Earth Based Living with Dr. Jacqui Wilkins

Dr. Jacqui, ND, is a mixed Indigenous Yakama, Irish, and Eastern European Naturopathic Doctor, plant medicine person, birth worker, teacher, medicine maker, mama, and steward of the earth. She tends to the Xálish Medicine Garden on Vancouver Island (Snuneymuxw Territory), crafting plant medicines for her product line Xálish Medicines.

Passionate about earth-based practices, plant medicines, ancestral reverence, Traditional Chinese Medicine, postpartum support, and earth tending, Dr. Jacqui strives to foster connection, belonging, and community. She believes in deepening our relationship with our ancestors, the land, and all living beings to bring healing and harmony.

1. Please tell us about what led you on the plant path and what inspired you to become a Naturopathic Doctor?

I feel I’ve always been on the plant path, many of my very first memories are spending time on the land, and with the plants. I have photos of me as a babe with my ‘favorite tree’ as my family would lovingly share with me as I grew up. I also had a special cottonwood relative in my yard, that I vividly remember connecting with as a child. It was cottonwood who helped me find my way back to my path when I veered off as I got into my later teen years in an attempt to fit in (who knew speaking with plants would be considered ‘weird’ :). I also would garden with my parents, and grandparents.

Some of my favorite memories are picking berries in July, or sitting with sagebrush on days I felt like I didn’t ‘fit’ in at school. In my early 20s I could no longer ignore the plants, ancestors, and land calling me to return. I wasn’t sure at the time what an herbalist was, though I’d been gathering plants, and creating herbal formulas for my family for years by then. But I had heard of naturopathic doctors, and I knew they worked with plants and natural ways of healing which were more in alignment with my Indigenous ways of being. So, I decided to tour the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine in Toronto. When I realized we would be primary care physicians, and perform everything from minor surgery to prescribing pharmaceuticals, I decided it wasn’t for me and left. Once again, the plants kept calling. Often through dreamtime. So, I listened, reluctantly, and a couple of years later I decided to enroll & become a naturopathic doctor. I realized throughout medical school that I didn’t need to be a naturopath to work with the plants, but I believe it was a way they could get my attention and guide me. I am grateful for so much of what I learned, and to also study Traditional Chinese Medicine. To me, our relationship with the earth is truly foundational to healing, collectively and individually.

2. Ancestral reverence seems to be a core part of your work. Can you speak more about the importance of this for you?

Yes! It really is, and I feel it has continued to guide me on my path. I grew up always interested in knowing more about who I am, and who my family is. I knew I was Yakama, Irish & Eastern European, but I always wanted to know more. I’ve always felt a strong connection to my ancestors, especially through dream time. At one point while in naturopathic school I had a dream that my well ancestors visited and shared with me that healing myself is an important part of changing patterns & healing my lineages. This was before social media was big, and I hadn’t read or heard this before, so it was a potent message for me!

Working with plant medicines is ancestor work. It is also an opening to ways that our ancestors may have caused harm and can guide us in repairing. We are also potentially working with land that we may not be native to, land that has been tended to for thousands of years by the original people of the land, who have ancestral responsibilities, ceremony and protocols for relationship with the land. This of course comes with responsibility to also honor Indigenous people, repair relations & give back. All of us come from people who have been in relationship with the land and have carried this wisdom & knowledge of working with plant medicines, as well as caring for one another. When we come back to the land, we come back to ourselves, to tending to one another, and to our ancestors.

3. You also have a background in Traditional Chinese Medicine. How do you incorporate this lineage into your work?

Traditional Chinese Medicine has taught me, and continues to teach me, so much. I love how TCM is deeply rooted in seasonal and cyclical living, similar in ways to many Indigenous ways of being in rhythm with the earth & elements. I find this aspect of seasonal living to be a core part of my work, and way of moving, making medicines, and being. Each season our bodies may move through different things, we may notice different imbalances in some seasons more than others. The more time we spend on the land, with the elements, the more we begin to understand nature, and natural law. How we are impacted by seasonal shifts, water, each of the elements. I am always in awe of just tending to a fire, and noticing how each of the elements interact, and how we can see this in our human bodies as well. In TCM each season corresponds to an organ system and element, and we can notice emotional themes and physical imbalances impacted by the seasons. TCM has also taught me a lot about the energetics of formulating, and how we can restore harmony in the body, mind, and spirit with balanced herbal formulas, diet, lifestyle, etc. I incorporate these teachings in my daily life, into caring for my family, and in medicine making to promote harmony.

4. Postpartum support is a significant part of your work. Can you talk about why this period is so crucial and how plant medicine can support new parents/mothers?

