Abstract
Purpose: Hopfenmehl (Lupulin) has been used as a raw material for beer for many years. On the other hand, in Western Europe, it has been used as a crude drug for a long time as a sedative and a bitter stomachic medicine. From the latter half of the 1800s to the beginning of the 1900s, Hopfenmehl was listed in the pharmacopoeia of various countries, such as Japanese Pharmacopoeia (JP), United States Pharmacopoeia (USP), British Pharmacopoeia (BP), and German Pharmacopoeia (DAB). Approximately 100 years later, just before the 21st century, European Pharmacopoeia (EP) from EP3.0 (1998) to today?s EP10.0 (2020), and BP from BP2000 to today's BP2022, have been continuously listed for about 20 years. Now, in the 21st century, the author investigated the transition of Hopfenmehl standards and test methods listed in EP and BP for 20 years until today, 2022. Then, regarding the standards and tests of the Hopfenmehl components specified in EP and BP, the author considered them while making comparisons with academic information, such as the Hopfenmehl components found in recent academic literature. Furthermore, when academic information on the pharmacological and biologically active effects of Hopfenmehl components is used on a scientific basis, the author also considers the future development of Hopfenmehl as a therapeutic drug and pharmaceutical
resource.
Method: 1) The author searched for the standards and tests of Hopfenmehl listed in EP3.0 (1998) to EP10.0 (2020) and BP2000 to BP2022. 2) The author then extracted academic literature on the components of Hopfenmehl, and investigated the pharmacological and biological activity effects of Humulone, Isohumulone (isomer of Humulone), Lupulone and Xanthohumol, which are the components of the Hopfenmehl specified in EP and BP published therein.
Results: 1) The standards and test methods for Hopfenmehl specified in EP3.0 (1998) and BP2000, which first listed Hopfenmehl, have been continued and maintained until today's EP10.0 (2020) and BP2022. 2) From the literature search, it was found that there are various pharmacological and biological activity effects for the components of Hopfenmehl specified in EP and BP.
