Menu of Services

I am currently available to see clients by appointment.
(720) 323-7319

Heather Luttrell CCH

Certified Clinical Herbalist, Reiki Practitioner, Nutritionist

Herbal Nutritional Intake ~ 2 hours ~ $100.00

During your initial appointment, a complete medical history is taken, and your reasons for consulting me are discussed in detail. Some initial suggestions may be made on this day, although this appointment is primarily for gathering information, which I will then spend time analyzing, and I will research and put together a customized plan of action for us to negotiate at your follow-up appointment. A flower essence formula is offered for emotional support at all appointments.

Acute Herbal/Nutritional Intake ~ 1 hour ~ $60, additional time is prorated in 15 minutes increments @ $15 each.

During your initial appointment, your reasons for consulting me are discussed in detail. Some initial suggestions and formulations may be made on this day, although this appointment is primarily for gathering information, which I will then spend time analyzing, and I will research and put together a customized plan of action for us to negotiate at your follow-up appointment. A flower essence formula is offered for emotional support at all appointments.

Herbal/Nutritional Follow-up ~ 1 hour $60, additional time is prorated @ $15/15 minutes

At your follow-up appointment, we will go over your customized plan of action, and negotiate where you would like to begin. These suggestions may include diet and lifestyle changes, herbal formulas, and essences.

Flower Essence Consultation ~ 30 minutes/$30.00, 60 minutes/$60.00

Flower essence consultations are designed to offer emotional support at any time it is needed or desired. Essences offer support and structure to help bring us back into balance. I primarily work with Bach Flower Essences, Perelandra Garden Essences, and Alaskan Gem Essences.

Reiki Session ~ 1 hour $60

Clients are fully-clothed during a Reiki Session.

Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. It is administered by "laying on hands" and is based on the idea that an unseen "life force energy" flows through us and is what causes us to be alive. If one's "life force energy" is low, then we are more likely to get sick or feel stress, and if it is high, we are more capable of being happy and healthy.

The word Reiki is made of two Japanese words - Rei which means "God's Wisdom or the Higher Power" and Ki which is "life force energy". So Reiki is actually "spiritually guided life force energy."

A treatment feels like a wonderful glowing radiance that flows through and around you. Reiki treats the whole person including body, emotions, mind and spirit creating many beneficial effects that include relaxation and feelings of peace, security and wellbeing. Many have reported miraculous results.

Reiki is a simple, natural and safe method of spiritual healing and self-improvement that everyone can use. It has been effective in helping virtually every known illness and malady and always creates a beneficial effect. It also works in conjunction with all other medical or therapeutic techniques to relieve side effects and promote recovery.

Combination Herbal/Nutritional Follow up and Reiki ~ 1 ½ hours/$90.00

A combination session involves a conversational follow-up, where we will talk about the work you are doing with your diet and lifestyle changes, essences are offered to support you with what is going on in your life, and the appointment is then ended with a Reiki session.

Self Care

Superwoman!!! Da dat da dah! I'm not Superwoman, but sometimes (lots of times), I forget that I am a mere mortal, and can't do anything and everything that crosses my mind or path. I like to be busy, I love getting things done, racking up accomplishments, being resourceful. And then I start to notice that I am always tired, my sense of humor is wearing a little thin, and all I really want to do is stay in bed with my dogs, watching cartoons. It's hard to pay bills when you stay in bed and watch cartoons, and the dogs aren't any help at all when it comes to rent.

So, times like these (now) are times when I try extra hard to remember to take my vitamins, and eat a really good breakfast. (high protein, what most people would consider to be dinner) I think I'll thaw out some lamb for tomorrow, and cook some sweet potatoes and lentils. Mmmm....... comfort food, nutrient dense, warm, delicious, building. I'll remember to meditate and do my self-care.

I may even go to bed early, and stay in bed just a little late, but instead of cartoons, I think I'll be dreamy-eyed over seed catalogs, plotting and planning for when the Earth starts to wake up again, and the soil is ready for seeds. It'll be here before I know it, seed sowing time.

That's the problem with staying busy, life moves faster when I move faster, and spring will be here in a blink. Even sooner is the co-op, we open February 3rd, and there are herbs to order, tinctures to make and cabinets to paint. Much much more to do, but that will suffice for now. Smaller to-do lists, and more naps. And breakfast.

Preparing for the cold...

