Company

Inspiration

The story of PADMA begins in 1958 at the ETH Zurich. There, Karl Lutz, a successful Zurich pharmaceutical entrepreneur, attended a lecture on Tibetan medicine. The lecturer, Dr. Cyrill von Korvin-Krasinski, a Benedictine monk from the Maria Laach monastery in Germany, was considered a luminary of Tibetan medical philosophy. The Tibetan way of looking at the human body holistically impressed Lutz deeply. In this holistic approach, Lutz saw the chance for a renewal of the pharmaceutical market in Europe, which was moving further and further away from nature.

Father Korvin-Krasinski also reported on the modes of action of Tibetan herbal formulations. Fascinated, Lutz founded the Study Group for Tibetan Medicine and invited internationally recognised doctors. The study group researched areas of application for Tibetan formulas and compiled a list of indications that corresponded to the guidelines of the Swiss and European pharmaceutical systems.

History

These Tibetan formulas were used successfully for centuries in the Buddhist monasteries of Asia. Their journey to Europe begins with Tsultim Padma, a monk doctor from Transbaikalia, a Buryat region east of Lake Baikal. In the mid-19th century, he succeeds in containing a deadly typhus epidemic in Russia. As a sign of recognition, the talented doctor was invited to St. Petersburg by the Russian Tsar. There Tsultim opened the first Tibetan medical practice in Europe.

The practice enjoyed rapidly growing popularity. Reinforcement was needed, so Tsultim brought his brother to St. Petersburg, who became known under his European name Piotr Badmajew. Piotr not only maintained the doctor’s practice, but also produced his own medicines. His medical help was sought by people from all walks of life, rich and poor, politicians and aristocrats, as well as famous personalities from art and literature. The Russian Revolution brought this chapter to an abrupt end.

A nephew of Tsultim and Piotr was able to continue the tradition in Poland. Dr. Wlodzimierz Badmajew opened a respected practice in the capital Warsaw in the 1920s. In his laboratory he again produced those Tibetan medicines and sold them all over Europe. He published multilingual journals to promote health and a balanced lifestyle, making Tibetan medicine known to a wider audience in Europe for the first time. The outbreak of World War II and the subsequent Soviet rule brought this chapter to an abrupt end.

Pioneering spirit

When the knowledge reached Switzerland through the Iron Curtain, Lutz was able to start work together with the descendants of Wlodzimierz Badmajew under the scientific supervision of the Study Group for Tibetan Medicine. In 1969, PADMA AG was founded.

The company name PADMA is a homage to the medical dynasty, actually a word from Sanskrit. In Buddhism, the lotus flower Padma is a symbol of purity, faithfulness and creative power. Thus, the company remains true to the holistic approach of earlier generations of doctors and maintains close contact with nature.

Soon, production of the first herbal tablets based on the ancient formulas begins in Switzerland. A select team of Swiss doctors conducts the first clinical tests and publishes the results. Thanks to this work, two first products receive approval from the Swiss authorities in the 1970s: PADMA LAX and PADMA 28. These were thus the very first Tibetan medicine formulas to find their way into the Western pharmaceutical industry.

Modernisation

Since 1994, PADMA has been led by quantum and biophysicist Dr Herbert Schwabl, who actively promotes complementary medicine innovations. A period of intense creativity follows: PADMA launches over twenty different formulas, all based on a holistic Tibetan approach and herbal ingredients.

PADMA is developing with the spirit of the times, modernizing its production facility and enlarging the quality laboratory Since November 2015, the company headquarters have been located in Wetzikon ZH, as have the production facilities and the laboratory. Today, PADMA AG has around 30 employees in Switzerland and exports its products to around a dozen countries all over the world. The goal is still: Natural herbal products of high quality, for the people and needs of today.

PADMA – Tibetan Formulas from Switzerlan. It’s Natural!