Vun Kreider un Brauche
Of Herbs and Tradition
Vun Kreider un Brauche is a culmination of many years of contemplation and revisioning of how to continue sharing Braucherei, and how to most effectively share information about medicinal herbs. The fundamentals of traditional herbal therapeutics and spiritual healing are the inheritance of every person. Vun Kreider un Brauche is a commitment to returning that inheritance to the minds, hands, and hearts of today.
Herbal traditions belong to us all, and have been systematically destroyed over the past century. The herbal aspect of this course strives to return foundational knowledge of the medicinal herbs to its students. These herbs would have been the well known friends of the common person 100 years ago. We will study over 100 plants in depth, focusing heavily on “food herbs” (plants that we use in everyday cooking, often as spices). We will also explore a wide variety of herbal preparations from simple teas and syrups to tinctures, salves, and powdered extracts. The goal is to empower a reclamation of this inheritance, and not to allow this wisdom to pass away.
Braucherei is the surviving system of spiritual, healing, and folk wisdom of the Pennsylfaanisch Deitsch (PA Dutch) people. Expressions of this tradition are as varied as its folk. As with any pre-20th century folk healing tradition, Braucherei includes sympathies, herbal remedies, shamanic/mystic elements, and ceremonial traditions for both the individual and the community. The Braucherei aspect of this course strives to help each student find a strong bond with their own heritage and ancestral traditions, while sharing elements of this still vibrant practice to give inspiration and depth.
What You Will Learn
Herbal Wisdom:
Over 100 plant and fungi monographs
Basic plant identification, edible plants
Teas
Tinctures
Syrups
Infused oils/salves
Fat cures- rendered fats and beeswax
Herbal beers and wines
Infused honeys
Herbal energetics, astrological associations
Ethical wild harvest guidelines
The History and Evolution:
Pre-christian germanic/indoeuropean elements
Elements of Jewish origin
Mystical, pietist, and anabaptist Christian influences
New world interactions - Native American and African influences, as well as Polish, Italian, and Irish additions to the practice- bringing it to present day and making this practice uniquely American
Herbal history and evolution to present day
Braucherei wisdom and practices:
Energy work/laying on of hands
Verbal prayers
Sympathies-physical prayers
Astrological understandings
Muunraad-Wheel of the year
Medizinraad- Four Humors theory
Spirits of Braucherei
Hex signs, barn blessings, making our spaces clear and safe
Sacred alphabets and symbols
Spiritual teachings of the Oley Freindschaft
Ceremonies for Daily, yearly, and community life
Water cures - sacred baths
About our Teachers
Jesse has been a student of Herbal Medicine since 1996 when she first found her way to the loving care of her mentor, Charis Lindrooth. Jesse continued her studies throughout her college education in Prescott, AZ, and through that education, she found her way to Braucherei. Jesse is heir to the Braucherei teachings of the Oley Freindschaft, through her teacher and mentor, Dennis Boyer. She has worked closely and trained with several Brauchers, and maintains a close connection with several like minded Brauchers and healers in her home community. In 2008 Jesse taught a year long course called “Der Braucherei Weg”. She also completed David Winston’s two year Herbal Therapeutics course from 2004-2006. Having taken several years away from this work to parent and farm, she decided it was time to begin turning her mind back to Medicinal herbs and Braucherei tradition. She has resumed studying, teaching, and practice. Jesse continues her herbal studies, and is currently enrolled in David Winston’s graduate course, as well as Wolf Dieter-Storl’s german language course: Ein Jahr Pflanzenwissen. Jesse is delighted to be establishing this class in our local community, and hopes it is the beginning of a movement towards greater connection.
Jesse Tobin
Patrick Donmoyer
Patrick is the Director of the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center at Kutztown University, a folklife museum and research center on the Kutztown Campus. An avid speaker of Pennsylvania Dutch, Patrick’s research blends the study of folk art, vernacular language, rural architecture, seasonal customs, and healing traditions. In 2022, Patrick received the American Folklore Society’s Archie Green Public Folklore Advocacy Award for significant contributions impacting folk traditions and their communities in the United States. Patrick is the author of numerous books, exhibition catalogues, and articles, including Powwowing in Pennsylvania: Braucherei and the Ritual of Everyday Life (2017); Hex Signs: Myth and Meaning in Pennsylvania Dutch Barn Stars (2013), and Painter of the Stars: The Life and Work of Milton J. Hill (2021).
-
Deni Tobin
Aside from being Jesse’s brother, Deni is also a prevention educator working at a rape crisis center nearby, an astrologer, a runeworker, and enjoys teaching about restorative justice and conflict resolution. He has been studying astrology since he was a wee lass in middle school, but attended the first virtual cohort of the Portland Astrology School in 2019. In addition, he has been researching and studying the runes for eight years. He studies runes in an effort to reclaim an ancient tool used by Germanic ancestors in a life-connected, peaceful way. He hopes to honor diversity and welcome any and all individuals to the knowledge and practice of runes, as well as astrology. ‘Learning’ and ‘knowing’ can be beautiful, fun, and also help one gain a deep knowledge and awareness about one’s self and others
-
Kara is a clinical herbalist, yoga and meditation instructor, beekeeper, educator, and herbal farmer devoted to holistic healing and nature-based wellness. With a background that bridges ancient traditions and modern practices, Kara empowers individuals to reconnect with their innate capacity for balance, vitality, and self-healing.
Her journey began with yoga in 2000 and deepened through her teacher training at Yoga on Main in Philadelphia. In 2016, she expanded her practice through the Mindfulness Institute at Jefferson University Hospital and has since guided diverse communities—including adolescents with special needs, individuals in recovery, and professionals—through the transformative practices of meditation and breathwork.
Kara’s work is deeply rooted in the rhythms of the natural world. Having studied with renowned herbalist David Winston, Kara brings a clinical and intuitive approach to herbal medicine. She weaves together the wisdom of plants, the grounding of yoga, and the stillness of meditation to create personalized, integrative healing experiences that support both inner and outer well-being.
Whether working one-on-one or in group settings, Kara holds space with compassion, curiosity, and reverence for the healing power of nature. She brings her knowledge of medicinal plants and ancient healing wisdom together to craft skin care that is powerful and rejuvenating.
-Kara Jo Lehman
When? Where?
This class is being offered over the course of 12 months, course dates are as follows:
November 1, 2026
December 6, 2026
January 3, 2027
February 7, 2027
March 7, 2027
April 4, 2027
May 2, 2027
June 6, 2027
July 11, 2027
August 1, 2027
September 5, 2027
October 3, 2027
St. Barnabus Center
234 East Main Street
Kutztown, PA 19530
Class day schedule:
10am-12pm: Braucherei history and tradition
12pm-1pm: Lunch
1pm-3pm: Herbal information
How Much Does It Cost?
$1000 if paying in full in advance
There is an option to pay a $100 deposit, and then splitting the remainder into 6 monthly payments
No student will be turned away due to cost, if you are unable to afford the cost of this course, please contact Jesse separately to make arrangements.
Register Now!
Register for the monthly seminar, running from November 2027 through October 2027.
You will have the option to:
Pay in full now
Pay a deposit now, plus 6 future monthly payments
