Dr. Mark Hyman

This is a pharmacopoeia of thousands of compounds that we eat in our diet.

This is a pharmacopoeia of thousands of compounds that we eat in our diet.

This is a pharmacopoeia of thousands of compounds that we eat in our diet.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So this is a plant that has a kind of... Plus it's high in protein, and its protein utilizability is close to that of meat. That's incredible.

So this is a plant that has a kind of... Plus it's high in protein, and its protein utilizability is close to that of meat. That's incredible.

So this is a plant that has a kind of... Plus it's high in protein, and its protein utilizability is close to that of meat. That's incredible.

I think that this work that we've been doing is kind of a model in which nature is giving us a peek into some of its mystery in ways that we didn't understand before. Nature doesn't divulge her secrets easily. I think you have to do it a step at a time. What we first found was this 3,500-year-old food.

I think that this work that we've been doing is kind of a model in which nature is giving us a peek into some of its mystery in ways that we didn't understand before. Nature doesn't divulge her secrets easily. I think you have to do it a step at a time. What we first found was this 3,500-year-old food.

I think that this work that we've been doing is kind of a model in which nature is giving us a peek into some of its mystery in ways that we didn't understand before. Nature doesn't divulge her secrets easily. I think you have to do it a step at a time. What we first found was this 3,500-year-old food.

When we analyzed it very precisely for its composition, we found there were 121 different phytochemicals from the polyphenol family across all the various families. The flavonol, flavonoid, flavone, and anthocyanin families. They were members across that whole range of plant compounds. So then I asked a question. I said, now hold it just a minute.

When we analyzed it very precisely for its composition, we found there were 121 different phytochemicals from the polyphenol family across all the various families. The flavonol, flavonoid, flavone, and anthocyanin families. They were members across that whole range of plant compounds. So then I asked a question. I said, now hold it just a minute.

When we analyzed it very precisely for its composition, we found there were 121 different phytochemicals from the polyphenol family across all the various families. The flavonol, flavonoid, flavone, and anthocyanin families. They were members across that whole range of plant compounds. So then I asked a question. I said, now hold it just a minute.

Why would a plant go to the trouble, because metabolically it's very costly for it to make 120 different individual chemicals. Why would it do that? Maybe it only needs one thing. Like, why doesn't it just make quercetin? Quercetin has all these value propositions. Why doesn't it just make rutin? Why doesn't it just make homoeriodictyol? Why doesn't it just make, and I could go down the list.

Why would a plant go to the trouble, because metabolically it's very costly for it to make 120 different individual chemicals. Why would it do that? Maybe it only needs one thing. Like, why doesn't it just make quercetin? Quercetin has all these value propositions. Why doesn't it just make rutin? Why doesn't it just make homoeriodictyol? Why doesn't it just make, and I could go down the list.

Why would a plant go to the trouble, because metabolically it's very costly for it to make 120 different individual chemicals. Why would it do that? Maybe it only needs one thing. Like, why doesn't it just make quercetin? Quercetin has all these value propositions. Why doesn't it just make rutin? Why doesn't it just make homoeriodictyol? Why doesn't it just make, and I could go down the list.

And the answer is that nature is super intelligent. Because it is recognized that regulatory function of genes requires multiple cell-specific activities to orchestrate outcome for maximum resilience, to maintain the redundancy of our system so that we have maximum opportunities for positive outcome from exposure. Now, why do those flavonoids get built in the plant? It wasn't for us, obviously.

And the answer is that nature is super intelligent. Because it is recognized that regulatory function of genes requires multiple cell-specific activities to orchestrate outcome for maximum resilience, to maintain the redundancy of our system so that we have maximum opportunities for positive outcome from exposure. Now, why do those flavonoids get built in the plant? It wasn't for us, obviously.