It's getting cold! I'm not really ready for fall, but I don't think it will wait for me to be ready, so I am embracing the descending energy, and preparing for the cold.

I'm so reluctant to let go of the bounty of the harvest. I am spoiled. I love walking outside and picking most of my breakfast every day. Today I harvested Amaranth leaves, basil flowers, a purple bell pepper and a tomato, and cooked them up with half of an onion from the farmers market, a clove of garlic, a can of kippers, and some olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I will miss fresh greens when they run out.

I have been cleaning up my neglected tomato plants, collecting finished compost and starting a new batch in the tumbler. That compost is black black black! It's beautiful, and the next round of crops are sure to love it.

Speaking of the next round, I am going to cover my tomatoes with a very low tech hoop house to extend the season a bit, and am considering what to plant underneath them. Broccoli? Kale? Chard? Leeks? Spinach? The tomatoes won't last too far into winter, even with the hoop, but I'd like to make the most of the subclimate the hoop will create.

I was at the Resource Sales Yard yesterday, hunting for PVC pipe for my hoop, and happened upon a great old door instead. It has 5 panes of glass, and will make a fantastic top for a cold frame. That old door is going to save me a fair amount of measuring, cutting and assembly. Now I just need to figure out the ideal angle and build myself a box! I also lucked out with a roll of chicken wire to contain the leaves that won't be fitting into my compost bins.

The first light frost is coming up quickly, and afterwards will be the ideal time to plant the heirloom garlic I ordered from Seed Savers. I've never grown my own garlic, and I'm really excited about it! I ordered 3 different varieties, and need to prepare their bed. More about garlic later!

So, what are you doing to extend your growing season? Who out there has built a cold frame or a hoop house? What tips and tricks do you have to share?

Green Blessings!

Basil ~ Materia Medica and Unconventional Usage

Mmmm, basil :) I planted a lot of basil this year (too much?) and am now fully involved, as Shawna said, in "sexually frustrating my basil." I hate wasting those fragrant blossoms, and the tiny leaves that come with them. So, I have been cooking with basil flowers, and adding them to really awesome teas. By themselves, they are divine, and as a compliment, they are unequaled. Today's tea is simple - basil blossoms muddled slightly in my mortar and pestle, add hot water. Wow.

Let's see, I promised unconventional uses, didn't I? In Belize, Rosita taught us the magic of Spiritual Bathing. That's one of the reasons I planted so much basil, actually. For my spiritual baths. The Maya call Basil Ca-cal-tun, and it is used in baths "to cure spiritual ailments such as susto, envy, grief and evil magic." Basil, Rue and Marigold are a powerful combination for this kind of therapy. Their gifts go deep, and I find them to be invaluable allies.

I have more plans for those lovely flowers. On the docket are: infused oil, infused vinegar and tincture. I have visions of using the oil in a lovely bug repellent recipe next year.

Watch at the market for fresh snipped basil to put in your pasta!

Ocimum basilicum; Labiatae

Common names ~ Basil, sweet basil, garden basil

Part used ~ aerial parts

Dosages: Tincture ~ 10-30 drops, Tea ~ standard infusion

Vitalist Actions and Energetics ~ spicy, warm

Meridians / Organs affected ~ lungs, stomach

Clinical Actions (properties) ~ diaphoretic, antipyretic, antispasmodic, carminative, stomachic, galactagogue, aromatic, anti-inflammatory, diuretic

Biochemical Actions ~ antimicrobial, choleretic, antibacterial, antiviral, anti-parasitic

Primary uses

Internal ~ fevers, colds, flu, stomach cramps, vomiting, indigestion, intestinal catarrh, constipation, enteritis, whooping cough, headaches and menstrual pains, loss of appetite, nonulcer dyspepsia, minor inflammations of the GI tract, genitourinary tract, and upper respiratory tract. flatulence, colic, nausea, nervous irritability, fatigue, depression, insomnia, anxiety, epilepsy, migraine

External ~ as mouthwash or gargle for inflammation of the mouth and throat, as mouthwash or chewing for bad breath, as wet compress, poultice or ointment for wounds and as a hair rinse for hair loss, insect repellent, insect bites

Cautions ~ not to be used during pregnancy or lactation

Sources:
Arvigo, Rosita and Balick, Michael ~ Rainforest Remedies
Chevalier, Andrew ~ Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine
Tierra, Michael ~ Planetary Herbology
Skenderi ~ Herbal Vade Mecum

I have a dream...

