Throughout history, farmers have used lunar cycles as a guide for growing crops, and the moon still plays a big part in the practices of biodynamic agriculture even today. For instance, natural beauty brands such as Weleda and Dr. Hauschka use ingredients sourced from farmers that operate in this way. "By 'plugging into' these naturally occurring planetary rhythms, the biodynamic farmer or gardener can enhance seed germination, plant growth, and harvest quality," Claire Hattersley, garden manager at Weleda, explained. "At Weleda we use The Maria Thun Biodynamic Calendar to plan our gardening work in order to grow and harvest the best possible quality plants that we can. So, for our calendula crop, we aim to sow the seeds on a flower day before full moon, plant on a flower day in descending moon, and harvest on a flower day in ascending moon."