Dr. Alicia McCubbins, ND

10/02/2025

Wildcraft Wednesday: Wild Seed Flour 🌾 Psyllium!

Fall is a great time for seed collection both in the garden and foraged in the wild. 🍂My favorite hike with the dogs has fields of plantain and yellowdock, and the seeds come with a bonus husk for more fiber!

🌾Plantain seeds and husks are also known as psyllium, a common fiber supplement. 💩

🌾Yellowdock seeds and husks are VERY similar and often used to make a gluten-free flour that can be compared to buckwheat.

First I gathered seeds- a couple of cups? Then i separated them from their stems at home and cleaned out the debris.

Then I roasted in the oven for a few minutes (I was worried I burned it). Once cool, I ground the seeds in a seed grinder (same thing as a coffee grinder.) Wa-la! 👏Wild seed flour.

This activity was inspired by a local herbalist-doula in Eugene, OR. 🌱I am continually grateful for the education and connection I glean from this platform, particularly with wildcrafting and foraging.

🍪 COOKIES 🍪
Since the flour is like buckwheat flour, I adapted a recipe from Foraged and Grown, a seasonal cookbook from . 🌈 The recipe calls for other seeds like flax and chia (and nettle seeds), and I added h**p and sunflower seeds. Melted coconut oil held it together with cinnamon and the fig leaf syrup we made earlier this summer.

👏They are delicious!! I'm loving all these HIGH fiber foods for gut motility, detoxification and blood sugar regulation. Dietary fiber stimulates the release of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) from L-cells in the gut by interacting with gut bacteria and L-cells directly. So.... yeah, sometimes balancing glucose and weight loss are matter of increasing certain foods rather than restricting.

09/25/2025

Wildcraft Wednesday: Wild Carrot, aka Queen Anne's Lace 🤍

Indeed, this beautiful flower is a carrot- pull her up and take a whiff of the root. 🥕 No denying it is in the same family- the apiaceae family.

Identify:
💜 I am confident in identifying it when I see a little red/ purple dot in the middle of the flower.

🌱It has a hairy stem and stalk which also helps differentiate from its poisonous/deadly cousin, poison hemlock.

⚠️ I really don't like to get anywhere near most plants that even look like Queen Anne's Lace.

🪹After it flowers, wild carrot forms a sweet little "bird's nest" to let the seeds mature. The entire plant is edible but pretty gross, especially as it grows.

🌞This plant's sap can cause a blistering skin reaction on some folks when exposed to the sun- phytophotodermatitis. So be careful if you're new to foraging.

🌾 I harvested the brown nests, threw in the dehydrator, then separated the seeds. Then I covered them with jojoba oil and infused for 6 weeks in a sunny window. I strained the oil and combined with my calendula- rosehips jojoba oil to make an incredible trifecta face serum.

👩🏼‍⚕️Wild carrot seed oil is rich in antioxidants and wonderful for healing and regenerating skin, particularly for sun damage. It has antifungal, antibacterial properties which can be beneficial for preventing acne.
- Its different from carrot seed essential oil (which is very strong and needs diluting to use topically). When you're infusing seeds in a carrier oil, it does not need to be diluted for application.

💆‍♀️My favorite skincare routine is to rinse my face with warm water every morning followed by cold water. Then I apply 3 pumps of serum on my palm and add 3 sprays of lavender hydrosol. 🪻Then I rub the mixture into my face before doing gua sha massage with a jade stone.

09/18/2025

Hormones can make us feel crazy, but assuming high or low is actually crazy. Work with me- lets tet to the bottom of it, objectively, and efficiently.

09/15/2025

Manitowoc and NE WI, I am happy to answer questions if you're not sure about functional/naturopathic medicine visits with me.

Terra (pictured on the left) and Alicia (pictured on the right) understand that this journey is a commitment, and it's important to choose the right teammate along the way. That's why you can meet with either or both of our providers to make an informed decision about your health. Both are currently accepting new patients!

Please note, all discovery appointments are virtual, and you’ll receive a Zoom link once you register. Alicia’s visits are all virtual, while Terra offers both virtual and in-person options.

