German Chamomile(Matricaria recutita, Chamomilla recutita)

The Agricultural Lectures by Rudolf Steiner:
If we also wish to get hold of calcium we need another plant. It also contains sulphur in homeopathic quantity and distribution. It will attract through sulphur all the substances the plant needs and draw them into an organic process.
It is not enough to say chamomile is distinguished by its strong potash and calcium components. Yarrow develops its sulphur force in the potash formative process. Hence it has sulphur in the precise proportions to assimilate the potash. Chamomile however assimilates calcium in addition. There with it assimilates that which can chiefly help to exclude from the plant those harmful effects fructification, thus keeping the plant in a healthy condition.
Chamomile has a certain amount of sulphur in it but it has to assimilate calcium as well so is in different proportions. ( to yarrow). Trace the path the chamomile undergoes in human and animal organism when taken as a food or medicine. The substance of the intestinal walls is important. Pick the beautiful delicate little yellow heads dry them in the same way as yarrow then stuff them into the bovine intestines. You will not need very much. Take the precious little sausages and expose them to the forces of winter. Bury them not to deep in soil as rich in humus as possible.
You will thus contrive to let the cosmic astral influences work down into the soil. Dig them out in the spring. Add them to your manure and you will get a manure will a more stable nitrogen content, with the added virtue of kindling the life in the earth, so that the earth itself will have a wonderful stimulating effect on the plant growth. Above all you will create more healthy plants- really more healthy- if you manure in this way than if you did not.
Yarrow, chamomile and Nettle are linked with helping improve the nitrogen content of the soil. There is a hidden alchemy in the organic process. The alchemy transmutes the potash for example into nitrogen provided the potash is working properly in the organic process. It eventually transforms the limestone into nitrogen if it is working properly.

Personal connections:
The dancer I have of late found this plant to be. In such a relaxed and calming way the chamomile has taken my hand and led me to the world or dreams. It has calmed my belly in times of unrest. It is truly a peace warrior. Working to bring peace to that which it touches. The flowers are very pretty and little. They seem to be suspended at individual heights on the plant. There stems and leaves leave me feeling that they are just physical. That that they have no real need for light. They seem to be almost light them selves.
They contrast the Dandelions leaves which seem to soak up the sun. It roots are similar to the leaves in that they seem to be just coming into physicality.
Extraordinary Plant Qualities for Biodynamics:
It appears around the verges of farmland and within it. It needs crusted derelict soil to flower. The first leaves of the chamomile sprout in pairs, further along they form one at a time. The leaves have a succulent look and feel. They extend like antlers into space. After germination in the Autumn the seedling sends down a vertical root into the depths. In spring they shoot several finer secondary roots equal in size, the upper part of the main root thickens like a tuber.
Leaves start to grow in Spring. The root remains active right up until flowering begins. The florets of the flowers continue to grow during development, towards evening they bend downwards and at day break they lift. This happens over several days. While it is flowering the center with its densely packed tubiform florets bends upwards into a cone. This gives rise to an inner hollow space which is characteristic of the Chamomile flower. When all the tubiform floret have opened then the flowers ligulae florets stay down until fading occurs. Countless tiny seeds fall like ash.
The flowering process seems to be progressively usurping in height . Chamomiles inversion into flowering and fruiting is paralleled with the taste and aroma changes.
Initially Camomile tastes mild, like greens. During the development of its greenery it acquires a sharp taste then during flowering it changes to the typical aromatic scent. The flowers continue to flower sent and seed as the base dies away.
Chamomile is the shortest living of the preparation plants.
The biodynamic compost preparations: Manfred Klett:
The chamomile is able to potentize the potassium and the calcium.
The yarrow, Nettle and Chamomile are responsible for generating in nature a type of nitrogen yet unknown. It is in a completely new quality in the soil. Nitrogen is seen as having an Astral quality. It is involved with the forces of inwardness. That nitrogen which exists normally in the atmosphere(79%) is evolutionary complete, its dead. It derives from the past and exists in the present. What is being spoken of here is a new type of nitrogen which comes from the Future into the present!
The chamomile overcomes the physical state of potassium and calcium. Calcium is not a big constituent of the earths depths, much limestone exists in the crust. Calcium has a lot to do with the sucking in the forces of the inner planets. Calcium therefore has a m much closer relationship to that which is immediately below the surface of the earth.
The intestines where the flowers are put are a place where food is taken in and actively broken down. The flowers come into contact with this very lively mucus intestinal wall.
The rhythmic middle layer of the soil senses from outside to inside in the winter and therefore pushes forces in the inner of the sausages and so the chamomile are permeated and preserved.

The biodynamic Spray and compost preparations, BDAA:
Chamomile needs light to germinate. The roots brake up compacted soil giving structure. When a tea is taken it brings the dissolving and healing process to the mucus membranes in particular. The finished preparation vitalizes and makes them resistant to malformation.
The specific species is recognized by its hollow conical receptacle. We dry them and put them into the small intestine.

From Wikipedia:
Camomile, is an annual plant of the sunflower family Asteraceae
The flowers are borne in paniculate capitula. The white ray florets are furnished with a ligule, while the disc florets are yellow. The hollow receptacle is swollen and lacks scales. This property distinguished German Chamomile from Corn Chamomile (Anthemis arvensis), which has a receptacle with scales.
German Chamomile is used medicinally against sore stomach, irritable bowel syndrome, and as a gentle sleep aid.
The primary active ingredient of the essential oil from German Chamomile is bisabolol. The active ingredients are essential oils, notably chamazulene, flavonoids and coumarin.
Chamomile is sometimes known as "the plant doctor", thought to be useful to suppress fungal growth, for example misting it over seedlings may prevent damping off.

Plants for the Future:
The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in saline soil. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil. The whole plant is insect repellent. Yellow to gold dyes are obtained from the flowers.


Earth and Man, Karl Konig:
Camomile is a flower which is trying to fly away from the earth. We take it with this quality of flying away forces and put it into the most earthly destructive surrounding, the wall of the intestines.
In the sausages the calcium forces are centralized, we use the exhalation forces of Camomile and give them to the compost. We catch the desire of calcium and surround it by that which contains our earthly nutrition stream and destroys it.
This you expose during winter to the cosmic summer forces under the soil.

The folk Lore of Plants, Margaret Baker:
A chamomile bed
A Chamomile bed
The more it is trodden
The more it will spread.
Wreaths of chamomile were hung in Prussian houses on St Johns eve against thunderstorms. Chamomile flowers were deemed in Europe to be soldiers cursed for wrong doings. It would seem there were many delinquents.
‘To comfort the brain smell to Chamomile’ was an old Scots saying.