Somewhere in my future lies a charming, warm, inviting little healing center, surrounded by lush gardens, and filled with a multitude of delightful medicines. I envision a little cottage made of cob, a bit like a hobbit house. There will be a clinic room or two, a small foyer, a bathroom, a kitchen with a health department approved triple sink, and an herbal pharmacy. Nothing so large as to be cumbersome to maintain or pay for, but a place just right, just big enough for all who need it. The thickness of the cob walls will be a blessing, blocking out the sounds of the busy town around it, staying cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

Maybe the foyer will be bigger, and not be a foyer at all, but an herb shop. I could see clients in the mornings, before the shop opens, and there would be classes and events, herb walks, and celebrations.

I would like to build that little healing center, and promote health, vitality and localization in my community. We could have a summer day camp for kids, where they could learn all about how to plant seeds in a garden, watch how the different plants grow, and learn what gifts those plants have to offer.

What a pleasant dream, this dream.

This week's Farmers Market feature - Tummy Tea!

The crop report is up! Here's my write up for this week, but do check out the link for all that will be offered!


WILD VITALITY- LOUISVILLE, CO

Heather Luttrell CCH of Wild Vitality is a Certified Clinical Herbalist, Reiki Practitioner and Nutritionist. She is a Louisville resident and small business owner, with an office on Main Street where she sees clients by appointment for herbal/nutritional consultations and Reiki. Sign up with Heather to stay in the loop for class offerings this fall, and don't forget to enter the drawing for a FREE Reiki Session! (an $80 value!) Heather specializes in custom formulas, so please ask for what you need if you don't see it offered!

This week Heather will have:

• an assortment of culinary and medicinal herb plants
• teas & herbal blends ~tummy tea, nutritive tea, peace tea, demulcent drink, aphrodesiac infusion, tonic soup herbs, and the much loved antioxidant bomb!
• Flower essence sprays ~ 5 flower/rescue remedy spray, Road Rage spray, No More Monsters spray
• White Sage Room Clearing Spray (think liquid smudge with extra goodness)
• Bug Spray ~ no scary chemicals here!
• White Sage Salve
• handmade semi-precious gemstone beaded jewelry

This week's featured product is Tummy Tea! Tummy tea, a favorite recipe amongst my colleagues, is a wonderfully healing blend of Calendula flowers, Chamomile flowers, Plantain leaves, Marshmallow root, Peppermint leaves, Fennel seeds and Licorice root.

Tummy tea is helpful for those with digestive upsets, leaky gut, food allergies, dysbiosis, flatulence, diarrhea, and really most digestive "stuff". Tummy Tea won't get to the root of what's going on with you, but these herbs are great allies while you're figuring it out! I suggest drinking Tummy Tea 20 minutes before your meal, and/or after your meal. I recommend a quart a day for my clients with digestive maladies. For best results, use anywhere from 1 teaspoon to 1 Tablespoon of herbs per cup of nearly boiling water, and brew covered for 20 minutes or so. I like my herbs floating freely in the water, and I strain them out right before drinking my tea. You can use the muslin bag that comes with your bag of Tummy Tea, or a simple kitchen strainer. French press pots and travel mugs are fantastic for brewing herbal teas! Sweeten to taste with honey or stevia and enjoy! The package is re-usable, compostable and biodegradable! Call me for a refill and I'll give you a discount!

Graduation

Wow. It's so hard to believe that I've graduated! I think I've gotten lost in the process, and can't see the forest for the trees. It's been all about plugging away, learning, writing up cases, reading cases, writing feedback, writing my thesis, etc for so long, that I don't quite know what to think now that it's finished. The learning continues eternally, of course, but the structure has fallen away to leave me with a glorious springtime in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.













Our ceremony was unbelievably lovely. It's been 15 years since I have graduated from anywhere or anything, so I really didn't know what to expect. Penny organized the lovely space, Bobbie and her Mom did a fabulous job decorating, and Karen organized the compostable place settings. We all pitched in for a Nutritionist potluck, and I have got to say, the spread was amazing! I made Michael Moore's perversely decadent guarana fudge and a kava beverage to balance us out. It was a nice party! Family and Friends came out to honor us and celebrate with us, and for that I am truly thankful. There was so much love and support in the room.

