PADMA Inc. / History

The Way to the West

In 1954 Karl Lutz, founder of Padma Inc., attended a lecture on Tibetan medicine in Zurich. What he learned at the lecture fascinated him so much he decided to delve deeper and learn more about the  concept and the philosophy of the ancient medicine system. Lutz ended up studying the subject for many years until he met Dr. Peter Badmajew. He was the grandnephew of Dr. Sul Tim Badma. Dr Badma was an eminent Tibetan physician who succeeded in curtailing a typhus epidemic, which raged in Siberia at the time. The knowledge of his deeds reached the Russian Tsar who then invited him to St. Petersburg. There Dr. Badma opened the first Tibetan pharmacy in the West.

Around 1960 Dr. Peter Badmajew entrusted the Tibetan formulas of his great-uncle to Karl Lutz. With the formulas he set up a study group for Tibetan medicine in Zurich. Scientists from ten different countries studied these traditional records and the application of the formulas. Thanks to their pioneer work, a unique list of indications for the various uses for the formulas could be generated.
This list of indications and the newly produced herbal tablets were then dispensed to interested physicians in Switzerland.

Martin Saxer has produced an amazing documentary on the fascinating adventure of Tibetan Medicine into the west, called "Journeys with Tibetan Medicine."

 

The Foundation of PADMA Inc.

The first product of PADMA Ltd.

Karl Lutz founded Padma Inc. in 1969, encouraged by the positive feedback he received from the physicians. Based on these complex formulas, he began to manufacture Tibetan tablets using modern production methods. In 1970 “swissmedic”, the Swiss agency for authorisation and supervision of therapeutic products, approved of the first formula, PADMA LAX (no 179). Seven years later they also approved of PADMA 28.

 

Change of Management and Ownership

In 1994 Karl Lutz decided to retire from running PADMA Inc. He handed the management of the company over to his close collaborator Dr. Herbert Schwabl, a biophysicist from Vienna, Austria. In 1998 Karl Lutz passed away. Dr. Schwabl acquired the majority of shares of PADMA Inc. from the family Lutz.

The collaboration between PADMA and Tibetan traditional physicians and medical institutions was intensified and extended to numerous countries all over the world. Early in 1999, the company moved to Schwerzenbach close to Zurich. Today the enterprise employs about 50 people.