There are people who arrive in Santa Teresa chasing waves… and then there are those who arrive and recognize something deeper – something familiar, almost like a memory they didn’t know they were carrying.
Yuli is one of those people.
When she first came to Costa Rica in 2019, it wasn’t with the intention to stay. Like many, she arrived on a surf trip – just one month, a pause in a life already full of movement. At the time, she had been traveling the world for years, structuring her life around sport, first through marathon running and professional volleyball, and later through surfing, which she discovered at 35 and never let go.
But even in all her travels, she never moved like a tourist. She chose to live inside the places she visited – renting homes instead of hotels, building routines, observing daily life. She wasn’t passing through; she was quietly integrating, wherever she landed.
That way of traveling prepared her for Costa Rica… but it didn’t prepare her for how deeply it would land.
Her first stop was San Juanillo, a quiet stretch north of Nosara, where she stayed with a friend at Alya, a retreat center surrounded by nature. It was there, in the stillness, that something shifted. Instead of rushing to see the entire country, she made a decision – to go deeper instead of wider. To experience fewer places, but more fully.
Santa Teresa was her second stop.
And something about it stayed with her.
Roots That Were Already There
Long before the ocean, before the travel, before the years spent studying medicine and healing, Yuli’s connection to this work was already taking shape in a small village in Romania where she was born.
It was a simple life, defined by the land and the rhythm of seasons. Her grandmother kept a farm, and from a very young age, Yuli was part of it – collecting eggs in the morning, feeding animals, helping prepare food and supplies for the colder months ahead. Nothing was rushed, nothing was wasted. Life was lived close to the earth, where every action had purpose and every day carried a quiet kind of meaning.
When she speaks about that time, and especially about her grandmother, her voice softens. There is emotion there, not distant, but present – like something that never left.
Her grandmother wasn’t just part of her childhood. She was her first teacher.
She taught her how to live in relationship with nature – not as something separate, but as something you belong to. That understanding came long before any formal education, long before the language of “holistic health” or “herbal medicine.” It was felt, lived, absorbed.
At the age of three, Yuli’s family moved to Israel, leaving that life behind. But each year, they returned to the village, back to her grandmother, back to the land that had shaped her earliest memories.
Those visits became anchors in her life. A return to simplicity. A reminder of what mattered.
Looking back now, it’s clear that those early experiences never faded – they simply evolved.
And years later, when she first arrived in Santa Teresa, she recognized something she hadn’t realized she’d been searching for.
A small village. Dirt roads. A strong sense of community. Life moving closer to nature than away from it. It reminded her of where she began.
It wasn’t just a new place.
It felt like a return.
Between Two Worlds: From Western Medicine to Clinical Herbalist
While her life appeared to follow one path, another was quietly developing alongside it.
Professionally, Yuli spent 15 years working in the Western medical field, advising on medical devices used by doctors – everything from surgical tools to imaging equipment and implants. Her academic background in chemistry gave her a strong scientific foundation, and she built a career within a structured, clinical system.
At the same time, she was studying something entirely different.
At night, alongside her work, she immersed herself in natural and herbal medicine, eventually becoming a certified clinical herbalist and nutritionist.
Two parallel worlds – one rooted in modern science, the other in traditional plant-based healing.
She didn’t reject one for the other. Instead, she carried both forward.
By the time she completed her formal training, the world had entered the uncertainty of COVID. It was a moment that forced many people to reassess their direction – and for Yuli, it became a turning point.
She stepped away from her work in medical devices and returned to Santa Teresa, spending six months living simply – surfing, connecting to nature, and allowing a new vision for her life to take shape.
It was during that time that the idea of staying – of building something here – began to feel real.
Building a Life, Slowly and Intentionally
After returning briefly to Israel to organize her transition, Yuli came back to Costa Rica in December 2021 with her partner. They settled in Mal País, close to the fishing village, where life still moved at a quieter rhythm.
Her first step into the community wasn’t through a storefront – it was through the Saturday organic market.
For three years, she showed up every week with what she called her Probiotic Kitchen – a line of fermented foods made by hand. Vegan cheeses, fermented vegetables, cayenne blends, mustard seed pastes – products rooted in gut health and traditional preparation methods.
