Chinese Journal of Nature ›› 2026, Vol. 48 ›› Issue (2): 162-168.doi: 10.3969/j.issn.0253-9608.2026.01.013

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From the “soul of beer” to health guardian: A new discovery of food-medicine homology of hops

XIN Hailiang, XIA Tianshuang, YU Kaining, ZHU Gexin, ZHAO Kai, LIN Jingchao   

  1. ① Department of Pharmacy, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China; ② Shanghai Gubenpeiyuan Technology Co., Ltd., Shanghai 201607, China; ③ Hebei Kingsci Pharmaceutical Technology Co., Ltd, Shijiazhuang 050035, China
  • Received:2025-11-16 Online:2026-04-25 Published:2026-04-20

Abstract: In the realm of “food”, hops (Humulus lupulus L.) is an indispensable auxiliary ingredient in beer brewing, often hailed as the “soul of beer”. In the field of health, as a star plant with dual purposes for both food and medicine, its multifaceted pharmacological effects have been discovered and garnered attention over the past century. In recent years, we have innovatively uncovered its “dual-sided” regulatory role in uric acid metabolism. Specifically, its resinous components (bitter acids) exhibit uric acid-elevating effects, while its flavonoid components demonstrate four approaches by lowering uric acid and combating gout. In summary, the value of hops is rapidly expanding beyond beer brewing into areas such as functional foods and innovative drug research and development, promising even broader prospects for future exploration and application.