Il Luppolo, a flowering plant (Angiosperm), belongs to the Cannabaceae family. The active part of the plant consists of the female flowers (cones) collected in September when they are not yet fully mature, or from the powder obtained by shaking and sieving the cones, known as "luppolina."

In traditional folk medicine, hops are known for their sedative, mildly hypnotic, and anaphrodisiac effects. Additionally, the presence of estrogen-like substances in hops is believed to be responsible for the weight-gaining effect attributed to beer in popular belief. Hops contain 8-prenylnaringenin, the most potent known phytoestrogen, although its concentration in Humulus lupulus is so low that it cannot produce observable biological effects with current laboratory techniques. However, this compound can also form as a result of the conversion of isoxanthohumol, which is more abundant in hops. The pharmacological effects of these compounds may be similar to estrogen-like effects.