Herb & supplement monograph

Hops Drug Interactions, Uses, Effectiveness, Safety & More

Medically reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS ·Updated July 2026

What is this page for?

First and foremost: how Hops interacts with medications. The heart of this page is the interaction list — every drug Hops is known to interact with, and how serious each one is.

But these pages have grown well beyond that into a full monograph — what Hops is, what people use it for and how strong the evidence is, its safety and side effects, and answers to the questions we’re asked most — written and reviewed by the clinical staff at HelloPharmacist. It’s educational information from our licensed clinical databases, not medical advice, and we don’t sell or endorse products. Our editorial policy

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Reviewed by licensed pharmacists Sourced from Natural Medicines

On this page

Hops Drug Interactions: The Bottom Line

From the HelloPharmacist Editorial Team · Updated July 2026

Based on the available evidence, the overall risk of a clinically significant Hops drug interaction appears low for most people. None of the listed interactions are rated major, and the great majority are minor and based on theory rather than proven effects in people.

Interactions deserving the most attention

The combinations most worth knowing about involve sedative medications and estrogens. Animal research suggests hops may have calming effects of its own, so taking it with sleep aids or other drugs that slow the nervous system could, in theory, add to drowsiness. Hops also contains plant compounds that can attach to estrogen receptors in lab studies, so large amounts might interfere with hormone replacement therapy, though most hops products contain very little of these compounds. Neither concern has been confirmed in human studies.

What the rest of the list means

The long list of interacting medications does not mean each combination is harmful. Most entries are theoretical, based on lab or animal findings that hops might affect enzymes the body uses to clear certain medications. Notably, when researchers tested a standardized hops extract in people, the predicted enzyme effects did not produce meaningful changes in drug levels.

Check your medications against Hops

Based on HelloPharmacist’s Hops interaction data and reviewed under our editorial standards.

Interaction report

Drugs that interact with Hops

863 medications have a known interaction with Hops, graded by severity. Select any drug for the full evidence-based detail.

Don’t want to scroll the list? Just ask.

Tell us the medications you take and we’ll check each one against Hops using our pharmacist-reviewed interaction data.

AI summaries are generated from our Hops interaction data for education only — always confirm with your pharmacist. How we use AI

2,830 drugs

Read The List Like a Pharmacist

What Severity, Likelihood & Evidence Mean

Severity — How Serious It Can Be

Major. Clinically significant; generally best avoided, or used only under direct professional supervision.
Moderate. May need monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separating the times you take each one.
Minor. Generally not clinically significant, but still worth noting and mentioning to your pharmacist.
No known interaction. Checked against our sources with nothing documented — not the same as proven safety.

Likelihood — How Well It’s Documented

Likely. Well-controlled human studies have demonstrated the likely existence of this interaction
Probable. Interaction has not been documented in well-controlled studies, however, the interaction has been demonstrated in some small human studies or in controlled animal studies in conjunction with multiple case reports.
Possible. Interaction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists
Unlikely. Interaction has been demonstrated in animal or in lab research but has been shown not to occur in humans.

Where This Data Comes From

Interaction records are evidence-graded and sourced from the Natural Medicines database (TRC Healthcare), the same reference used by pharmacists and hospitals.
Each drug listed above links to the full report for that exact Hops combination — clinical detail, likelihood, evidence level, and citations.
Content is reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists — see our data sources and editorial standards.

The big picture

The kinds of drugs Hops affects

Every type of medication (drug category) Hops is known to interact with. Open any category for the detail — or search your exact drug in the checker above.

All 4 drug categories Hops interacts with

Cns DepressantsEstrogensCytochrome P450 1a2 (cyp1a2) SubstratesCytochrome P450 3a4 (cyp3a4) Substrates

Cns Depressants

Theoretically, concomitant use of hops with sedative drugs might cause additive sedation.
Some animal research shows that hops has sedative effects.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Estrogens

Theoretically, concomitant use of large amounts of hops might interfere with hormone replacement therapy due to competition for estrogen receptors.
In vitro research suggests that certain hops constituents can competitively bind to estrogen receptors. However, most hops extracts contain very small amounts of these constituents.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Cytochrome P450 1A2 (Cyp1A2) Substrates

Hops extract does not seem to affect the metabolism of CYP1A2 substrates.
In vitro research suggests that flavonoid constituents of hops inhibit CYP1A2 enzyme activity. However, a pharmacokinetic study in healthy postmenopausal patients shows that taking a standardized extract of spent hops containing prenylated phenols, as 59.5 mg twice daily for 2 weeks, does not affect levels of caffeine, a CYP1A2 probe substrate.

