Milfoil

Milfoil, a name applied to several kinds of plants as the Common Milfoil (Achillea millefolium), the Hooded Milfoil (Utricularia), and the Water Milfoil (Myriophyllum). The first-named is invariably understood by the term when it is used without any qualifying adjective. The plant belongs to the natural order Compositæ. It is one of the commonest of British plants, and is very abundant in Europe and Russian Asia from the Mediterranean to the Arctic Circle, and extends over a great part of North America. The plant is medicinal, being mildly aromatic, tonic, and stimulant; and yields tannin, a bitter extractive, a volatile oil, and an acid called achillic acid. In Sweden the plant is employed as a substitute for hops in the making of beer.