Oren Hercz, Clinical Herbalist

08/19/2025

With the cooler nights upon us, I'm starting to think about root harvesting season! Want to learn how to make your own root medicine? Join us in September in Chester Basin for a full day intensive.

More details at: maritimeherbschool.com/events.

07/02/2025

Registration for our Herbal First Aid workshop at Floreren farm closes Friday at 9am. It will be possible to just show up on the day, but we can't guarantee we will have a kit for you.

If finances are a barrier you can use the promo codes ROSE25 for 25% off or LICORICE50 for 50% off.

I'm looking forward to restocking my own kit with some of the goodies we will make together! 🩹❤️‍🩹🌿

06/12/2025

I'm so looking forward to teaching this workshop again this year. . . and then sitting down for the most soul-nourishing meal ever!

06/03/2025

It has been a bad tick season this year! Of course we are all worried about Lyme disease, but simple tick bite care is equally important. Tick bites are prone to localized inflammation and infection, and without proper care they can get worse fast.

At our first-aid class last year, we taught students how to apply an anti-inflammatory/anti-microbial tincture mixed in with some bentonite clay in a glob at the bite site. I like a combination of Japanese Knotweed or Andrographis mixed with some Echinacea. This combination supports wound healing, acts as an anti-inflammatory, and also has some anti-spirochetal properties (meaning it kills Lyme bacteria, a helpful precaution in case the bacteria are present but haven’t yet permeated the bloodstream).

We’ve been testing out this formula since that class, and it has been working great! Nasty tick bites clear up in a couple of days.

We’re teaching Herbal First Aid again this year on July 7th at Floreren Farm in the Annapolis Valley. Everyone goes home with their own herbal first-aid kit that we make together. We cover herbal therapy for all kinds of everyday first-aid situations including bites, wounds, bruises, sprains, and more. We make indispensable preparations including salves, poultices, powders, compresses and infused honeys.

🌿 Learn more and register on our Events page—scroll down to find Herbal First Aid:

www.maritimeherbschool.com/events/

Do you want to feel confident treating common first-aid situations with herbs? Whether it’s treating wounds, scrapes, burns, bruises, bites. . . there is so much more than just polysporin and peroxide. Experiencing herbal first-aid makes people believe in herbal medicine because the herbs work so ...

05/31/2025

THE HANS MEDICINAL PLANT SALE IN HALIFAX IS STILL ON TODAY!

Today, May 31st, 2-4pm
At Bloom Institute of Holistic Learning
989 Young Ave, Halifax NS

Plants sale + mini-workshops. Plants love the rain!!!⛈️🌈🌺

05/01/2025

Herbal Support for Lyme Disease – Upcoming Class

Lyme disease is complex—and often controversial. In this class, we’ll explore where herbal medicine fits in: not as a replacement for conventional care, but as a powerful ally.

We’ll look at how herbs can support people at different stages of Lyme, including during and after antibiotic treatment. This is not an either/or conversation. It’s about using all the tools available to help people recover fully and avoid long-term symptoms.

If you or someone you love is navigating Lyme, or if you just want to be prepared as cases continue every year, I hope you’ll join me.

Registration link:
👉

This class will be live on Zoom at 6:30-8:30 PM Atlantic Time (5:30-7:30 PM Eastern Time) A recording will be made available for anyone who couldn't attend live after the class. I didn’t choose Lyme disease as a focus for my practice. It chose me. I live on the South Shore of Nova Scotia/Mi'km

04/23/2025

Last chance to register for this year's Intermediate Program. Class starts in under 2 weeks.

If you’re looking for a truly transformative deep dive into herbal medicine, one that supports you in becoming an ethical, safe, and highly competent herbalist, this program is worth a serious look. You won’t regret joining this group of likeminded peers.

Here’s what the program includes (much more detail at the link):

🌿 A full year of in-depth herbal training rooted in traditional Western herbalism, vitalism, and contemporary clinical practice.
🌿 Live weekend classes, in-person for students who can travel to Nova Scotia, or live on Zoom—hands-on, immersive, and community-centred classes on topics ranging from medicine making to phytochemistry.
🌿 Recorded lectures between classes on materia medica, in-depth therapeutics, anatomy and physiology. You watch these to prep for the weekends.
🌿 Herb packages mailed to online students so you can taste the same plants we're working with in class.
🌿 Small class size to foster connection, group learning, and personalized guidance. Join a vibrant learning community of fellow herbalists at a similar stage of learning.

If you have any questions about whether it’s the right fit for you, feel free to DM me—I’m always happy to chat. And if it isn't, there will be lots of other herbal offerings this year, which you can follow on the events page of our website.

Intermediate Program Register for the 2025-2026 Program Are you looking to delve into a deep study of herbal medicine? Whether you already have some herbal studies under your belt, or are a very keen beginner, there is a point where you are ready to deepen and solidify your herbal skills, so you can...

04/10/2025

Herbal Support for Lyme Disease

📅 Tuesday, May 6, 2025
🕡 6:30–8:30 PM Atlantic (5:30–7:30 PM Eastern)
💻 Live on Zoom | Recording available afterward
💸 $30 + HST (Discount codes below)

Discount Codes:

STUDENT10: 10% off for current and former students​
YARROW25: 25% off for those facing financial challenges​

Living on the South Shore of Nova Scotia/Mi'kma'ki, where Lyme disease rates are among the highest globally, I've had the opportunity to work closely with many individuals at various stages of this illness. Having personally experienced Lyme disease twice, I understand its complexities and challenges.​

Herbal medicine and integrative care have so much to offer—from managing symptoms and reducing inflammation, to combatting the infection itself, to supporting the immune system, nervous system, and tissues that are often damaged by the infection.