Over time, she built a loyal following. People returned not just for the products, but for the consistency, the quality, and the intention behind them.
It was a simple setup, but it carried the foundation of something much larger.
During this period, life expanded in another way. She and her partner bought land in Playa Hermosa, built a home, and welcomed their daughter. For a time, her focus shifted fully into motherhood, and the market took a step back.
But the vision she had been building never disappeared – it simply waited.
The Birth of Marpe Jungle Apothecary in Santa Teresa
The next step came unexpectedly, through a conversation with a friend who mentioned an available space in Playa Carmen.
With the support of her partner, and with her daughter now a little older, Yuli decided to move forward.
They relocated closer to town, and Marpe Jungle Apothecary was born.
The name Marpe, meaning “to heal,” reflects the essence of what she has built – not just a shop, but a space rooted in care, knowledge, and connection.
Inside the Apothecary
Marpe is layered, both in physical space and in intention.
In the front, shelves are lined with her creations – herbal remedies, natural skincare, perfumes, tea blends, and fermented foods from her probiotic kitchen. Around 90% of what is available is made by her, using formulations she has developed and refined over years of study and practice.
The remaining products are carefully selected from local producers – people working with the same level of intention and quality. Small-batch nut butters, handmade ceramics, and other locally crafted items find a place within her shop, creating a network of shared values.
Behind the main space is her lab.
This is where she works with dried herbs, oils, and powders, blending fresh batches of products and developing new formulations. It is also where she holds private consultations – one-on-one sessions that typically last around an hour and a half.
These sessions are not rushed. They begin with listening.
Yuli works to understand the full picture of each person – their physical symptoms, emotional state, and mental patterns – before creating a personalized approach. Her work is rooted in a holistic philosophy, where healing comes from addressing the root causes rather than isolated symptoms.
Her recommendations may include herbal formulations, dietary adjustments, and ongoing support through follow-up visits.
Adapting Ancient Knowledge to a Tropical World
One of the most unique aspects of Yuli’s work is her ability to bridge ecosystems.
Her background is deeply influenced by European and Mediterranean herbal traditions, but her life is now rooted in the tropics of Costa Rica.
Rather than applying old formulas unchanged, she adapts them.
She spends time studying local plants, often traveling into the mountains every couple of months to forage and learn firsthand. She searches for what she describes as the “cousins” of the herbs she knows – plants that share similar properties but are native to this environment.
When necessary, she brings in herbs from abroad to complement what is available locally.
Her formulations evolve through this process, becoming lighter, more suitable for the humidity and climate of the tropics. She has found that many products designed for other parts of the world are too heavy here – too dense for the skin, too disconnected from the environment.
Her work is a constant refinement – an integration of knowledge across places, climates, and traditions.
A Space for Community and Learning
Beyond products and consultations, Marpe is becoming a space for gathering.
Yuli regularly hosts workshops and invites guest speakers to share knowledge on topics such as nutrition, women’s health, and holistic living. These events extend her work beyond individual sessions, creating opportunities for the community to learn and connect.
Holding Onto the Soul of a Changing Town
Yuli opened her shop during one of the most transitional periods in Santa Teresa – the construction of the new road.
From her location near the crossroads, she watched the transformation unfold day by day. What was once dirt, dust, and unpredictability became paved roads, sidewalks, and structure.
She remembers clearly what it felt like before – the first rains hitting the dirt roads, the crabs crossing in such numbers that you had to step carefully just to pass.
There is a deep appreciation in her for what the town was, and an awareness of what it is becoming.
Like many who have been here long enough to feel the shift, she hopes for balance – a way to move forward without losing the essence that made the place special to begin with.
An Open Door
Today, Marpe Jungle Apothecary is both a reflection of Yuli’s journey and an offering to the community.
The door is open to those who want to browse, to learn, or to go deeper through a private session. And for those who don’t find exactly what they’re looking for on the shelves, Yuli is always willing to create something new – something specific, something personal.
Because at its core, her work is not about products.
It’s about connection.To the body.
To the land.
And to the quiet knowledge that sometimes, the most powerful medicine has been here all along.
