Prickly holly

Aquifoliaceae – Aquifoliaceae.

Popular names: pandora, Swabian thorn, prickly oak. Pharmacy name: holly leaves – Ilicis aquifolii folium (formerly: Folia Ilicis aquifolii).

Botanical description. Evergreen shrub or small tree 1-S m in height. The leaves are leathery, sharply serrated and prickly. The flowers are white or reddish, sitting in the axils of the leaves. Native to South China; in Germany grows in beech, sometimes mixed forests. Often in the foothills of the Alps.

Active ingredients: tannins, bitterness.

Application. In some places (for example, in Switzerland) it is used for influenza, rheumatism, bronchitis and – though not often – as a diuretic.