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Hop3.5

Hops Research

Mostly mechanism / observationalHigh safety

4 peer-reviewed studies

What the evidence says

Mostly mechanism / observational

Most Hops studies are mechanism or observational rather than RCTs that measure a clinical effect — keep findings provisional.

Most evidence is from medium-quality randomised trials published 2007–2025 with a typical study size of 171 participants.

Based on 4 studies · 4 RCTs

Confidence

Moderate

By outcome

Sleep & insomniaModestly shorter sleep latency and deeper sleep — but only demonstrated in valerian-hops combinations, not hops alone · Same night to 2 weeks (combination data)
Mostly mechanism / observational3 studies
Anxiety & stressTraditional calming use; direct clinical evidence for standalone hops on anxiety is minimal · Unclear
Too few graded studies1 study

Steady research

1 study in the last 5 years

200720162025

1RCT2007

The fixed valerian-hops combination was significantly superior to placebo in reducing sleep latency, whereas valerian alone was not — implicating hops in the effect.

Koetter U et al. · Phytother Res (2007)

Valerian-hops combination significantly reduced sleep latency versus placebo
Valerian extract alone did NOT beat placebo on sleep latency
Result attributed the benefit specifically to the addition of hops

View source

2RCTn=42 (20 verum, 22 placebo) · very large study2008

A single dose of a valerian/hops fluid extract significantly increased sleep time and sleep depth versus placebo on quantitative EEG.

Dimpfel W et al. · Eur J Med Res (2008)

Verum group showed significantly higher time asleep versus placebo (p<0.01)
Deeper sleep improved significantly (p<0.01)
Effect seen after a single dose, not just repeated use

3RCTn=40 · small study2025

The valerian-hops combination significantly increased mean sleep duration by 21.7 minutes per night, but had no significant effect on daytime cognitive or psychological measures.

Schicktanz N et al. · Brain Behav (2025)

Mean nightly sleep duration increased by 21.7 minutes versus placebo (p=0.019)
Sleep duration of the shortest night increased by 48.7 minutes
No significant effects on daytime cognition, mood, stress, or motivation

4RCTn=171 · medium study2017

A multi-ingredient formulation containing hops showed no significant between-group difference versus placebo on the primary sleep-quality outcome.

Scholey A et al. · Nutrients (2017)

No significant between-group difference on the primary sleep-quality outcome (PSQI)
Secondary measures (fatigue, mood, anxiety, cognition) also did not differ from placebo
Hops was one of several ingredients, not isolated

View in Research Library

Hops Research

Mostly mechanism / observational

A randomized, double blind, placebo controlled, prospective clinical study to demonstrate clinical efficacy of a fixed valerian hops extract combination (Ze 91019) in patients suffering from non-organic sleep disorder.

Sleep improving effects of a single dose administration of a valerian/hops fluid extract - a double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled sleep-EEG study in a parallel design using electrohypnograms.

Effects of a Valerian-Hops Extract Combination (Ze 91019) on Sleep Duration and Daytime Cognitive and Psychological Parameters in Occasional Insomnia.

Exploring the Effect of Lactium and Zizyphus Complex on Sleep Quality: A Double-Blind, Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial.