Common Names: Mountain holly, English holly, European holly.
Medicinal Part: Leaves.
Description: Mountain holly is an evergreen tree or shrub which grows wild and cultivated in Europe and is cultivated in the U.S. for Christmas decorations.
As a tree, it grows as high as 30 feet; as a shrub it reaches about 15 feet. It has smooth bark and green branches, which bear alternate, dark green, shiny, leathery or waxy, spiny leaves.
During May and June, small white flowers appear in umbellate clusters, developing on the female plants into pea-sized, red, berry-like drupes which remain through the winter.
Properties and Uses:
Astringent, diuretic, expectorant, febrifuge. Although little used today, mountain holly has been used in the past for gout, stones, and urinary problems, for chronic bronchitis, rheumatism, and arthritis.
CAUTION: The berries are mildly poisonous and are dangerous to small children.
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