Find Funding Search Schools & Careers
Helping Canadians get back to work.

The Bloom Institute for Herbal Studies

989 Young Avenue, Halifax NS

Possible funding to those who qualify*

  • Nova Scotia Student Loan
  • Loans
  • Grants
  • Bursaries
  • Scholarships

Programs

Programs offered at each campus may vary, so be sure to check other campus offerings for the course you are most interested in.

Healthcare, Wellness, Pharma Programs

  • HIGHLIGHTS:

    THE CURRICULUM WILL REFLECT THE DIVERSITY INHERENT IN HERBALISM.
    • One of the few live, in-class, herbal colleges in North America
    • Direct learning with and from the plants
    • Exceeds standards requirements for professional designation
    • Learning with experienced, inspired, expert instructors
    • Halifax and Nova Scotia are herbally rich places to live and study
    • The college offers a regional flare represented by native plants and Mi’kmaq healing traditions
    • Diverse and beautiful class settings in the wilds of Nova Scotia
    • Herbal sanctuaries and farms, herbal laboratories and one of Halifax’s most grand heritage buildings with herbal teaching garden.
    • Blending of the timeless and modern aspects of herbalism, clinical study, and spirit connected learning

    THE PROGRAM INCLUDES:

    • 1500 hours of instruction spread over 3 years, 500 hours per year
    • 350 hours of clinical practicum included.
    • 2/3 of the herbal study is dedicated to direct learning with and from the plants, which translates as in-the-field-study of medicinal plants, in various settings throughout Nova Scotia.
    • In class study (with and without walls), with a team of experienced and inspired herbal teachers and other specialist in the field of medicine and well-being.
    • Meaningful participation within the Bloom Institute community.
  • Re-connect with the age-old practice of self care through natural means. Commit to a one year program of in depth personal health exploration:
    • Form a relationship with over 100 herbs and trees growing in your community
    • Create a personal model for health
    • Use the seasons, and elements of nature as guides
    • Identify your personal Ayurvedic constitution as a tool for balance
    • Learn how to use, and make your own herbal tonics
    • Understand your body systems and their interconnectedness
    • Discover the vitality of whole foods, and learn how to prepare them
    • Participate in herb walks, field trips, and summer weekend retreat
    • Explore mind/body/spirit connection
    • Plant~Spirit medicine

  • Deepen your relationship with plant medicine.

    This course follows Bloom Herbal Studies Level I and is designed to deepen your knowledge and experience with herbs, for application in your personal life. Where Level I offers practical, foundational level herbal and health studies, level two delves more in depth into some of the finer aspects of herbalism.

  • Immerse yourself in the

    healing power of plants.

    In this year-long seasonal wellness program you'll form dynamic relationships with  over 100 helpful plants. We’ll go outside together in this plant-centred, hands-on, interactive course,  learn to identify the plants, and learn how to use them to make herbal tonics to boost your health year-round.  My goal in offering this program is to provide you with experiences and knowledge to increase awareness of yourself and the natural world, both vast sources of wisdom and healing. We will explore, in an experiential way, the value of seasonal attunement, nature’s remedies, mind-body awareness and holistic living in order to create a personal model for health and wellness.

    Optimize your health & well-being.

    Much more than a herbal medicine course, this is a holistic self-care program  during which you will create a personalized wellness plan for yourself,  using the seasons and elements as a guide.   You will get to know yourself and your body, and learn how to use Ayurvedic techniques to balance your constitution.  ​ By the end of the year, you’ll have compiled a personalized seasonal reference guide that you can use year after year, as you continue to deepen your relationship to healing herbs.

  • DO YOU WANT TO...

    ...expand your local plant repertoire by meeting new plants? ...add additional herbal preparations to your medicine making toolkit?  ...fine-tune your plant knowledge by differentiating between plants with similar effects?

    Customize your plant knowledge.

    In this nine-month seasonal wellness program you'll meet new herbs, and study the plants you already know in greater detail. Now that you know the basics, you will gain a more advanced knowledge of how to apply herbs to your lifestyle, and learn to differentiate between plants with similar effects to further customize your tonics and remedies.  For example, which of the 20-some nervines is best for you?  What is the difference between the many adaptogens?  ​Studying medicinal pioneers has given me a whole new appreciation of the wisdom of our ancestors. Having an established base of knowledge from year one allows us to focus more on hearing what the plants and our teacher have to share with us instead of constantly scribbling notes. In year two we have been able to visit herbs in alternate seasons and new locations to help reinforce our understanding of the plants and deepen our connection to them. Adding more tree and lichen medicine to our repertoire this year has sparked an area of new interest for us to explore in our own back yards. Our monthly herbal adventures with Savayda have become an addiction that I'm proud to share with my family, friends, co-workers and the occasional stranger!  

Halifax Campus

Herbal Medicine is the use of plants to restore health. It is the oldest form of medicine known and is an integral part of all traditional healing systems around the world.

Herbal Remedies can be made from all parts of plants, including the roots, leaves, flowers, barks, seeds and fruits. Scientific study has revealed that any given herb has many active compounds, which helps to explain how they work medicinally. Scientists and drug researchers have gone a step further and isolated individual chemicals from herbs believing that this is what produces an effect. I, and most herbalists, believe this to be false. It is the whole plant, working in its synergistic entirety that heals. When a plant chemical is isolated in this way it becomes a drug, in fact most pharmaceutical drugs are derived in this way. In this isolated form there is risk of side effects. When used in whole form, as they have been for centuries, herbs are well documented as being safe and effective.

A herbalist understands the complexities of herbal medicines, and with this in depth knowledge can match people with the best possible plants for healing. Herbs can be mild, moderate, or strong in their effect, and are dosed accordingly. One of the foundational tenets of herbal medicine is to treat people, instead of treating diseases. Two people with the same disease may have entirely different causes and experiences with that disease, thus requiring different herbs and an individualized healing program.

There are many ways to incorporate herbs into your life. I like to use herbs seasonally, as tonics. Herbs have affinity for certain organs or systems in the body, some act as tonics to strengthen, while others act more powerfully to restore function. Ultimately, herbs assist the body with its innate self-correcting ability.

Unfortunately, many people are so unwell that their self-healing ability has been weakened, which is evident in the increasing numbers of chronic degenerative diseases like cancer, diabetes, auto-immune disease, arthritis, heart disease and infertility. Herbal medicine offers solutions to these modern epidemics.

Herbal Medicine can be part of an integrative approach to health and can be used along with conventional drugs and other treatments. In this case, it is important to consult with a herbal practitioner to plan the best strategy and to avoid complications.

*All student funding, whether made available privately or through various government branches, is only approved to those who qualify, by the original source of funding. There are many criteria that each candidate must meet to be approved. Schools can only inform you of what may be available.
© 2024 StudentLoansandGrants.com