Holly
Jealousy, suspicion and the hard feelings that come from feeling shut out
What it feels like
Someone else got the promotion and you congratulated them and felt something sour underneath. A friend's good news lands badly and you are ashamed of your own reaction. It can be jealousy in a relationship, checking things you know you should not check. It can be suspicion, reading a short reply as evidence of something. Or it can be a general prickliness where everything feels like a slight. Underneath the hard edge there is usually a simple ache, the sense of being on the outside of something warm that other people are inside of.
Signs you might need it
- Other people's good news leaves you feeling flat or sour
- You feel suspicious of motives without much evidence
- Small slights stay with you longer than they should
- You feel jealous and dislike yourself for it
- You are quick to anger over things you cannot always explain
- You feel shut out of something everyone else is part of
What it helps with
The sourness lifts and other people's good news stops feeling like a loss. Traditionally it is described as the remedy for open-heartedness, being able to be glad for someone without it costing you anything.
Not to be confused with
Willow, which is bitterness about unfairness in general rather than a feeling aimed at a person. Impatiens is irritation at slowness, and Cherry Plum is fear of losing your temper rather than the hard feeling itself.
For those who are sometimes attacked by thoughts of such kind as jealousy, envy, revenge, suspicion. Within themselves they may suffer much, often when there is no real cause for their unhappiness.
The plant
Holly is armoured, with spined leaves low down where animals browse and smoother ones higher up where nothing reaches. It flowers small and white in spring, long before the red berries that everyone knows it for.
How to take it
The usual way is two drops from the stock bottle into a small glass of water, sipped through the day. If you are mixing several remedies, put two drops of each into a 30ml bottle of spring water and take four drops from that, four times a day.
There is no need to time it around meals, and you can take it as often as you like. Most people give it two weeks before deciding whether it is doing anything. The full guide to taking them covers mixing bottles, timing and the alcohol question.
Often mixed up with Holly
Often taken alongside
Blends that include Holly
Combinations mixed for a situation rather than for a person. Each one is shown with the reason Holly is in it.
Common questions
These are about Holly. The questions about the remedies in general, alcohol, children, timing, live in the FAQ.
Why is Holly in the oversensitive group rather than with anger?
Bach saw jealousy and suspicion as coming from being too affected by other people, just pointed outwards instead of inwards. There is no separate anger group in the system, so the harder feelings sit here.
What is the difference between Holly and Willow?
Holly is hot and aimed at someone, jealousy, envy or suspicion. Willow is cold and aimed at life in general, a resentful sense that things have been unfair to you. They often turn up together.
Why is Holly sometimes suggested when nothing else fits?
Practitioners occasionally use it as a starting point when the picture is unclear, in the same way Wild Oat is used. It is a traditional habit rather than a rule, so it is fine to ignore it and pick what actually matches.
Not sure Holly is the one?
Choosing works by recognizing yourself in a description, so if this one only half fits, it is worth seeing what else comes up. The quiz narrows all 38 in about a minute, and the oversensitive to others group holds the nearest neighbors.
Where to buy Holly
Bach remedies are widely stocked. If you are buying online, check the bottle says Holly and comes in the standard 20ml stock size.
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