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MEET YOUR HERBALIST

Hi, I’m Gina Badger (they/she). I am a clinical energetic herbalist and the founder of Long Spell. I am a queer nonbinary femme of mixed western european ancestry born on Cree territory and currently living on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh nations. My lifework is contributing to a collective vision of holistic health care that’s equally heartfelt and irreverent, down-to-earth and visionary, gentle and rigorous.

I launched Long Spell in 2018, and I have been growing and making my own medicine, offering workshops, and serving as a community herbalist for more than ten years. As a Registered Herbal Therapist (RHT, BCHA), I have completed 2,500+ hours of training in herbal medicine, botany, and first aid. Before pursuing herbalism as a career, I worked as a visual artist and editor for over a decade, having earned an MSc in Visual Studies from MIT (2010) and a BFA in Studio Art and Art History from Concordia University (2008).

Karyn Sanders and Sarah Holmes of the Blue Otter School of Herbal Medicine and Colleen Emery are my primary herb teachers, and I continue to benefit from their mentorship. Thanks to their teachings, my practice is informed by both Indigenous energetic principles (via Karyn’s Choctaw lineage) and the western herbal tradition. As a white settler practicing earth-based medicine on occupied Indigenous lands, I am committed to a lifelong process of transparency and reciprocity with respect to the knowledge I have been entrusted with. I strive to be holistic about this commitment, which includes honouring the teachings by working with them to the best of my ability; making regular financial and herbal donations in support of Indigenous-led organizing, herbalists, and herbal education; ethical herb sourcing (avoiding wildcrafting and wildcrafted herbs); citing my practices and rejecting cultural appropriation. I don’t have this all figured out and I welcome engagement on this topic for those who are interested—get in touch using the form below!

Primary Training

2020–22

Holistic Herbalism Advanced Clinical Program

Emery Herbals (Winlaw, BC)

2019

Materia Medica and Medicine-Making

Wild Seed School of Herbal Studies (Salt Spring Island, BC)

2017–18

Light Falling from the Stars: Advanced Practitioner Program

Blue Otter School of Herbal Medicine (Fort Jones, CA)

2017–18

Student Clinic, BCCCS Wellness Centre

Wild Seed School of Herbal Studies (Vancouver, BC)

2015

Certificate in Energetic Herbalism

Blue Otter School of Herbal Medicine (Fort Jones, CA)

Additional Trainings

2022

Gastrointestinal Deep-Dive

Camille Freeman (Luray, VA)

2022

Towards a Transgender Inclusive & Gender Affirming Herbalism

Ember Peters (Canadian Herb Conference)

2022

Functional Medicine – Reading & Interpreting Blood Work for Herbal Practitioners

Bev Maya (Canadian Herb Conference)

2021

The Menstrual Cycle as a Vital Sign

Camille Freeman (American Herbalist's Guild Symposium)

2021

Functional Lab Values: An Important Tool for Harm-Reduction

Christa Whiteman (American Herbalist's Guild Symposium)

2021

Gender-Affirming Primary Care

University of British Columbia Continuing Professional Development and Trans Care BC (Vancouver, BC)

2020

A Constitutional Approach to Chronic Pain

Ember Peters (Halifax, NS)

2020

Herbs and Hormones

Ember Peters (Halifax, NS)

2015

Wilderness First Aid and CPR PRO

MASHH + Wild River Medical Training (Klamath River, CA)

2014

Organic Master Gardener

Gaia College (Toronto, ON)

2014

Queer Ancestral Healing Worskshop

Dori Midnight and Atava Garcia Swiecicki

2007

Monteregian Flora

McGill University (Montreal, QC)

2005

Practical Herbology Field Course

Flora Medicina (Montreal, QC)

Did you know?

Herbalism is an unregulated modality in Canada, so herbalists and our clients alike are responsible for educating ourselves about expectations for training and care. This means we are continually co-creating what it means to work within this robust, ancestral, and culturally diverse modality—in part, through regional Herbalists’ Associations. I am a Registered Herbal Therapist member of the BC Herbalists’ Association, which has the highest standard of education of any herbal association in North America.

Contact Me