Chemical examination of the Hop. 307 
pa mine ea NS eS) ORES ort 
Extractive matter, cate ee et LS os AO 
ter principle, Vole ie. LO LL 
PUN eh PRI Yee RMR NRO Gu EIN eee 
esis he ES SA re er eee i EEG 
A woody fibrous substance, or Lignin, .... 46 
Exp. 12.—Two drachms of the leaves,* from which all 
the lupulin had been separated, were digested twelve hours 
in six ounces of boiling water. ‘The infusion was bitter, 
and exceedingly unpleasant to the taste ; it possessed none 
of the aromatic flavour and peculiar bitter of the lupulin. 
When filtered and evaporated, it yielded five grains of nau- 
seous extract. The same leaves were again digested in six 
ounces of proof spirit: after twelve hours, the infusion was 
filtrated, and, by evaporation, yielded five grains of extract, 
similar to the last. ‘The same leaves were digested twenty- 
four hours in alcohol; the infusions manifested none of the 
sensible properties of the hop; it gave by evaporation four 
grains of extract. ‘The taste of none of the extractive mat- 
ier obtained from the leaves was sufficiently characteristic of 
the hop to designate that it was obtained from that article.t 
From this, and other similar experiments, leading to the 
same results, I think it is conclusively proved, that the vir- 
tue of the hop resides exclusively in the lupulin; that the 
leaves contain a nauseous extractive matter, which is im- 
parted to water and to alcohol, and which, instead of adding 
to the bitter and aromatic flavor of the lupulin, partially 
neutralizes or destroys it. 
The obvious inference from these results was, that the 
lupulin was the only part of the hop essential to economi- 
cal purposes; an inference so little anticipated, that it be- 
came an important subject of enquiry, whether that part of 
the plant was duly estimated by practical brewers—wheth- 
er it had been regarded by authors as preferable to the 
leaves, and if so, what impediment or what consideration 
prevented its being separated from the chaff. 
*Tt will be understood that by the leaves are meant the calices which form 
the flower, or that part of the hop commonly used in brewing. 
t It is necessary to remark that great care was taken to procure the leaves 
for this experiment perfectly free from the lupulin, which is ordinarily at- 
tached to them in great abundance. This cannot be done by threshing 
fnem. 