It moves me to tears to realize that our graduation ceremony may be the last time I sit before Paul Bergner as he tells us wonderful stories to inspire us, bring us to deep reflection, and help us remember the lessons. He is a gifted storyteller, and would have made a very successful Bard, in those times. His generosity, compassion and vision are integral to the impact he has made upon all of our lives. I know that mine will never be the same. What a wonderful gift to humanity, to be a Teacher. I know that his rewards will be great.

With hardly a moment to breathe, or process the transition, my first day at the Louisville Farmers Market was Saturday. The weather was perfect Colorado Springtime, and it was the best opening day I've ever had at a market. I am inspired and hopeful. To be sustainable is my goal, and it will be lovely to make a go at it with the market and my private practice.

I've had my hands in the dirt every day, and have given up removing the last bits of soil from under my nails. I have been planting seeds, dividing and transplanting herbs, cleaning last year's dead wood, and hauling cinderblocks for my new veggie garden. I've eaten fresh, wild greens almost every day, and last night shared a meal of barbequed buffalo, greens and fingerling potatoes with a dear friend. I feel good about the work ahead of me, and hopeful. I meet more people every day with the vision of a greener, more sustainable life. It is heartening, and I welcome my place in this grassroots evolution.

Dandelions

Dandelions rock! I love them. I remember living in Michigan, and sitting in my Grandmother's front yard with the dandelions, just hanging out and getting to know them. It was a magickal feeling, communing with the dandelions, and pondering the gift of their medicine. As a little girl, we rubbed the flowers on our chins to see if we liked butter or not!

This sweet little dandelion lives in my front yard next to the walk, and I couldn't resist a picture, cozy the way it is with that grape hyacinth. They are two of the first flowers for the bees, and make me so happy. I "encourage" the dandelions in my yard, and this year there really are a lot of them. I always make a wish before I blow on the puffballs :)

Dandelions are an invaluable wild food, prolific and early, and full of vitality. I try to eat some almost every day as we come out of winter. The first day is a little odd, I'm never really sure how I feel about that bitterness. A funny thing happens to me on the second day. I can't stop thinking about dandelions! I begin to crave them.

Bitter is cold and dry energetically, the perfect flavor and energetic to lift the dampness and "stuck" feeling I have by the end of winter. My body craves fresh, wild foods.

Cooking with dandelions is so easy! I go outside with my steamer basket or a strainer, whatever I have handy. Look out across your lawn, and notice which plants call to you. You may think that some look brighter than others, or feel inexplicably drawn to some over others. These are the dandelions that are offering you their medicine. Be respectful of these beings, and thank them sincerely for their offerings. I always say "thank you" as I am harvesting. Take some from each plant, being careful to leave enough greenery behind to feed the plant.

Dandelion greens get more bitter as the season progresses, so later, when the bitterness becomes too much, you can pickle the leaves. Now, while the bitterness is tonic and pleasant, they make a nice addition to sauteed onions and mushrooms with garlic. I like to chop them and put them in soups, or make pesto! Dandelion pesto is fantastic! There are many many ways to prepare Dandelions. Be creative!

Last week I sauteed an onion with coconut oil in a saucepan until the onion was translucent. Then I added a can of pumpkin, a can of coconut milk, nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger. While the soup was warming back up, I went out to my front yard and picked a basket of dandelion greens. Rinsed and chopped, they went into the soup. My friends raved about that soup! It was tasty, and was adapted from a recipe I found in Susun Weed's Healing Wise. She has a really nice chapter on dandelions.

I also baked a salmon with rice and dandelion greens last week. I had high expectations, as everything that went into that pan was yummy! Turns out, according to my friend with a culinary degree, that I actually poached the salmon instead of baking, and that's why it came out kind of bland. I sprinkled Old Bay, Dill and Garlic powder liberally over the salmon fillet (wild caught Alaskan), then poured 1 C of rice around the salmon, covered the rice with 2C of hot water (should have been something with some flavor, like veggie stock) and then put washed and chopped dandelion greens on top of the rice. Yum, right? Not so much. The fish was bland, as was the rice. I put tamari on it and that saved the day. Had I used veggie stock instead of plain water, it would have come out the way I had anticipated. Now I know, and so do you! I baked the salmon at 350 for about 45 minutes. Next time it will be as fabulous as I imagine.

