Dr. Ohhira Story

By Ross Pelton, RPh, PhD, CCN

The Remarkable Journey of Dr. Iichiroh Ohhira: From Architecture to Microbiology

Iichiroh Ohhira possessed a profound reverence for the natural world. Early in his life, this deep connection found expression through architecture. His designs were celebrated for their harmony with nature—structures that did not merely exist within their surroundings but belonged to them, reflecting the balance and quiet beauty of the natural environment.

In 1976, Ohhira was invited to Malaysia to design Freedom Park in the city of Kota Kinabalu. The project embodied his artistic philosophy, featuring flowing water elements, contemplative sitting areas, and meditative spaces designed to evoke tranquility. When the park opened, its serene beauty captured the admiration of both the public and local dignitaries.

Five years later, in September 1981, Ohhira returned to Malaysia for the park’s grand opening ceremony, where he received an award from the Sultan of Sabah in recognition of his visionary design. Yet, this celebratory occasion marked the beginning of an unexpected transformation in his life’s path.

During the festivities, Ohhira consumed tainted food and became violently ill. As fate would have it, a local shaman attending the ceremony noticed his distress and offered him a thick, black paste to swallow. To Ohhira’s astonishment, his nausea and vomiting ceased almost immediately. The rapid recovery seemed miraculous, and his innate curiosity compelled him to learn more about the mysterious remedy.

Upon returning to Japan, Ohhira took samples of the substance for further study. He discovered that the “miracle paste” had been created through a natural fermentation process using locally grown Malaysian fruits and vegetables. Captivated by this discovery, he began to study fermentation as an amateur scientist. Yet, the more he explored, the more he realized the limits of his understanding. At the age of 49, he made a bold and life-changing decision: to leave behind a successful architectural career and return to academia. Enrolling at Okayama University, he pursued advanced research in microbiology, focusing on lactic acid bacteria and fermentation. In 1990, he earned his Ph.D.—the beginning of a second, extraordinary career.

It is remarkable how the quiet turns of fate can redirect the course of a life. Had Ohhira not traveled to Malaysia, fallen ill, or met that shaman, the world might never have known Dr. Ohhira’s Probiotics®. His scientific curiosity, rooted in humility and wonder, transformed an ancient traditional remedy into a modern breakthrough in microbiome health.

From Metchnikoff to Modern Microbiology

Dr. Ohhira’s work built upon the foundation laid by Elie Metchnikoff, the Nobel Laureate regarded as the Father of Probiotics. In the early 1900s, Metchnikoff observed that people in Bulgaria who regularly consumed fermented dairy products lived longer, healthier lives. He theorized that lactic acid–producing bacteria in these foods were responsible for their vitality—a revolutionary concept at the time. His 1907 book, The Prolongation of Life, provided the first scientific explanation of how beneficial bacteria could support health and longevity.

Dr. Ohhira, inspired by Metchnikoff’s pioneering research, realized that fermentation was not merely a process of preservation but a dynamic biological transformation. Different strains of bacteria, he recognized, produce different metabolites—bioactive compounds that can influence human health in profound ways. Guided by this understanding, he selected 13 distinct strains of probiotic bacteria to form the foundation of Dr. Ohhira’s Probiotics®.

The Symphony of Fermentation

Dr. Ohhira understood that, like all living organisms, probiotic bacteria thrive when nourished with the right environment. To cultivate vitality and diversity, he provided his bacterial strains with a rich blend of vegetables, fruits, herbs, mushrooms, and seaweeds. These fiber-rich foods supplied an abundance of prebiotics—nutrients that sustain beneficial microbes and promote a healthy microbiome. Over a multi-year fermentation process, this environment gave rise to a vibrant community of bacteria producing a complex array of beneficial compounds.

The guiding principle was simple yet profound:
Good Bacteria + Good Food = A Healthy Microbiome.

This holistic philosophy—combining scientific rigor with respect for nature—became known as The Dr. Ohhira Difference™.

The Mozart Effect:

Beyond the science, Dr. Ohhira brought a spiritual dimension to his work. A former Buddhist monk, he believed that all living things respond to vibrational energy. Convinced that certain sounds could enhance vitality, he played Mozart and other classical music throughout the fermentation process. This unique practice symbolized his belief that harmony—in sound, in biology, and in spirit—is essential to life and health.

The Power of Postbiotic Metabolites

Perhaps Dr. Ohhira’s most profound insight was his understanding of what are now called postbiotic metabolites—the biologically active compounds created by probiotic bacteria during fermentation. These compounds include organic acids, antioxidants, peptides, and other molecules that regulate critical functions such as digestion, detoxification, immune balance, inflammation control, and even communication between the gut and brain.

As Dr. Emeran Mayer explains in The Mind-Gut Connection, the bacteria in our intestines transform food into hundreds of thousands of metabolites, each influencing our health in unique ways. Decades before the term postbiotic became common, Dr. Ohhira recognized that the true benefits of probiotics lie not only in the bacteria themselves but in the remarkable substances they create during fermentation.

A Living, Fermented Food for Modern Health

Dr. Ohhira’s Probiotics® are not merely capsules filled with bacteria—they are the result of a living, natural fermentation process. Each capsule contains a complete ecosystem of probiotics, prebiotics, and postbiotics, offering a holistic approach to gut health and overall well-being.

For those suffering from dysbiosis or digestive imbalance, this triad—bacteria, food, and metabolites—creates what Dr. Ohhira called a Complete Microbiome System, designed for Rapid Microbiome Repair. It restores balance by providing living bacteria to repopulate the gut, prebiotic nutrients to sustain them, and postbiotic metabolites to immediately support intestinal and systemic health.

Through his visionary blending of science, nature, and spirituality, Dr. Iichiroh Ohhira created more than a probiotic supplement. He created a philosophy of health rooted in harmony—between body and mind, science and nature, microbe and human.

This, truly, is The Dr. Ohhira Difference™.