Nettles-Stinging Nettles

According to Roman times, Roman nettle was used for arthritis and rheumatism in a process called urtication where the cut stalks were bundled and flailed onto the back. Ouch! American Indians used it as one of spring’s first cooked vegetable and as a spring tonic (the cooking process inactivates the sting). This page includes alias names for Nettle herb with pictures, how to use Nettle herb, its properties, chemical constituents, and helpful links.

Gymnema for Blood Sugar

Gymnema (Gymnema sylvestre) has been used for thousands of years in India as a medicinal herb for sugar issues, constipation, liver disease and bladder issues. Here are alias and Chinese names for Gymnema with pictures, uses, properties, chemical constituents, and helpful links about the herb.


Elecampane is a 4-5 foot tall perennial that grows on a rigid erect stem that is deeply furrowed. The plant branches near the top with pointed leaves that are 1-1.5 feet long and four inches across the middle where they are velvety underneath. The 3-4 inch diameter yellow flowers bloom from June-August and resemble a double sunflower. Inula helenium is notably prized by the Romans for food and medicinal purposes. Elecampane is native to western Asia and Europe but has been spread to now grow in many temperate parts of the globe including areas in the United States. It can be grown from seed in the spring or by root division in the fall. The plant grows best in shady, well drained but moist soil. The root is harvested in the fall and used fresh or dried at high temperatures for later use.

Workshop-Double Chamber Cob Oven

A cob oven is affordable, fireproof, inexpensive, beautiful and sustainable. You can build them yourself, incorporating unlimited creative hand-formed durable shapes. A popular backyard project made of earthen clay, sand and straw, these ovens can be built in a day or two. They burn scrap wood and can bake all day starting with pizza then moving to bread, roasts, stews and ending up with drying fruits/veggies and herbs or making a batch of yogurt. Erica says they make heavenly scones as well! We’re looking forward to trying that. This workshop course for our double camber cob oven will cover: •A lecture/demonstration on Fire Science
•Planning the cob oven •Designing the cob oven Constructing and installing a double chamber cob oven (the base will be in place before the workshop) •Building a sand mold for the double chamber cob oven
•Mixing and testing cob (monolithic adobe) and earthen plaster •Applying three layers of cob onto the sand mold


Cleavers (Galium aparine) Alias names for Cleavers: Galium aparine Family: Rubiaceae, Amor De Hortelano, Aperine, Barweed, Bedstraw, Burwood, Catch weed, Catchweed, Cheese rent herb, Clabber grass, Cleavers Goosegrass, Cleavers, Cleaverwort, Cleever, Clivers, Eriffe,...


Sage (Salvia officinalis) is native to the Mediterranean. Its medicinal uses date back to the Greeks and Romans. Sage is still used today for its healing properties and as a common culinary herb. It was awarded the International Herb Association “Herb of the Year” in 2001. This page includes alias and Chinese names for Sage with pictures, uses, properties, chemical constituents, and helpful links about the herb.