Hops (Humulus Lupulus). In addition to the use of hops in brewing, the tips of the young shoots were boiled and eaten like asparagus, while bakers used a decoction to make their bread rise better. Medically, the plant was used as a diuretic, the powdered seeds to kill worms, and a syrup was given in case of jaundice. From John Parkinson, Theatrum Botanicum or The Theatre of Plantes, London, 1640.