09/11/2025

Wildcraft Wednesday: Deodorant 💪

🫆Skin health- I see patients with armpit infections (boils) ALL the time. Even with natural deodorant. Trick is to wash your pits at night if thats happening

💥Detoxification pathways- aluminum is in most conventional antiperspirants to stop sweating, blocking sweat glands... one of our organs of elimination.

💦Lymphatic- immune system. Skin is an absorber- and the armpits have a condensed cluster of lymph nodes just beneath.

💣Sensory nervous system- smells influence nervous system response, sometimes an emotion, sometimes a pain or inflammatory response.

🤑Cost/Convenience- I always have ingredients for homemade deodorant, and I don't miss having to remember to buy it.

💙 Unscented Stick Deodorant 💙

- also works in a jar for finger application

3/4 oz beeswax
2 oz coconut oil
3/4 oz shea butter
2 Tbsp baking soda
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup arrowroot powder

Weigh the beeswax, coconut oil and shea butter into a glass measuring cup.
Place in a small saucepan with a couple inches of water and simmer until the oils are completely melted.
Remove from heat and stir in baking soda, cornstarch and arrowroot powder. Then stir in tea tree oil.
Pour into 2 empty deodorant containers.
Allow to harden before use.

💜Jarred Scented Deodorant💜

- 2 TBSP shea butter
- 2 TBSP arrowroot powder
- 1 TBSP coconut oil
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 10-15 drops essential oils- i used ylang ylang and tangerine

Instructions
1. Melt the shea butter and coconut oil in the microwave or on a double boiler at medium heat

2. Mix the arrowroot powder and the baking soda in a bowl

3. Add the melted oils/butters to your powders

4. Mix well until there are no clumps left

5. Add your essential oil/s and mix well

6. Pour into your container

7. Let sit for about 1 hour in the refrigerator

09/09/2025

Functional Medicine Consultations with a focus on the root cause of your symptoms and disease. Promotes optimal level of health.

08/29/2025

I do NOT recommend a daily aspirin for generalized cardiovascular disease prevention. This is outdated and discouraged. Ive seen too many harmed by this practice- internal bleeds are no joke and not always easy to find.

Healthy older adults who received aspirin experienced no significant long-term benefits against major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE); the rates of major hemorrhage were higher among users of aspirin than among users of placebo. http://ms.spr.ly/6182sw9to

08/29/2025

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08/21/2025

Wildcraft Wednesday: Bee Balm (wild bergamot) Oxymel 💜

An Oxymel is a traditional herbal elixir where dried or fresh herbs are infused in equal parts honey and apple cider vinegar. 🍯Oxymel means "acidic honey" in Greek.

This is VERY similar to a shrub which is herb and/or fruit infused in equal parts sugar and apple cider vinegar. A shrub is a type of oxymel, but only if honey is used.

I made bee balm oxymel at my parents' a couple years ago with their vibrant pink, red and purple flowers and fragrant leaves. I've been growing the native lavender flower and made another batch at home last week.

👩🏼‍⚕️Bee balm oxymel can help with upper respiratory infections and digestive issues - soothes the throat, tonifies the gut, and provides individualized qualities based on the herbs used.

😷Bee balm has antimicrobial properties which makes it nice for supporting the body when faced with bacterial, viral, or fungal infections. Don't just rely on honey, apple cider vinegar and herbs for everything though- talk to your doctor.

08/02/2025

Food is Medicine Friday: Fig Shrub 🩷

I have never made a shrub with balsalmic vinegar until now. It is very different from apple cider vinegar. But I have to admit it is delicious. With a little soda water, it tastes just like cola!

🌱Fig season comes in fast and leaves even quicker. So much urgency to enjoy them in lots of ways given their large bounty.

🩷(whole) Figs = fiber = healthy gut = happy mind and body🩷

Though youre lacking the fiber in the shrub, its still rich in minerals like potassium and magnesium! Heart and nervous system nutrients!

Recipe

1 cup Quartered figs
1 cup of sugar
- toss figs with sugar and cover, let infuse a couple hours
- mix with 1 cup balsalmic vinegar, cover and keep in fridge for a couple days
- strain off liquid, bottle and keep in refrigerator

Craft a beverage with 1-2 TBSP shrub with soda water. Bam