THE GLP-1 BITTER COMPLEX SERIES · PART 3 OF 3
Back to the overview
Part 3 · The product
Inside MediHerb GLP-1 Bitter Complex: Hops, Feverfew and the Research
What’s in it, why it’s standardized to 268 mg alpha acids a day, what the human Hops research actually looked at, and how to take it.
5 min read · Dr. Shannon Roznay, DC · Reviewed against published research
Two herbs. Standardized to the milligram. Nothing hidden.
Most “GLP-1 support” products on the market are a long list of ingredients at undisclosed doses. MediHerb GLP-1 Bitter Complex is the opposite. It contains two herbs, and it tells you exactly how much of the active bitter compounds you are getting.
Ingredient | Per softgel | Per day (3 softgels) |
|---|---|---|
Hops flower 4.5:1 extract (Humulus lupulus) | 218.2 mg, standardized to 89.4 mg alpha acids and 48 mg beta acids | 268 mg alpha acids, 144 mg beta acids |
Feverfew herb 5:1 extract (Tanacetum parthenium) | 133.3 mg, standardized to 2 mg parthenolide | 6 mg parthenolide |
Other ingredients are rice bran oil, gelatin, glycerol, soy lecithin, tapioca maltodextrin, white beeswax and natural color. Contains soy.
Those three daily numbers, 268, 144 and 6, are the whole story of this formula. Here is why they matter.
Why Hops, and why these numbers
Hops cones contain a bitter resin rich in alpha acids and beta acids. MediHerb uses a supercritical carbon dioxide extraction, a solvent-free method that pulls out the lipophilic bitter acids and volatile oils efficiently. [1] That matters because the human research on Hops and appetite was done with the same type of extract.
A research group in New Zealand ran a series of clinical trials on a supercritical CO2 Hops extract standardized to roughly 51.5% alpha acids and 28.3% beta acids. At the 500 mg daily dose used in the key studies, that works out to about 258 mg alpha acids and 142 mg beta acids a day. [2]
GLP-1 Bitter Complex provides 268 mg alpha acids and 144 mg beta acids a day. The Hops in this formula is standardized to the bitter-acid levels used in the human satiety research.* That is not an accident. It is the design.
What the human Hops research found
Four published trials, in order, each asking a bigger question than the last.
1
Does it change hunger?
In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial, healthy men took the Hops extract during a 24-hour water-only fast. Both doses tested reduced hunger by more than 10% compared with placebo, and the expected midday surge in hunger seen on placebo was absent in the Hops groups. [3]
2
Does it change what people eat?
A second trial repeated the fasting design in healthy women and added a free-choice meal at the end. Hunger and food cravings fell on Hops, and at the higher dose the women ate 14.3% fewer calories at that meal than they did on placebo. [4]
3
Does it move the hormones?
In a randomized crossover trial, healthy-weight men took 500 mg of the extract before lunch while researchers tracked gut hormones through the day. Compared with placebo, GLP-1, CCK and PYY all rose, and total energy intake across lunch and an afternoon snack was about 17% lower. [2] This is the study that connected the bitter-receptor mechanism to a measurable endocrine response in people.
4
What happens over 24 weeks?
Published in 2026, the longest trial to date followed 150 adults with overweight or obesity who were all given diet and exercise advice. Half also took 500 mg of the Hops extract daily, split before the two main meals. After 24 weeks the Hops group had lost 4.3% of body weight and 4.5 kg of fat mass from baseline, versus 0.5% and 0.7 kg on placebo, and neither group lost skeletal muscle mass. Some participants reported digestive side effects, and a few with sensitive digestion were titrated up to the full dose over three weeks. [5]
Dose matters. A separate study using lower doses delivered directly into the gut found only modest, transient effects, which is one more reason standardization is not a detail. [6]
Why Feverfew joins it
Feverfew is best known as a traditional nerve and headache herb, but in Western herbal medicine it is also recognized as an intensely bitter digestive tonic. [7] Its signature compound, parthenolide, brings something Hops does not.
In laboratory screening, parthenolide activated seven of twelve human bitter receptors tested, a remarkably broad profile. [8] Hops bitter acids act on a more focused set of receptors. [9] In recent cell research, parthenolide activated the TAS2R4 bitter receptor and increased GLP-1 secretion in a dose-dependent way. [10] Feverfew’s evidence is preclinical, so it does not stand on the same footing as the human Hops trials, but mechanistically it widens the bitter signal. Two herbs, different receptor keys, a fuller chord.
What the research did and did not test
This is the honest paragraph, and it is also the one that should make you trust the rest. The human trials above tested a Hops extract on its own, in research settings, in the populations described. They did not test GLP-1 Bitter Complex as a finished formula, and the 24-week trial enrolled adults with overweight or obesity who were also following a lifestyle program. The parthenolide findings come from cell studies, not people.