In this 2 hour class, we'll explore:

🌿 Understanding Lyme Disease: The stages and their unique impacts on the body.​

🌿 Herbal Interventions: How herbs can assist in prevention, tick bite care, acute infections, and chronic conditions.​

🌿 Complementary Care: Integrating herbal remedies with conventional treatments, including supportive formulas for those on antibiotics.​

🌿 Managing Chronic Symptoms: Insights into Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome and herbal strategies for lingering symptoms.​

Lyme disease can be overwhelming, but with a deeper understanding and the right tools, we can foster resilience and healing!

Registration:
Secure your spot here:

This class will be live on Zoom at 6:30-8:30 PM Atlantic Time (5:30-7:30 PM Eastern Time) A recording will be made available for anyone who couldn't attend live after the class. I didn’t choose Lyme disease as a focus for my practice. It chose me. I live on the South Shore of Nova Scotia/Mi'km

02/28/2025

FREE Class this weekend, in person, in Tantallon!

Our health cannot be separated from the earth that nourishes us. The growing epidemic of chronic illness is deeply entwined with a disconnected culture, degradation of the earth and societal inequalities.

Many are embracing herbal medicine as a path to empowered healthcare that connects us with our own bodies, each other, and the natural rhythms of the earth.

As an interested or aspiring herbalist, how do you really become competent and of service to yourself, family and community given the health challenges we face? Whether you are new to herbal medicine, or you are wondering what is the next step to improve your knowledge and skill, this workshop is for you.

In this workshop, we will cover:

Core philosophies and tools vital to a vibrant, ethical, and effective approach to herbal medicine.

The potential of herbal medicine in empowering, accessible, integrative healthcare.

How to connect with teachers and resources that will improve your herbalism skills.

How to apply the concepts you learn to support immune system resilience

As part of this workshop, we will also share some details about our upcoming Intermediate Program starting in May 2025. The times we live in deeply need the skills, intention, and heart that herbalists can offer. Come join experienced clinical herbalists Ember Peters and Oren Hercz in a class to fuel your inspiration and help guide you on your herbal path!

02/27/2025

Hi folks, the early bird tuition deadline is coming up on 🌿March 6th🌿 for the Fundamentals of Herbal Medicine Program, which starts in May. Register before this date to save $150.

This is an in-person experiential program happening on the South Shore that spans the 4 seasons of the year. Come build a foundation for using herbs intelligently in your life, creating your own natural medicine chest of remedies best suited to you and your loved ones.

In this age of impersonal and online learning, the power of coming together in community to learn, grow, and connect with the earth cannot be underestimated! Click the link to learn all the details, and I would really appreciate it if you would spread the word too!

The purpose of this course is to give you the skills and knowledge to become a confident home herbalist. We'll also aim to have a lot of fun connecting with the earth and nature’s green healers! The course will span a full year as we move through the seasons, learning what and when to harvest, und

02/20/2025

Hi folks, this Tuesday evening, Feb. 25th, will be the last time we are be offering this free online workshop for a while. It is also a fundraiser for the Herbalist Association of Nova Scotia (optional donation info on the event page).

In this workshop, Ember and I distill our collective knowledge of key principles to follow in order to become an empowered and effective herbalist. We'll also apply some of these key concepts to winter cold/flu resilience, so you'll have some immediate practical applications of the principles as well!

Go here to register (or click below):
https://bit.ly/herbalpath

Online workshop live on zoom, hosted by the Herbalist Association of Nova Scotia (HANS).

02/16/2025

Getting feedback like this from our students means a lot to us. It helps us know we're on the right track and keeps us going!

If you’re interested in getting to know more about us and our approach to herbalism, (Ember Peters) and I will be offering our free class “Rising to the Health Challenges of Our Times with Herbal Medicine” both online and in person over the next month at different locations. More info and to register just go to the link for Maritime School of Holistic Herbalism:

https://www.maritimeherbschool.com/events

“This program was such a generous offering. I’m amazed at the depth and breadth we covered in one year. Oren and Ember are really excellent teachers who have created a really special learning opportunity that cultivates discussion, appreciation, and curiosity. I left with a very solid skillset and am now embedded in a lovely community of herb nerds!”
Annie Gaughan

“This has been a great and worthwhile course! I learned a lot about therapeutics, herbal energetics, and chemistry. To me the course has drawn on the most useful information from science as well as herbalism's traditions, and so I feel like I've got the best of both worlds. Ember and Oren are patient, knowledgeable instructors who seem to really care about herbalism and the plants themselves, as shown in the classes about ethics. This fairly advanced course would be useful for people who want to become herbalists, and for people who want to use herbs to support their own health along with the health of their families and friends.”
Justin Buckley

“Choosing to enrol in the Maritime School of Holistic Herbalism's Intermediate Program was the right decision. I got to build upon my existing knowledge while challenging myself with more formal herbal education. The course is very well organised and has something for everyone, whether it be for family & self care or working towards more formal herbalist training. I'm very grateful to Ember and Oren for sharing their expertise.”
Sarah Densmore