It all started in the 1960s(!) with Dr. Mary Josephine Kalapurackal from Kerala, South India. At the tender age of 20, she was sent as a gifted novice to study medicine at the Würzburg faculty. She was on the road for three weeks: by ship through the Indian Ocean, the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea to Genoa and from there two more days by train to Würzburg. She graduated summa cum laude in medicine and wrote her doctoral thesis in German. After completing her specialist training in gynecology, she returned to her homeland India after a total of 14 years and has worked since then – until today – initially as a gynecologist in hospitals and now in outpatient palliative medicine for oncological patients.

At the end of her regular working hours and at the age of 65, she returned to Germany in 2006 to take part in a three-month palliative care course, which she eventually completed in the palliative care unit at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Schweinfurt. She was accompanied by her nephew Jobin J. Madukkakuzhy, the youngest son of her younger sister Molly, who – following his family tradition – had become an Ayurveda specialist. The two have a very special bond as Mary performed midwifery for her sister. “I was born into their hands…” he says.

As part of this trip, Jobin J. Madukkakuzhy, now Medical Director of Madukkakuzhy Ayurveda, Kerala, and Health Economist Ebba-Karina Sander met by chance at St. Joseph’s Hospital. On this occasion he told her in detail about the diverse possibilities and areas of application of Ayurveda. Three months later, she found herself in the maze of Kochi’s Indian traffic, on her way to Parathodu, the home of the traditional Ayurveda family Madukkakuzhy. Five weeks of intensive treatment followed: alone in a foreign country, without other guests, without television, without reading material.

The loving acceptance into the family helped her through many dark hours. Every year she repeated the spa stays to further strengthen her health. This is how a deep friendship and bond with this family developed.

Over the years it became clear that there are also many people in Germany who also needed this special treatment, but who did not want to make the long journey to India due to a lack of language skills, fear of flying, etc. So Ebba-Karina Sander came up with the plan to set up a branch in a central location in the middle of Germany. The meditative small state spa Bad Bocklet, with its agile mayor Wolfgang Back, offered the best conditions for this. He paved the way for Indian doctors and therapists to come to Germany. Unfortunately, in spring 2018 he left us too early and forever. His successor, Mayor Andreas Sandwall, supports this unique project in Bad Bocklet in the best possible way. That is why we are the only Ayurveda health center in Germany that employs four Indian doctors and 15 friendly and qualified Indian therapists from the Madukkakuzhy parent company.

Eight administrative employees and six yoga teachers complete the team.