#1213 - Dr. Andrew Weil

Joe Rogan (0:03)

Four, three, two, all the way from Tucson, Arizona. Dr. Weil, how are you, sir?

Andrew Weil (0:11)

I am good.

Joe Rogan (0:12)

Thanks for doing this, man. I appreciate it.

Andrew Weil (0:13)

Pleasure.

Joe Rogan (0:14)

You come highly recommended by many human beings that I know.

Andrew Weil (0:16)

Well, I'm glad to hear it.

Joe Rogan (0:17)

How do you get such a fine reputation?

Andrew Weil (0:20)

Well, I've been doing the same things for a long time, just putting one foot ahead of the other and saying what I know to be true.

Joe Rogan (0:26)

And pushing matcha.

Everybody likes matcha. Who doesn't like matcha tea? This is your stuff?

Andrew Weil (0:31)

Yeah, but you know, a lot of people have only tasted really bad matcha because-

Joe Rogan (0:36)

Enlighten me.

Andrew Weil (0:37)

You know, it's powdered tea, and it's very, very finely powdered, and it's very labor-intensive to prepare.

And it's got such a huge surface area that it oxidizes very quickly. So if it's not properly packed and stored, it loses its brilliant green color. It turns yellow green or gray green. It gets bitter and loses its taste. And I got to say, most of the matcha that I see served in this country is of that sort. And many people have never had the good stuff.

Joe Rogan (1:02)

What's the benefits of matcha? I know there's cognitive benefits. First of all, it's beautiful.

Andrew Weil (1:06)

I mean, I've never seen a green color like that. It's just amazing. And the flavor is amazing. But it's the only preparation of tea in which the whole leaf is consumed.

And it's grown under special conditions. The leaves are shaded, deep shade for the last three weeks before harvest.

So in response to that, the leaves produce more chlorophyll, more antioxidants, more of the good stuff. So it's got much more of the things that you want.

Joe Rogan (1:31)

And this has like a pop top, like Pringles.

Yeah. So the match is in there?

Andrew Weil (1:36)

It's got to stay fresh. And after you open it, you want to keep it in the freezer.

Yep.

Joe Rogan (1:40)

Freezer.

Andrew Weil (1:41)

You got it in the freezer. And you sift it so it doesn't form lumps. And then you whisk it with that traditional bamboo whisk, or you buy a little electric whisker.

And you can whisk it in hot water or cold water. That's very yummy.

Joe Rogan (1:52)

And what does it do for you? Like, what's the good…

Andrew Weil (1:55)

Well, you've got… It's got caffeine, of course, so you get stimulated by it. But it's also got L-theanine, which is this relaxing compound that modifies the effect of caffeine and produces a state of relaxed alertness. So it doesn't have the jangling effect of coffee.

And you're getting all of these antioxidant benefits that are well documented in tea. Anyway, I love it. It's a great thing.

Joe Rogan (2:17)

Anytime you get one of these little whisks, it's cool. It's like a real bamboo one.

Andrew Weil (2:21)

Made from one piece of bamboo. It's a miracle of Japanese craftsmanship.

Joe Rogan (2:25)

It's beautiful.

Andrew Weil (2:26)

It's beautiful.

Joe Rogan (2:27)

So how often do you drink this stuff?

Andrew Weil (2:29)

I have a bowl of it every morning.

Joe Rogan (2:31)

Really?

Andrew Weil (2:31)

Yeah, and sometimes I have a glass of iced matcha later in the day, especially in warm weather.

Joe Rogan (2:36)

You're just a matcha fiend.

Andrew Weil (2:37)

I love it. It's a good thing. I first tasted it when I was 17 I was an exchange student in Japan. In 1959, I lived with a family outside of Tokyo. We had no language in common. And on the second night I was there, the mother took me next door to her neighbors who practiced tea ceremony.

And they did this thing for me. And I was fascinated by that whisk and the color of the matcha. And I thought it was great. I never thought I'd be able to get it over here.

Joe Rogan (3:02)

Yeah. Well, so you import this stuff yourself?

Andrew Weil (3:05)

I started a company called Matchakari. We've got the URL matcha.com. And I went to Japan to Uji, which is a little town outside of Kyoto, which is the center of the best tea production in Japan.

And I sourced really good matcha. You know, there are many grades in matcha. The highest are too expensive to use for everyday use.

Joe Rogan (3:25)

Really?

Andrew Weil (3:25)

Yeah. I mean, phenomenally expensive.

Joe Rogan (3:27)