Likelihood Unlikely Evidence D

Cytochrome P450 3A4 (Cyp3A4) Substrates

Theoretically, hops extract might alter metabolism of CYP3A4 substrates; however, this effect may not be clinically significant.
Animal research suggests that specific constituents of hops, called lupulones, can induce hepatic CYP3A4 enzyme activity. However, a pharmacokinetic study in healthy postmenopausal patients with normal metabolism shows that taking a standardized extract of spent hops containing prenylated phenols, as 59.5 mg twice daily for 2 weeks, decreases the concentration of alprazolam, a CYP3A4 probe substrate, by 7.6%. This reduction is unlikely to be clinically relevant.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Monograph

Hops: Uses, Safety & Side Effects

Medically reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS · Reviewed July 2026 ·

The bottom line

Hops are most often used for sleep and mild anxiety, frequently combined with valerian, but the human evidence is limited and not very strong. They are generally well tolerated when used short-term, though they may cause drowsiness, and should be avoided during pregnancy and breastfeeding because their safety is unknown.

Scientific name: Humulus lupulus
Family: Cannabaceae
Part used: Female flowers (cones or strobiles) and their extracts
Common forms: Capsules, tablets, tinctures, teas, dried flowers, and combination sleep formulas (often with valerian)

People commonly use it for

Sleep problems and insomnia
Anxiety and restlessness
Menopausal symptoms
Mild digestive complaints
Flavoring in beer and food

Popular and traditional uses — not proof it works. See “Uses & effectiveness” below for the evidence.

Safety at a glance

OverallUse caution

Generally well tolerated short-term but may cause drowsiness; long-term safety is not well studied.

PregnancyBest avoided

Not enough safety information; best avoided during pregnancy.

BreastfeedingInsufficient reliable information

Insufficient reliable information available; avoid using.

Read the full breastfeeding detail

Pregnancy & breastfeeding ratings are from Natural Medicines (Therapeutic Research Center). Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Jump to a section

Overview

Hops are the female flowers, also called cones or strobiles, of the hop plant (Humulus lupulus). The plant is a climbing vine in the Cannabaceae family. It is native to Europe but is now grown in many parts of the world.

Hops are best known for giving beer its bitter flavor and aroma. Beyond brewing, the dried flowers and their extracts have a long history of use in traditional remedies, most often to help with sleep and restlessness.

Today, hops are sold as a dietary supplement in capsules, teas, tinctures, and combination products. They are very commonly paired with valerian in sleep formulas.

How it works

Hops contain several active compounds, including bitter acids (such as humulone and lupulone), essential oils, and flavonoids. One flavonoid, 8-prenylnaringenin, is one of the strongest plant estrogens known, which may explain interest in hops for menopause.

For sleep and relaxation, researchers think certain hops compounds may act on brain signaling pathways involved in calming the nervous system. Much of this work comes from laboratory and animal studies, so we cannot be certain how strongly these effects apply to people.

Hops also have antioxidant and possible antimicrobial properties in test-tube studies, but these laboratory findings do not prove a benefit in the human body.

Effectiveness

Does Hops work?

Here’s what the research actually shows for each use — graded by Natural Medicines and reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD.

Evidence overview · 15 uses evaluated

15 Insufficient evidence

How to read these evidence grades

Natural Medicines’ 7-point scale. We show each rating’s label word-for-word.

1EffectiveStrong, consistent evidence it works.

2Likely EffectiveGood evidence, though not yet conclusive.

3Possibly EffectiveSome evidence suggests a benefit.

4Possibly IneffectiveSome evidence it may not help.

5Likely IneffectiveFairly strong evidence it doesn’t help.

6IneffectiveStrong evidence it doesn’t work.

7Insufficient Reliable Evidence to RateToo little research to say either way.

For Hops, current evidence isn’t strong enough to rate any specific use. The conditions it has been studied for are listed below.

Also studied for 15 conditions — evidence insufficient to rate

Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate Age-related cognitive decline