Most people are familiar with hops as an ingredient in beer, but the herb has a long history of use as an ingredient in traditional herbal bitters, tisanes, tonics and teas. Although the heart-shaped leaves and flower heads have a reputation for providing a bitter, aromatic taste to various beverages, they were once used to produce a brown dye. When not inducing relaxation or sleep as a constituent of ale, hops is a traditional component of herbal sleep pillows along with lavender and dill.