Holly
Botanical: Ilex Aquifolium
Family: Aquifoliaceae
Homeopathic remedy: Ilex Aquifolium (Ilx-a.)
Description: A dense pyramidal, heavily branched tree that bears red, yellow and orange berries. It grows very slowly: when planted among trees which are not more rapid in growth than itself.
The leaves are thick and glossy, edged with prickles, whose direction is alternately upwards and downwards, and of which the terminal one alone is invariably in the same plane as the leaf. The upper leaves have mostly only a single prickle. The leaves have neither taste nor odor. They remain attached to the tree for several years, and when they fall, defy for a long time the action of air and moisture, owing to their leathery texture and durable fibres, which take a long time to decay.
The berries, though eaten by birds, are injurious to human beings, and children should be warned against them.
Medicinal uses: Catarrh, Pleurisy, Smallpox, Intermittent fevers and rheumatism (used when China fails, its active principle is like that of China very bitter).
Keywords: Jealousy, Suspicion, Envy, Revenge, Negative feelings toward others, Absence of love, Suffering without a real cause.
Compare: Vervain, Impatiens, Chicory
Dr Bach's description: For those who sometimes are attacked by thoughts of such kind as jealousy, envy, revenge, suspicion. For the different forms of vexation. Within themselves they may suffer much, often when there is no real cause for their unhappiness.
Essence: The person needing this remedy feels negative feeling towards others. They may take the shape of jealousy, envy or suspicion. These variants are only the facets of the central idea of this remedy, which is the lack of love.
The essence of this remedy is nicely shown on the symbolism of the tree. The leaves are the organs of the tree that realize the breathing of the tree. Breathing means the acceptance of surroundings and the acceptance and the giving of love. The leaves of the Holly are covered with stout thorns that symbolize the negative feelings that the person feels. The leaves themselves are tasteless and odorless. This symbolizes the emptiness of the person, the lack of love. The leaves, although eaten provide the consumer with no pleasure and they do not return the given love back.
Although three other remedies are very close to Holly, we can easily distinguish between them. The anger of Impatiens has the roots (as the name of the remedy indicates) in the impatience. The cause of anger in Vervain the the feeling of injustice and the Chicory anger is caused by feeling that other people have hurt the Chicory person by their ingratitude.