Cancer and other chronic disease result from a toxic, sodium-overloaded and potassium-deficient cellular metabolism; a strict low-sodium, high-potassium diet combined with large volumes of raw juice and coffee enemas (which dilate the bile ducts and let the liver release stored toxins) reverses this underlying toxic state and allows the body to heal itself.
The theoretical foundation of Gerson Therapy was that restoring a normal intracellular sodium-potassium balance and detoxifying the liver through coffee enemas addresses the root metabolic cause of cancer. Memorial Sloan Kettering states that “this proposed toxin build-up has never been proven, nor has the diet’s ability to remove such toxins from the body.” A 1992 peer-reviewed critique in JAMA concluded the rationale does not withstand scientific scrutiny. No laboratory or animal study supporting the mechanism has been published in the scientific literature.
Appears in
Sources
- Gerson Therapy (PDQ): Health Professional Version — PDQ Integrative, Alternative, and Complementary Therapies Editorial Board. Gerson Therapy (PDQ): Health Professional Version. Bethesda, MD: National Cancer Institute. PMID: 26389464. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK66029/ (page footer dated 11 April 2016).
- Gerson Regimen — Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. 'Gerson Regimen.' About Herbs, Botanicals & Other Products. https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/integrative-medicine/herbs/gerson-regimen (last updated 10 February 2023).
- Gerson Therapy — CAM-Cancer. 'Gerson Therapy.' https://cam-cancer.org/gerson-therapy (retrieved 1 September 2026).
- A critique of the rationale for cancer treatment with coffee enemas and diet — Green S. A critique of the rationale for cancer treatment with coffee enemas and diet. JAMA. 1992;268(22):3224-3227. PMID: 1433763.