About Dr. Johanna Budwig

Dr. Johanna Budwig, 1908-2003, was a German chemist and physicist, a licensed pharmacist and health practitioner. At the beginning of her career she was a senior expert on fats and oils as well as pharmaceuticals for the German Government.

She developed new and sensitive methods, the first of their kind, for identifying differences between saturated and unsaturated fats. She also was the first to determine and differentiate the essential fatty acids, linoleic [omega 6] and linolenic [omega 3].

Dr. Budwig researched the damaging effects of hydrogenated and other denatured fats upon human health and discovered the powerfully healing nature of cold-pressed, liquid flax seed oil on various degenerative diseases, including cancer. She showed that the highly unsaturated flax seed oil contained electrons and essential fatty acids that can revitalize the cells, heal the cell membrane and improve oxygen absorption.

She discovered and proved the adhesive capacity that sulfurated proteins in quark and cottage cheese have for highly unsaturated flax seed oil, allowing the oil to become water soluble and more easily absorbed and assimilated into the body’s cells. The flax seed oil blended with the sulphurated proteins also is active in the tiniest capillaries, which can become blocked by damaging fats.

In 1952, in a paper entitled "On Fat Biology V. Paper Chromatography of Blood Lipoids, the Tumour Problem and Fat Research," Dr. Budwig wrote, "It is basically proven that highly unsaturated fatty acids are the heretofore undiscovered decisive factor in respiratory enzyme function, i.e. constitute the second part of the “equation” that nobelist Otto Warburg had been unable to find."

Dr. Otto Warburg, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1931 for his research on cellular respiration, explained: “The growth of cancer cells is initiated by a relative lack of oxygen. Cancer cannot live in an oxygen-rich environment.” Warburg could not find a way to restore oxygen to the cells.

In 1952, Dr. Budwig developed her Oil-Protein-Diet which was able to revitalize the cells through oxygenation as a result of highly unsaturated flaxseed oil combined with quark or cottage cheese along with a healthy vegetarian diet. Also included in her plan is sun therapy and reduction of damaging stress. This plan proved to be very successful in treating cancer as well as various other illnesses. Dr. Budwig worked with many terminal cancer patients. Her rate of success was over 90%.

At the same time, she gave lectures and authored a number of books in German; three of her books have been translated into English, FlaxOil As A True Aid Against Arthritis, Heart Infarction, Cancer, And Other Diseases, The Oil Protein Diet Cookbook" and Cancer - The Problem and The Solution [1999]

Dr. Budwig, a vegetarian, continued to work with patients in Germany from the 1950's through 2002, while in her 90's. She lectured and wrote her last book in 1999. She was healthy and mentally sharp. One letter from a patient who met with her in October, 2000, commented on her energy and vitality, saying she looked and seemed much younger than her age.

In 2002, she fell and broke some bones which led to hospitalization and later a nursing home where she passed away in May, 2003. She left an amazing gift of knowledge for all who are fortunate enough to learn about it and embrace it.