Christian Gottlieb Ludwig was a German physician and botanist born in Brieg, Silesia (now Brzeg, Poland). He was the father of physician/naturalist Christian Friedrich Ludwig (1757–1823) and of Christian L. Ludwig (1749–1784), a physician/scientist known for his translation of Joseph Priestley's scientific experiments.

From 1728 he studied medicine and botany at the University of Leipzig, but due to lack of funds was forced to discontinue his studies, therefore taking a job as a botanist on an African expedition under the leadership of Johann Ernst Hebenstreit (1703–1757). In 1733 he resumed his studies, and from 1736 gave lectures at Leipzig. In 1737 he earned his doctorate under Augustin Friedrich Walther (1688–1746), later becoming an associate professor of medicine (1740). At Leipzig he successively became a full professor of medicine (1747), pathology (1755), and therapy (1758). Among his better known students at Leipzig was physician and mineralogist Johann Carl Gehler (1732–1796).

Ludwig is remembered for his correspondence with Carl Linnaeus, in particular, discussions involving the latter's classification system. It was Linnaeus who named the plant genus Ludwigia in honor of Ludwig.