About Us – Tendril Apothecary and Healing Center

Tendril Apothecary and Healing Center was born from the perfectly unexpected convergence of three life paths, and Laura is at the center of it all.

Hank was traveling for work in early 2020 when he came down with a serious respiratory virus. He found himself bedridden for nearly 2 weeks and his lungs were severely compromised. After the initial infection cleared up he began driving home to Sandpoint, when he caught pneumonia. Hank barely made it home before illness once again consumed him. His body became increasingly starved of oxygen, and between coughing fits and struggling to breathe, his heart was feeling the strain.

One morning, after a fitful night he stood looking out the window as the blue pre-dawn light of morning spread across his yard, and realized that he was dying. Later that day he got his affairs in order, and prepared Caroline, his daughter who was there caring for him, for what was to come.

That evening Caroline called her brother, Henry. Choked with tears she told Henry, “Dad is dying, and there is nothing I can do to help him…” Henry reassured her that it would be alright, hung up with Caroline and then asked Laura, his wife, “Will you please go out to Idaho and save my dad.” Laura agreed, always ready to come to the rescue of anyone in need, and flew out the following morning from Denver.

Under Laura’s care Hank’s condition rapidly improved, and not only did he make a full recovery but within a couple weeks he was actually feeling better than he had in years. Despite his protests, Laura had to return to Henry and their children, and being so close to death’s door Hank had come to a few conclusions. First, he knew that he wanted to have his grandchildren living nearby, next, he realized that he needed some help with his journey back to living a healthy life, and finally, he knew that Laura’s dream was to have a healing center with an apothecary and his gratitude for what she had done inspired him to invest in her dream, hoping to repay her as well as benefit the greater Sandpoint community by bringing her [back] here.

Thus Tendril Apothecary and Healing Center was born, out of a life saved, gratitude and the desire to spread and share that benefit with all.riou

Practitioners

Laura Clemmons

Practitioner/ Co-owner

Laura Clemmons, co-owner of Tendril is a certified herbalist and graduate of the Rocky Mountain Center for Botanical Studies.

She also studied Functional Medicine with Dr. Aviva Romm M.D. in her Functional and Integrative Medicine Professional Training Program, Traditional Chinese Medicine under Dr. Gu Ding at the Shen Nong Center in Philadelphia, PA and Mayan Traditional Healing Practices and Uterine Care with Ms. Beatrice Waight in Belize, and Ann Drucker in Boulder, CO. She has held apprenticeships with many teachers ranging from indegenous Linda White Dove in herbal medicine, Claudia Rosewolf in traditional North American indigenous healing practices, Pei Fen Yan in Chinese Medicine, and Shamanic Journeying with Chris Davidson at Ancient Ways Shamanic Training. Laura comes from a strong lineage of Italian healers, known as the Strega. Reclaiming that name, Laura named her clinical practice Strega Gardens to honor the women in her family who held the role of the herbalist and healer. She is also the owner of Tendril Apothecary and Healing Center in Sandpoint, ID, an integrative health care clinic where she is blending the best of ancient wisdom and modern technology along with creating a culture for practitioners of support and community. At Tendril they have a full apothecary, rooms for clinicians to see clients, as well as halo therapy, hyperbaric therapy, cryotherapy and a float tank which practitioners are able to integrate into their client’s recommended protocols. Laura has practiced herbalism for 20 years and prefers to grow or wildcraft most of the herbs used in her practice, as well as make her own tinctures, tea blends, glycerites, oils, and any other concoctions needed. Laura focuses on functional medicine, thyroid and adrenal imbalances, fertility, pre/post-natal health, and childhood wellness. Her work attends to physical, psychological and spiritual issues, recognizing that these systems are intertwined and inseparable. Laura is also active within her local and broader communities. She runs the Sandpoint Women’s Red Tent, acts as a mentor for both mothers and pre-menarche girls in mother-daughter groups, works with Herbalists Without Borders, supports Ann Drucker’s work in bringing herbal medicine to underserved communities along the US-Mexico border, supports Miss Beatrice’s family in Belize as well as regularly donates to and supports other non-profit organizations.