Tomorrow is supposed to be a gorgeous day, followed by a cold and rainy/snowy day, so I'll be out bright and early to harvest dandelion blossoms. Susun Weed has a recipe for Dandelion Cordial that is calling to me! I'll stop by the liquor store on the way home for some really nice Vodka, and keep you posted on the results!

Green Blessings!

2008's first sunburn

It's spring!! I know we've all known this for awhile now, but I am finding myself filled with the realization and reveling in this crazy season. Spring here is contrary, sometimes we experience 70 degree days followed by cold snowy days, or frosty nights. I love it! The second round of tulips are up, the grape hyacinths are all abuzz with happy honey bees, and the lovely little Lemon Balm in my garden has woken up.

I planted pansies as soon as I could, and some violas just went in. I tucked spinach and swiss chard amongst the blooms, hidden in plain sight on my front porch. Kale babies are nested in the holes of the cinderblocks that make up my garden. The dandelions! I love them :) Today I picked dandelion greens to doctor up my soup, and they were stupendous! There's just something about that bitter goodness that makes me wonder the first day of spring that I visit with them, and crave them every day thereafter. I even overheard an older couple walking down the sidewalk comment about cooking dandelion greens, as they witnessed me harvesting in my front yard.

Yesterday I took Athena to the dog park, wandered briefly at Walden Ponds Wildlife Habitat, and walked to work in the evening. This was enough to earn me my first sunburn of the year :) It's just a little burn, and not painful at all. I am happy for spring and my war paint to prove it!

Walden Ponds is an interesting place, and I hadn't visited it before. Funny, I've lived in Boulder County for 6 1/2 years now, and haven't ever been. It's beautiful, and another of those great dichotomies of our culture. "Walden Ponds Wildlife Habitat is located 5 miles northeast of Boulder, ½ mile south of the Jay Road and North 75th Street intersection on the west side of North 75th Street." link ~ The site used to be a gravel pit, and is now reclaimed, having turned into a very important wildlife habitat. It is fed by Boulder Creek, and is the transient home to many species of migratory birds. While I was there yesterday, there were red winged blackbirds singing, lots of Canadian Geese, an otter and a flock of really cool looking white birds with black edges on their wings. These were big birds with long legs, and without binoculars, I was clueless as to their actual identities. Gorgeous in flight. As you drive in, this beautiful sanctuary is on your right, you've just driven past a verdant pasture with horses grazing, and then there are piles of reclaimed asphalt and dirt on the left. Dichotomy. Regardless, this is an excellent place to go for fishing, birdwatching and simple enjoyment of nature. It could make for a nice out and back hike, as well. I'll be back on a day when I have good shoes and a hat!

My Speciality...

I am a very busy woman, and I wear many different hats. I am a Healer. Student. Gardener. Entrepreneur. Daughter. Doberman’s Person. Friend and Sister. Conservationist. Feminist. Environmentalist. Idealist. Worm lover! Musician. Wise Woman. Vitalist…

I don’t have time for things that don’t work, or that take so long to work that you’re never really sure if they’re working at all! I like to see and feel results. I am a fan of what works. Reiki works. Flower and Gem essences work. Herbalism and Nutrition work. Spiritual bathing works. There is much in the world that works, but I can only speak to what I know.

I love it when after a Reiki session my client is riding out the door on the Bliss Train. I love the wonderful allies we have in essences, and their bringing-us-back-into-balance medicine! I love the life-altering effects of getting to the root of chronic illness through Diet, Lifestyle and Herbs! I love the way Spiritual Bathing can touch the things we often do not have names for, but sometimes do, and wash them away with warm, messy, colorful buckets of Sacred Water. I love the Magick and Wisdom of Wild Places, and the insights gained from quiet moments spent in solitude.

I am often asked what I specialize in. People want to know what I prefer; Reiki, Herbs or Nutrition. I have difficulty answering this question when put on the spot, as I have been busy following my heart along the Student/Healer path, and hadn’t really thought about a specialty before. I thought I should spend some time and really think about what I would like to say.

"I am a Healer, and I have many tools in my Medicine Bag. The tools that are brought out depend upon what that Person needs and is open to receiving. Everyone is unique, and so I specialize in plans, formulas and strategies tailored to the needs of the Person in front of me. My approach is Wholistic, and my intention is to treat People like People, instead of like a presenting set of symptoms."

You could say I specialize in making the world a better place, little bits at a time.

Green Blessings,

Heather Luttrell