What MediHerb did was build a formula that matches the Hops bitter-acid levels those trials used, standardize the Feverfew to a quantified parthenolide level, and pair the two for a broader bitter-receptor profile.* GLP-1 Bitter Complex is a dietary supplement to support healthy satiety, appetite regulation and digestion alongside real food and real habits.* It is not a drug, and it is not a substitute for one.
How to take it
- Suggested use: 1 softgel, 3 times daily, before meals. One bottle of 90 softgels is a 30-day supply.
- Sensitive digestion? Bitter herbs can occasionally cause mild nausea, loose stools or bloating. Start with 1 softgel a day and build to 3 over two to three weeks, as tolerated. This mirrors the titration used in the 24-week trial. [5]
- Make it a ritual. Take it with a glass of water, sit down, breathe, and put protein and fiber first on the plate.
Who it is for, and who it is not for
For
Adults who want support to feel satisfied after calorie-controlled meals, support for healthy appetite regulation, and support for digestive function.*
Not for
Anyone under 18, or anyone pregnant or breastfeeding. Avoid if you are allergic to Feverfew or other plants in the daisy (Asteraceae) family. Hops has shown estrogenic activity in research, so talk to your practitioner first if you have a hormone-sensitive condition or use hormone therapy. If you take prescription medication, including a GLP-1 medication, check with your prescriber before adding it, and never stop or change a prescription on your own.
Next step
Get MediHerb GLP-1 Bitter Complex
90 softgels, a 30-day supply. One before each meal, alongside healthy eating.*
View the product
Missed the start? · Part 1
You Already Make GLP-1
Meet your fullness trio and what strengthens it.
Read part 1References
- 1. Zanoli P, Zavatti M. Pharmacognostic and pharmacological profile of Humulus lupulus L. J Ethnopharmacol. 2008;116(3):383-396. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2008.01.011
- 2. Walker EG, Lo KR, Pahl MC, et al. An extract of hops (Humulus lupulus L.) modulates gut peptide hormone secretion and reduces energy intake in healthy-weight men: a randomized, crossover clinical trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2022;115(3):925-940. doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqab418
- 3. Walker E, Lo K, Tham S, et al. New Zealand bitter hops extract reduces hunger during a 24 h water only fast. Nutrients. 2019;11(11):2754. doi:10.3390/nu11112754
- 4. Walker E, Lo K, Gopal P. Gastrointestinal delivery of bitter hop extract reduces appetite and food cravings in healthy adult women undergoing acute fasting. Obes Pillars. 2024;11:100117. doi:10.1016/j.obpill.2024.100117
- 5. Walker E, Lo K, Smirk I, Spence MR, Dinnan H, Martell S, Lomiwes D. Bitter hop nutraceutical stimulates fat mass loss while preserving muscle mass in a cohort of individuals with overweight or obesity receiving diet and exercise advice. Obes Pillars. 2026;19:100299. doi:10.1016/j.obpill.2026.100299
- 6. Bitarafan V, Fitzgerald PCE, Poppitt SD, Ingram JR, Feinle-Bisset C. Effects of intraduodenal or intragastric administration of a bitter hop extract (Humulus lupulus L.), on upper gut motility, gut hormone secretion and energy intake in healthy-weight men. Appetite. 2023;184:106490. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2023.106490
- 7. Bone K, Mills S. Principles and Practice of Phytotherapy: Modern Herbal Medicine. 2nd ed. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone/Elsevier; 2013.
- 8. Meyerhof W, Batram C, Kuhn C, et al. The molecular receptive ranges of human TAS2R bitter taste receptors. Chem Senses. 2010;35(2):157-170. doi:10.1093/chemse/bjp092
- 9. Intelmann D, Batram C, Kuhn C, Haseleu G, Meyerhof W, Hofmann T. Three TAS2R bitter taste receptors mediate the psychophysical responses to bitter compounds of hops (Humulus lupulus L.) and beer. Chemosens Percept. 2009;2(3):118-132. doi:10.1007/s12078-009-9049-1
- 10. Li S, Chen Y, Song Z, et al. Parthenolide promotes glucagon-like peptide-1 secreting in human Caco-2 cells via regulation of bitter taste receptor-induced calcium signaling. Mol Cell Biochem. 2026;481(2):775-789. doi:10.1007/s11010-025-05425-6
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Safety: MediHerb GLP-1 Bitter Complex is not intended for individuals under 18 or those who are pregnant or breastfeeding. Avoid use if allergic to Feverfew or other plants in the daisy (Asteraceae) family. Contains soy. Consult your healthcare practitioner before use if you have a hormone-sensitive condition, use hormone therapy, or take prescription medication, including GLP-1 medications. Never stop or change a prescribed treatment without talking to your prescriber.