Henry Clemmons

Health Coach / Co-owner

Henry has been a lifelong student of health and medicine, and has studied a number of healing modalities including …

including everything from shamanism to conventional human medicine. When presenting live at workshops and talks, he often recalls a pivotal moment that began a huge transformation in his approach to working with patients. Henry is a certified Health Coach and Habit Change Specialist from the Health Coach Institute. Aside from a resume including degrees, apprenticeships, incredible teachers, unbelievable mentors and crazy experiences that dance along the border of plausibility, he finds his passion in helping people to transform their lives, reawakening to possibilities and purpose, and returning to a state of vitality. With his unique blend of experience in the realm of health, psychology, spirituality, communication and wildness he is able to bring to the table what others cannot; the ability to get you the life you want through mindset mastery. Henry is also a serial entrepreneur, and has started several successful businesses over the years. With Tendril, he sees an opportunity to change the entire paradigm of complementary and alternative medicine in the United States. Using the principles of Newtonian physics and permaculture design he is creating a revolutionary business model where his primary clients are other health care practitioners. His plan is to remove all of the obstacles a practitioner experiences in their professional life around business, finance, advertising, networking and the like while supporting all of the things that nurture them as individuals and practitioners such as community support, business and mindset coaching, and abundant continuing education opportunities while pairing all of that with facilities that are visually and energetically enriching and also providing access to all of the benefits that modern technology has to offer. This first facility is the seed of a very large tree. Henry is already planning and designing the second facility, where there will be enough space to accommodate several more practitioners along with an ever expanding repertoire of state of the art gadgetry and highly trained technicians to facilitate providing all of our clients the best experience.

Hank Clemmons

Practitioner

Instead of retiring, Hank Clemmons, DVM has switched from practicing sports medicine and biomechanic analysis on high-end performance horses to focusing on injuries and pain management in people.

With continuing education in Human Spinal Manipulation, certification in PEMF (Magnawave) therapy in humans and education in Human Cryotherapy, Dr. Clemmons is adding to his 35 years of experience working on professional equine athletes. Experienced in the use of therapeutic equipment and treatment modalities used on world-class performance horses, he brings a collection of equipment rarely found together in one facility: Hyperbaric oxygen chamber (soft), CryoSauna, focused Cryo Wand, super-saturated salt Flotation Chamber, Halo therapy, Pulsed Magnetic Wave therapy, Extracorporeal Shock Wave and more. Acute and chronic injuries as well as pain management are areas of interest to him and he will be seeing clients on an appointment basis.

Meryl Kastin

Clinical Herbalist

Clinical Herbalist, of Alive & Wild Herbals, Meryl has been working & playing with plants for over 40 years. She had the honor of graduating from Michael Moore’s Southwest School of Botanical Medicine.

This gave her clinical herbal training, abundant botanical knowledge, and lots of experience in making herbal preparations.
Meryl has had the great pleasure of being a wildcrafter and an herb grower for many years. She has supplied freshly gathered herbs to some of the larger companies, such as Herbs, etc. and Pacific Botanicals, as well as private clinicians. Meryl co-owned a small farm for 15 years where they grew medicinal herbs, fruit, berries, and vegetables.

Meryl also loves to make herbal products including tea blends, lotions, salves, lip balms, tinctures, and much more. She always uses the finest quality herbs available for all of her preparations.

Meryl offers herbal classes in the usage and preparation of medicinal plants, herb identification walks, and apprenticeships. She offers private consultations for those looking for an herbal approach to support their health concerns. Meryl is also certified in Vita-Flex Reflexology and offers treatments through A Touch of Tranquility.
You’ll find Meryl in our front room working with Herbs and happy to help answer questions.

Practitioners

Laura Clemmons

Henry Clemmons

Hank Clemmons

Meryl Kastin

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