I love postpartum support so much. I believe it is also foundational to our collective health as a society. If we aren’t caring for the caregivers, who is? If new parents are exhausted and depleted during the postpartum time, it can be so challenging to feel regenerated, which can also lead to mental health challenges and nervous system burn out. This lack of care during the postpartum period may show up as imbalances, and declining health, in perimenopause and beyond.

Also, for the little ones, this time is a beautiful one of connection with the parents and building secure attachments. Not just to the human family, but also to more than human family, nature and the land. Having a strong foundation, where the mother or parent feels deeply nourished & held, ripples out healing generationally. Xálish Medicines actually began with me creating postpartum medicine bundles for folks while I was just finishing up my clinical year in Naturopathic medical school. Postpartum is such a potent time to nourish, build, and harmonize. It is almost like this opening where we have an opportunity to really restore the body, mind, spirit. It is a time of increased vulnerability as well, we can do such deep healing work physically, as well as spiritually & ancestrally, if that resonates. So often parents are rushed back into daily life, but it’s really a tender time between the family, especially for the mother or birthing parent and new baby. Herbal medicines are powerful, and often accessible, ways to support new parents. Remembering also that food is medicine, and we can incorporate plants, seaweed, and mushroom kin into foods to nourish the postpartum parent. I often focus on blood building, emotional support, sleep, support in shifting identities, and family dynamic shifts that may come with birthing a new babe.

5. What are some practical tips you can offer to people looking to deepen their relationship with the land and incorporate earth-based practices into their daily routines?

There are so many ways we can deepen our relationship with the land! It may look different for each of us depending on accessibility, where we live, etc. One of the first ways is just remembering that it is a relationship. Like all relationships it requires care, intention, and commitment to being present. Some of the simplest ways are taking time to spend with the land and plants, even in urban environments. Folks often mention that they aren’t able to ‘access’ nature, but we are in constant communication with nature, as we are also nature. The air we breathe, the water we drink, plants growing on sidewalks downtown urban cores, these are all Nature.

I really love the practice of intentional noticing, being present, off our devices, and just spending time being with a particular plant, tree, or element. Noticing the textures, colors, the scents, the air, the critters that come by. Getting to know the plants and tree kin who are part of your community is another way to connect, get to know their names, introduce yourself too. The plants are part of our communities, and so often we pass by them without noticing, they become more of a backdrop. So really it is about widening our perceptions and perspective to understanding the Indigenous worldview of all beings, from the water to the wind, to the trees as having a spirit, or essence. Paying attention to our more than human relatives helps us remember this sense of belonging, that we are part of nature. It reminds us that we are not alone and helps us remember our responsibilities to tending to and caring for the earth as well.

I also love connecting with the sun as a daily earth-based practice. Maybe giving oneself an intention of connecting daily, at the same time of day, for even just a few minutes. This is a beautiful way to feel anchored during times of instability, knowing the sun always rises. But it also connects us with change, and we begin to understand how change is a part of life. Just as the sun changes on the horizon as we deepen into different seasons, we too go through shifts & changes throughout the year and over our lifetime. It helps us feel anchored to place.

6. What are some of your favorite herbal teas? Do you have a favorite Traditional Medicinals tea?

Oh, so many! It really depends on the season. Right now, I am loving wild rose, licorice root, red date, spearmint, yarrow, lemon balm and linden. Sometimes in the summer I add strawberry tops, or fresh berries to my infusions for that extra sweetness. Elderflowers are in bloom right now, so I’ve been making syrups with them & whichever berries are abundant on the land. It also depends how my body is feeling, if I’m needing more moistening herbs, or cooling, and where I am in my cycle as I’ll change which herbs I work with to support that phase.

My favorite Traditional Medicinals tea is Throat Coat®! I just love it so much even when I feel healthy. I brought some with me for a keynote speech I gave on burnout prevention & deepening our connection with the land this spring to ensure my throat felt strong for talking so much! I also love the Belly Comfort blend, as does my family.

7. Finally, how can our community learn more about Xalish Medicines and stay connected with your journey and offerings?

You can find Xalish Medicines via social media, at @among_the_wildflowerss on Instagram, as well as @xalishmedicines. I post a lot of behind the scenes and teachings on plant medicines, plant spirit & clinical medicine, medicine making, harvesting, and tending to the land (gardening).

You can also find more information, and plant medicine courses or workshops I offer at www.xalishmedicines.com. I typically do re-stocks of seasonal plant medicines a few times a year and have a core line of herbal remedies that are always in stock. I’ll be offering a new course, Exploratory Herbal Mentorship this Fall that I’m really excited about! I send out a plant medicine bundle, and we journey with each plant for 2 weeks at time to really deepen our relationship and get to know them. To stay in touch with current offerings & be the first to know when new offerings launch you can join my newsletter.