Are hop leaves edible?

Question

I had to thin my hop plants and I have some hop leaves. I know people use hop shoots and hops for cooking but I was wondering if hop leaves are edible and, if so, how they are used.

Answer 1

I had to do some research¹, but: yes, hop leaves are edible, e.g. as salad.

You might be better off with tender young leaves, but there are no critical ingredients that should deter you from giving them a try. Commonly one would expect the leaves to be used in a salad, but for older leaves I'd be tempted to add a heating step, like adding a handful in a stir-fry or omelette - think spinach or chard, for example.

As for the chemical compounds that influence the medicinal properties ², the contents are extremely low in the leaves, so unlike for shots or flowers there is no limit to the amount you can safely consume.

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¹ Sources (in German, Endlish souces were less fruitful):

http://www.vivalranger.com/index.php/wissensdatenbank/essbare-pflanzen/126-hopfen-wilder-humulus-lupulus
http://selbstbewusstgesund.de/ernaehrung/essbare-wildkraeuter-3/

² We explicitly do not discuss health and nutrition here, but some foods should be consumed in limited amounts nevertheless. For hops, that is mainly due to ingredients with calming and estrogen-like properties.