Hi, I’m Oren.

I’ve been in practice as a Clinical Herbalist since 2010, working in holistic health clinics, a family medicine office, and in private practice online.  I’ve also taught classes on various health topics, empowering people to become their own home herbalists and be proactive about their health.  

A graduate of the David Winston Centre for Herbal Studies, I continually upgrade my skills through intensives with leading North American herbalists and integrative health practitioners.  I’m a Registered Herbal Practitioner (RHP) with the Herbalist Association of Nova Scotia, where I currently sit on the board of directors.

I care deeply about bringing this traditional wisdom to today’s world, where we need it more than ever. We are seeing the limitations of pharmaceutical medicine when it comes to chronic illness.  We can address this with a holistic form of medicine that is not only effective but also deeply nourishing, nature based, and available to all.  Instead of masking symptoms, we can facilitate healing.  Instead of side effects, we have side “benefits”.  Herbal medicine is the oldest form of medicine, and it is now becoming an important part of modern integrative medicine.

When I’m not working. . . 

With three young children, I’ll admit there isn’t much time to spare!  But when I do have some, I enjoy being in the garden, doing Capoeira (a Brazilian martial art and dance form), and adventuring in the wilderness.  These simple pleasures keep me feeling alive and grounded.

If you would like to know a bit more about my journey. . . 

I first found herbal medicine almost 20 years ago while doing a lot of soul searching.  I had graduated university with my Bachelor of Humanities and decided to travel the world.  During my travels, I was drawn to rural areas in Morocco and India where herbs were still a primary mode of healthcare.  It was an eye opener to experience what I thought of as “old wives tales” in living practice.  Upon my return, I settled in a rural Canadian village, took up gardening with a passion, and signed up for a herbal apprenticeship program with a healer, Kathleen Leeson, who would become my longstanding teacher and mentor.  In the early days, my confidence grew through study, through helping close friends, and also through healing my own health issues.  As my confidence and dedication grew, I took up studies to be a clinician at the David Winston Centre for Herbal Studies.

While I knew early on this would be a lifelong calling, I pursued it for many years part-time, while also working as the Director of Production at a video production company.  I had a young family to feed, and so for a time, a secure job was what I needed most.  In my film work, I learned a lot about teamwork and listening with empathy, as people were vulnerable in sharing their intimate stories with me on camera.

When the time was right, I decided to take the plunge and devote myself to my calling as an herbalist full-time.  No looking back!