BD 503: Chamomile – The Plant that Comforts the Compost
What Is BD 503?
Chamomile is a plant known and loved for its calming tea, gentle scent, and white petals. But in biodynamics, it has another purpose: it helps the compost pile stay alive and healthy.
BD 503 is made by taking the flowers of German chamomile and stuffing them into a cow’s small intestine. The stuffed organ is tied off like a sausage and buried in the soil over the winter. After several months, it’s transformed into a deep brown, sponge-like substance full of earthy smell and vitality.
Chamomile has been used as a healing plant since ancient times… The name chamomile comes from the Greek word meaning ‘earth-apple’ and refers to the apple-like fragrance of the plant.
– Abigail Porter with Hugh J. Courtney, Applied Biodynamics, no. 78 (2012): 89.¹
How BD 503 Works
BD 503 regulates calcium and potassium processes in the compost pile, helping it retain nitrogen and balance the microbial community. It’s especially valuable in reducing the putrefaction that can occur in poorly aerated heaps. Chamomile brings warmth and order, acting almost like a digestive tonic for the earth.
Identifying the correct species is essential to success. Courtney gives a helpful botanical test:
It is important that you have the right variety of chamomile, which is referred to as Chamomilla officinalis, Matricaria chamomilla, Matricaria recutita, or German chamomile… A sure way to tell if you have the right variety is to slice the yellow cone in half vertically. The variety to use will have a hollow center.
– Hugh J. Courtney, Applied Biodynamics, no. 78 (2012): 91.²
After winter burial, the resulting preparation is potent even in tiny doses. A single organ’s worth of BD 503 may be enough for dozens of compost piles, because what matters is quality, not quantity.
The Spiritual Science of Chamomile
Steiner described BD 503 as a preparation that binds the astral body of the compost, stabilizing the volatile processes of decay and transformation. Its role is both physiological and esoteric—helping the compost breathe without excess or deficiency.
Chamomile, however, assimilates calcium in addition (to potash). Therewith, it assimilates what can chiefly help to exclude from the plant those harmful effects of fructification, thus keeping the plant in a healthy condition.
– Rudolf Steiner, quoted in Applied Biodynamics, no. 78 (2012): 105.³
BD 503 preserves the compost’s integrity while also spiritualizing it—making it receptive not just to earthly nutrients but to cosmic harmony. It is a preparation of digestion and balance, working silently to keep the life of the soil from falling into illness.
📚 Footnotes
- Abigail Porter with Hugh J. Courtney, “Chamomile: The Healer for People and Plants,” Applied Biodynamics, no. 78 (2012): 89.
- Hugh J. Courtney, “Chamomile: The Healer for People and Plants,” Applied Biodynamics, no. 78 (2012): 91.
- Rudolf Steiner, quoted in Ibid., 105.