Are you looking to delve into a deep study of herbalism?

I’m joining forces with friend and colleague Ember Peters to offer a year long intensive intermediate program that will give you the tools and knowledge you need to strengthen your herbal skills. We have created a new website for the program, so please go the Maritime School of Holistic Herbalism to learn more and apply. Below is a host blurb by way of introduction. Much more information is available on the website.

Our Approach

We recognize the times that we live in as deeply needing the skills, intention, and heart that herbalists can offer. Our goal is to grow a base of knowledgeable community herbalists across the region, who can rise to the health challenges that our communities are already facing and will face in the future.

As holistic herbalists, we see living systems as more than the sum of their parts. We believe that all living things have a drive towards health, and we simply try to remove obstacles to our natural thriving. We focus on supporting the body to have what it needs to heal - an approach that can be both gentle, profound and extremely effective. We also recognize systemic obstacles to our health (such as socioeconomic barriers and marginalization) and that we are part of complex communities and ecosystems that impact our health much beyond our personal choices.

Oren and Ember both practice through a holistic lens that integrates traditional energetic systems with scientific research. We value the wisdom and experience within traditional systems of healing which can then be deepened and validated by modern scientific research.

In this program we will also explore how to be in a healthy relationship with the earth, to be stewards to the land and to be present for all the complexities that come with that. While we don’t have all the answers, we are committed to asking deep questions about how to tread with integrity on this earth.

The Details - Logistics

Ten in person intensive weekends will be held on the beautiful South Shore of Nova Scotia, with online portions to complete between the weekend intensives. In person classes will allow students to cultivate a deep relationship with the plants and learn hands-on skills essential to the practice of herbalism. Online portions will be both live and pre-recorded to allow for more time flexibility for students as well as the option to review materials as needed. There will be a combined total of about 250 classroom hours.

Courses in this program  include: materia medica, herbal therapeutics, anatomy and physiology, energetics, plant ecology, making herbal preparations, introduction to phytochemistry, holistic nutrition, history and ethics of herbalism, plant connection and herbal safety.

The first cohort of this program will begin in May 2023, and run until March 2024.