An Introduction
Hello and welcome. My name is Alissa—born in Cincinnati, Ohio, now living in Atlanta, Georgia, though the Queen City still has my heart. I’ve been a Registered Nurse for nearly 20 years (time really does fly), with experience spanning behavioral health to critical care.
Herbal medicine wasn’t always on my radar. I’ve always been drawn to self-sufficiency and independence, but making my own salves, tinctures, and tonics felt far removed from my clinical nursing background—until a casual hike took a very unexpected turn.
After a long day at my desk, I headed to a nearby park for a trail I’d hiked dozens of times. A mile in, the sky darkened, and out of nowhere, a violent lightning storm rolled in. To my right, a 20-foot drop; to my left, a cliffside. No shelter. No shortcuts. Just me and a trail that suddenly seemed endless. I kept walking in circles for what seemed like hours until I realized I had indeed passed my exit—an old footbridge that, unbeknownst to me, had been taken out by a fallen tree.
Eventually, I found what was left of the crossing and was able to climb down and out safely. I wasn’t hurt, but I was humbled. It hit me just how quickly things can go wrong in the wild—and how unprepared I really was. I knew I wasn’t giving up hiking. So the only option? Learn how to survive, no matter what.
First step: learn the plants.
I started building up my plant ID skills to recognize what was edible, medicinal, or dangerous—and how to use my surroundings for orientation. Turn left at the shagbark hickory. If you’ve seen the nettles, you’ve gone too far. It was slow at first. A field guide led to a plant ID app, then another. But eventually, patterns emerged. My first solo ID was pokeweed (of course it was pokeweed), and my first fungi: turkey tail.
Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana)
It’s literally always pokeweed.
From there, I was hooked. I devoured foraging blogs and survivalist YouTube channels. Eventually, my curiosity led me to the medicinal uses of wild plants and fungi. As someone trained in Western medicine, I was skeptical—rightfully so, given the number of snake oil salesmen out there. But I also found herbalists who brought scientific rigor and integrity to their practice. Through my employer I had access to a multitude of scientific studies and I spent my downtime reading research articles on the very plants I was meeting in the woods.
It wasn’t long before I craved more structure than what apps and articles could give. I explored various herbalism schools and ultimately chose The Herbal Academy for its evidence-based approach and comprehensive curriculum. I began with their Introductory Herbal Course and just kept going, enrolling in courses whenever I could.
Now, I'm working toward my goal of becoming a Registered Herbalist with the American Herbalists Guild. That journey brings me here—to this blog.
My goals for this space are simple:
Organize my notes, recipes, and materia medica in a searchable, structured way.
Demonstrate what I’ve learned along the way.
Log the time and intention I’ve invested in this practice.
Educate others—nurses, hikers, skeptics, and the herb-curious alike.
Give myself a creative outlet that blends my love of content creation, survivalism, foraging, and herbal medicine.
Right now, the blog is empty. My social media? Nonexistent. But it’s Day One, and that means there’s nothing but room to grow. If you’ve somehow found your way here, I hope you’ll stick around—whether you’re looking for knowledge, inspiration, or just a new ingredient from nature’s grocery store.