. Beyond brewing, the female hop strobiles contain a range of bioactive compounds, bitter acids (humulone and lupulone), the volatile compound 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol, and flavonoids including rutin, that underpin its long traditional use as a calming, sleep-supportive herb. It has been used in this way for centuries, and remains a popular botanical for evening relaxation.

What are the benefits of taking hops extract?

Hops is one of the most established traditional herbs for evening relaxation and restful sleep. It has been studied most for sleep, and is especially well-known in combination with valerian, the pairing used in element3 Rest. As with any botanical, it works best as part of a healthy evening routine.

What are the benefits of hops extract in the element3 protocol?

In element3 Rest, hops extract at 20mg (standardised to 0.35% rutin) works alongside Valerian Root, Passionflower and Magnesium Citrate — traditional calming partners to support a natural evening wind-down.

What is the recommended daily intake of hops extract?

There is no established RDI for hops extract. Clinical research has used doses from 100mg to 500mg dry herb equivalent per day, with sleep benefits studied across this range. element3 Rest provides 20mg standardised to 0.35% rutin per serve, appropriate for daily use within a comprehensive multi-ingredient formula. No upper intake level has been established; hops extract has an excellent safety profile across clinical doses. It is not recommended during pregnancy, and may enhance the effects of sedative medications.

What food provides hops extract?

Hops are found in beer, though the concentrations of active sedative compounds vary enormously depending on hop variety, brewing method, and alcohol content. A glass of beer is not a practical source of hops at the doses studied, the alcohol content would counteract any sleep benefits, and the hops dose would be unpredictable. Hops tea made from dried strobiles is a traditional herbal preparation with some sedative activity, though less standardised than the extract in element3 Rest. Supplementation is the only reliable route to a consistent, meaningful dose of hops used in clinical research.

Are there any hops extract side effects?

Hops extract is well-tolerated in clinical research with minimal side effects reported. Mild drowsiness is the most common effect, appropriate given element3 Rest’s evening use. Hops is contraindicated during pregnancy and is not recommended for individuals with hormone-sensitive conditions (such as oestrogen receptor-positive cancers) without medical advice, due to its phytoestrogen content (8-PN). Those taking sedative medications, benzodiazepines, or alcohol should exercise caution, as additive CNS depression is possible. People with known allergies to hops or related plants in the Cannabaceae family should avoid hops extract.

What form of hops is in the element3 blend?

element3 Rest uses a concentrated hops strobiles extract standardised to 0.35% rutin. Standardisation to rutin content ensures batch-to-batch consistency in flavonoid concentration. The extract also retains the bitter acids (humulone, lupulone) and volatile compounds that contribute to its traditional calming character, making it a broad-spectrum hops preparation rather than a single-compound isolate. element3 pairs hops with valerian root in element3 Rest, the traditional pairing most represented in research.

[ 05 ] The Research

4 studies

The Research

Study	Key finding	Read
A first prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study on the use of a standardized hop extract to alleviate menopausal discomfortsHeyerick, A., Vervarcke, S., Depypere, H., Bracke, M., & De Keukeleire, D. (2006). A first prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study on the use of a standardized hop extract to alleviate menopausal discomforts. Maturitas, 54(2), 164–175. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2005.10.005	Standardised hop extract significantly reduced the Kupperman menopause index and hot-flash frequency vs placebo.	Read →
Effect of a fixed valerian-Hop extract combination (Ze 91019) on sleep polygraphy in patients with non-organic insomnia: a pilot studyFüssel, A., Wolf, A., & Brattström, A. (2000). Effect of a fixed valerian-Hop extract combination (Ze 91019) on sleep polygraphy in patients with non-organic insomnia: A pilot study. European Journal of Medical Research, 5(9), 385–390.	Valerian–hop combination significantly improved polysomnographic sleep efficiency and slow-wave sleep in adults with non-organic insomnia.	Read →
Effect of a hop extract standardized in 8-prenylnaringenin on bone health and gut microbiome in postmenopausal women with osteopenia: A one-year randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.Lecomte, M., Tomassi, D., Rizzoli, R., Tenon, M., Berton, T., Harney, S., & Fança-Berthon, P. (2023). Effect of a hop extract standardized in 8-prenylnaringenin on bone health and gut microbiome in postmenopausal women with osteopenia: A one-year randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Nutrients, 15(12), 2688. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15122688	12 months of standardised hop extract attenuated bone loss markers and beneficially modulated the gut microbiome in postmenopausal women.	Read →
The effect of Hop (Humulus lupulus L.) on early menopausal symptoms and hot flashes: A randomized placebo-controlled trialAghamiri, V., Mirghafourvand, M., Mohammad-Alizadeh-Charandabi, S., & Nazemiyeh, H. (2016). The effect of Hop (Humulus lupulus L.) on early menopausal symptoms and hot flashes: A randomized placebo-controlled trial. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 23, 130–135. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctcp.2015.05.001	Hop extract significantly reduced hot-flash frequency and early menopausal symptom scores vs placebo.	Read →

[ 06 ] In the Protocol

Where Hops (Humulus lupulus) Extract sits in the element3 Protocol

In element3 Rest (PM Formula), hops extract at 20mg, standardised to 0.35% rutin, works alongside Valerian Root, Passionflower, Ashwagandha Sensoril®, L-theanine and Magnesium Citrate. These traditional calming botanicals and minerals have long been used together to support a restful evening. Taken before bed, hops adds its long-standing evening character to the wind-down.

You can learn more about the full element3 ingredient philosophy at element3.co.nz.

Hops (Humulus lupulus) Extract