The animal sheaths of the biodynamic preparations
For horn manure, horn silica and four of the compost preparations the raw materials mature inside an animal organ: in the cow horn, the stag’s bladder, cattle intestine, the skull of a domestic animal or the mesentery of a cow.
Which preparations need an animal sheath
The raw materials of most biodynamic preparations mature inside an animal organ, the sheath. After maturing, the preparation is taken out and the sheath separated.
| Preparation | Sheath | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| [[Hornmist 500 | Horn manure 500]] | [[Kuhhorn | Cow horn]] |
| [[Hornkiesel 501 | Horn silica 501]] | cow horn | |
| [[Schafgarbenpräparat 502 | Yarrow 502]] | bladder of the red deer stag | |
| [[Kamillenpräparat 503 | Chamomile 503]] | small intestine of cattle | |
| [[Brennnesselpräparat 504 | Nettle 504]] | no animal sheath, only peat | |
| [[Eichenrindenpräparat 505 | Oak bark 505]] | skull of a domestic animal | |
| [[Löwenzahnpräparat 506 | Dandelion 506]] | mesentery or omentum of cattle | |
| [[Baldrianpräparat 507 | Valerian 507]] | none, fermented flower juice | |
| [[Ackerschachtelhalm 508 | Horsetail 508]] | none, a tea made from the herb |
The principle: staying within the living
The sheaths serve only to make the preparations. The principle is Steiner’s advice in the Agriculture Course to stay “within the living”. That is why the organs are used without any denaturing treatment: not boiled, not disinfected, not frozen. While maturing they are meant to take on a kind of organ function, in keeping with their task in the animal (Wistinghausen et al., making the preparations).
Ideally the organs come from animals on your own farm. Organs from neighbouring organic farms are possible. Organs from conventional livestock are avoided because of the different feeding and husbandry (Wistinghausen et al., making the preparations).
The stag’s bladder for yarrow
The yarrow preparation needs the bladder of the red deer stag, i.e. of the male red deer. After gutting, the fresh bladder is blown up with a blade of grass, a straw or an air pump, dried in a shady draught or in the sun and kept safe from moths and flies until it is filled, not frozen. Before filling it is soaked for a few minutes. The filled bladder hangs over summer in a sunny, airy place and goes into the ground in autumn (Wistinghausen et al., making the preparations).
The intestine for chamomile
The chamomile preparation needs the small intestine of the cow; the first part of the large intestine is also recommended. The intestines come from the farm’s own slaughter where possible. Because slaughter rarely falls at the right time, they are squeezed out, blown up unwashed and not turned inside out, tied off and dried. For filling they are soaked and stuffed firmly with chamomile flowers using a sausage funnel and stuffer, in pieces of 20 to 50 centimetres. The sausages dry for a few days before they go into the ground (Wistinghausen et al., making the preparations).
The skull for oak bark
The oak bark preparation uses the skull of a domestic animal: cattle, sheep, goat, pig or horse. Skulls from your own slaughter or from a biodynamic neighbour are best. The brain is removed with compressed air, a water jet or a hook; remains of flesh can be cleaned off by worms and microbes in compost and sawdust. From late August to late September the oak bark is filled in through the foramen magnum. A skull is usually used only once and then goes to bone recycling (Wistinghausen et al., making the preparations).
Mesentery and omentum for dandelion
The dandelion preparation needs the mesentery or the greater omentum of cattle, both parts of the peritoneum. With the mesentery, the large intestine is cut out before it serves as a sheath. Both organs should be lean, which is usually the case with dairy cows not fed maize (Wistinghausen et al., making the preparations).
After maturing
The sheaths are separated from the finished preparation. Remains of the intestine sheaths can be chopped up with the chamomile and soil still attached and added to liquid manure, slurry, the birch pit or compost.
Wistinghausen et al. consider the making harmless: the sheaths are of food quality (skull, intestine, peritoneum) or approved as fertiliser (horns), they are removed after maturing, the preparations rot for at least half a year, the quantities are very small, and the compost preparations reach the soil through the manure, not the plant.
Preparations without an animal sheath
The nettle preparation matures without an animal sheath, only in peat. Valerian is a fermented flower juice, field horsetail a tea. Maria Thun developed vegetable preparations that mature in wooden containers instead of animal organs; they are not recognised under the Demeter standards.
If you cannot obtain the sheaths yourself, you can buy the finished preparations or make them in a regional preparation group.
Frequently asked questions about the animal sheaths
Why do the preparations need animal sheaths?
The raw materials mature inside an organ that, in Steiner’s picture, takes on a task similar to the one it has in the animal. The sheaths are therefore used untreated, from your own farm where possible.
Which sheath belongs to which preparation?
Cow horn for horn manure and horn silica, stag’s bladder for yarrow, cattle intestine for chamomile, skull of a domestic animal for oak bark, mesentery or omentum of cattle for dandelion.
Can the sheaths be frozen?
No. The organs are dried and kept dry. Boiling, disinfecting and freezing are ruled out.
Are there biodynamic preparations without an animal sheath?
Yes: nettle (504), valerian (507) and field horsetail (508). Maria Thun’s vegetable preparations are not recognised under the Demeter standards.