Oren Hercz, Clinical Herbalist

10/07/2025

Thank you to Bloom Greenhouse for inviting me to teach this free (or by donation) workshop at their lovely space in Halifax. It will be lovely to meet some of you Halifax folks.

Some of the topics 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 for cold & flu season
🌿Hands-on learning!! – Through sampling herbs, we’ll use our senses and core philosophies to introduce the six foundational herbal actions (an intuitive shorthand for accelerating your herbal skills).

To register visit:
Maritimeherbchool.com/events
OR
Bloomgreenhouse.com - and then navigate to "workshops."

10/03/2025

Would you like to have fewer colds this season, and if you do get sick have it be less. . . awful? Ember Peters and I are teaming up again to offer a 2 part online series, Herbal Support for Cold & Flu season. The first session is on immune support *before* you get sick and happens on October 20th. The next session on the 27th is on managing respiratory infections. Come for one, or sign up for the full series!

Details and registration:
www.maritimeherbschool.com/events

09/25/2025

Last chance to sign-up for the Root Medicine Intensive happening this Sunday in Chester Basin!

Sep 28 Root Medicine Intensive (with Oren and Ember) Sunday, September 28, 2025 10:00 a.m. 4:30 p.m. 182 Demont Road Chester Basin, NS, B0J 1K0 Canada (map) Google Calendar ICS If you want to learn about herbal medicines outside while getting your hands dirty, this class is for you! Ember and Or...

09/19/2025

Just a week away from the Root Medicine Intensive. Come dig in the dirt with Ember and I, and learn:

🌿 how to harvest medicinal roots sustainably, centring the well-being of the plants
🌿 how to prepare root medicine including tinctures and honeys for the autumn and winter seasons (you will go home with some!)
🌿 how to harvest and use six different common root medicinal herbs: elecampane, burdock, echinacea, black cohosh, marshmallow, dandelion

Learn through your own senses and innate experience! Grow your herbal confidence so you can go home and harvest your own! No previous experience necessary, all are welcome. All materials provided. Limited spots available.

Register at:
maritimeherbschool.com/events

09/16/2025

Come join our Root Medicine Intensive Sept. 28th. We’ll be harvesting Black Cohosh (below) and others. Visit Maritimeherbschool.com/events to register! 🌿

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...