To quote Dr Bach, "Holly protects us from everything that is not Universal Love. Holly opens the heart and unites us with Divine Love". Holly flower is well known for its essence which is strongly believed to heal the soul, bringing calmness and peace. The name has an ancient German origin. For centuries Holly had been immortalized in several literary works across countries. It has found special mention in Shakespeare’s ‘As You Like It’, British folklore, myths and legends by Marc Alexander, in the collected works of Edward Bach and so on.

“Deck the hall with boughs of Holly” - Hollies are traditionally used for decoration during Christmas. They are also grown as garden plants. Its bark is used for wood carvings and engravings and is also used to make the white chess pieces.

The Latin name of Holly is ‘Ilex acquifolium’. It belongs to the family of ‘Aquifoliaceae’. The shrub is either deciduous or evergreen rising to a height of 15 m. The flowers blossom in April and May. The mature berries of holly are red in colour and may contain either single or many seeds. The flowers are dioecious in which the male and female flowers appear on different plants and need to be pollinated by bees and other insects. Hollies are widely found in the British Isles, Asia, Europe, North Africa and North and South America. They thrive well in any type of soil ranging from calcerous to acidic and are best grown in shades.