BioNatures| where science meets nature

ABOUT OUR COMPANY

Flaxseed oil is now used by millions of Americans for its spectacular health benefits, thanks to two men who overcame many obstacles to bring it here.

Less than 20 years ago, flaxseed was known as “linseed oil.” The federal Food and Drug Administration reasoned humans couldn’t use it because a distant cousin of the same name was sold as a paint additive.

This is the true story of how that changed in the 1980s:
Mike Minarsich, founder in 1986 of BioNatures, read a story about Dr. Johanna Budwig, world-renowned German biochemist, and her amazing work with fats, oils and proteins. Eager to know more, Mike unsuccessfully searched for the product she described – raw, cold-pressed linseed (now flaxseed) oil – at health-food stores and mail-order companies.

He contacted William Fischer, publisher of Dr. Budwig’s story, and discovered the German-born publisher had used “edible” linseed oil since he was a child. Furthermore, he was still getting it in tin cans from Germany, a very expensive process. Eventually, Mike found a Canadian company that produced “linseed” oil according to the standards of Dr. Budwig.

And so BioNatures was born. Bionatures became the first company in America to import and sell linseed oil for human consumption. Demand soared, in large part because of Fischer’s landmark book.

But soon the FDA stopped BioNatures’ shipments at the Canadian border, claiming that linseed oil is a drying agent for paint and can’t be sold as food. BioNatures argued that THIS linseed oil was cold-pressed in a pharmaceutical facility for human consumption and wasn’t the same linseed oil sold in hardware stores. The FDA still said no.

So the boys at BioNatures came up with two ideas: Find someone in the U.S. to make the product, and change the name from linseed oil to – you guessed it – flaxseed oil. After all, it was derived from the flax plant.

Confusion for the government and consumers was eliminated, and a partnership began between BioNatures and a young man in northern Washington state named Bruce Barlean and his father.
Bruce and his family were salmon fishermen who had vision. Already familiar with the health benefits of omega 3 oils from fish, they saw the potential for the superior benefits of flaxseed oil and byproducts.

Bruce pursued the new idea vigorously. With BioNatures’ help, Barleans Organic Oils was born. It is now the country’s largest manufacturer, thanks primarily to Bruce and Mike’s perseverance and determination.

After several trips to Germany to visit with Dr. Budwig, Bruce Barlean developed the proprietary Barlean’s Bio-Electron Process TM used today to produce the oil. It is the only process endorsed by Dr. Budwig. The rest is history.

Today if you type “flax oil” into an internet search engine, you will get around 400,000 results. It is considered a staple item for most people’s daily regimen. But the original is still the best. It is BioNatures’ brand of flaxseed oil, made with the Barlean’s Bio-Electron ProcessTM.