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WHAT IS SUM?SUM -- Superior Uptake Method is a highly bioavailable sublingual tablet. Absorbing through the mucosa under your tongue, SUM's micro-powder dissolves in about a minute and goes right to your bloodstream. So, rather than using oily tinctures that don't absorb well or slow-acting edibles that degrade the cannabinoids in the stomach, water-soluble SUM is pure, direct, and consistent.
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WHAT IS CBD? WHERE DOES IT COME FROM?Cannabidiol (CBD) is a cannabinoid, so are THC, CBN and 110 other compounds naturally found in the cannabis plant. CBD doesn’t get you high, but it has a whole host of benefits, most of which relate to inflammation or oxidation. CBD can be found in both marijuana and hemp, but usually, it’s made from hemp (cannabis bred for high CBD and low THC).
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DOES THE SOURCE OF CBD (FROM MARIJUANA OR FROM HEMP) CHANGE ITS EFFECTIVENESS?No. CBD is a type of molecule known as a cannabinoid. Cannabinoids can also be found in other plants like flax and coneflower (echinacea) for example. Similar to how vitamin C is the same whether you get it from an orange or broccoli, once a molecule is isolated and concentrated, its source doesn’t matter. It’s important to point out that hemp and marijuana are, scientifically speaking, the same plant: Cannabis Sativa. The terms “Hemp” and “Marijuana” are merely designations given by regulators to identify Cannabis Sativa plants that have been bred differently. “Hemp” is used when the plant has been bred to contains less than 0.3% THC and “Marijuana” is used when it contains more than 0.3% THC. This misnomer that the CBD source affects its potency probably originated with the idea that a small amount of THC helps “activate” the effects of CBD. While this too is inaccurate, it is well known that CBD in conjunction with THC alters its normal effects on the body, producing a more noticeable effect. But, when the CBD molecule is isolated, its source is irrelevant.
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HOW IS CBD DIFFERENT FROM THC?CBD and THC have the EXACT same chemical makeup: 21 carbon atoms, 30 hydrogen atoms and 2 oxygen atoms. The only difference between the two is the location of a single hydrogen atom. The effect this tiny change has on how CBD interacts with the body is profound. CBD produces a sense of painlessness and mood elevation without the high. Instead of landing in one or both of our cannabinoid receptors like THC, CBD actually works with the serotonergic system to keep your own naturally produced cannabinoids working for longer period of time, resulting in lower stress levels, lower pain perception, and more.
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WHAT IS MICRODOSE?For people looking to enjoy the therapeutic benefits of cannabinoids while minimizing the "high" feeling, studies show that less is more. Small “microdoses” can have the same or greater benefit than larger doses—while seamlessly integrating into your busy life. But, to us, the size of each dose is only one aspect of microdosing. Because the doses are low, it’s critically important that you get as much as possible of that dose into your bloodstream. That’s where precision of the dose, the sublingual (under the tongue) delivery, and the bioavailability (or uptake) play important roles. Some forms, like edibles, have to take a long, inhospitable journey through your gastrointestinal tract and liver with only a fraction of the cannabinoids getting to your bloodstream. And, that effect can be wildly inconsistent on different days (or even times of day).
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HOW DID SUM COME TO BE?The technology behind our products is the culmination of decades of research and millions of dollars in development of a ground-breaking vaccine delivery system. We have patented the ability to convert any cannabinoid into micro-powder optimized for bioavailability and maximum efficiency. Then the micro-powder is pressed into quick-dissolving tablets. Our mission is to provide the greatest benefit of cannabinoids through pure, consistent, efficient, and predictable delivered dosage.
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WHAT ARE SUM'S INGREDIENTS?ENERGY: MANNITOL, CELLULOSE, CROSPOVIDONE, SODIUM STEARYL FUMARATE, TETRAHYDROCANNABINOL (THC) DISTILLATE, SILICA, WINTERGREEN FLAVOR. FOCUS: MANNITOL, CELLULOSE, CROSPOVIDONE, SODIUM STEARYL FUMARATE, CANNABIDIOL (CBD) ISOLATE, TETRAHYDROCANNABINOL (THC) DISTILLATE, SILICA, WINTERGREEN FLAVOR. CALM: MANNITOL, CELLULOSE, CROSPOVIDONE, SODIUM STEARYL FUMARATE, CANNABIDIOL (CBD) ISOLATE, TETRAHYDROCANNABINOL (THC) DISTILLATE, SILICA, WINTERGREEN FLAVOR. SLEEP: MANNITOL, CELLULOSE, CROSPOVIDONE, SODIUM STEARYL FUMARATE, CANNABINOL (CBN) ISOLATE, TETRAHYDROCANNABINOL (THC) DISTILLATE, SILICA, WINTERGREEN FLAVOR. RELIEF: MANNITOL, CELLULOSE, CROSPOVIDONE, SODIUM STEARYL FUMARATE, CANNABIDIOL (CBD) ISOLATE, TETRAHYDROCANNABINOL (THC) DISTILLATE, SILICA, WINTERGREEN FLAVOR. RELIEF ROLL-ON: SWEET ALMOND OIL, GRAPESEED OIL, MCT COCONUT OIL, ESSENTIAL OILS (LAVENDER, PEPPERMINT, EUCALYPTUS, AND ROSEMARY), SUNFLOWER LECITHIN, COLORADO HEMP-SOURCED PURE CANNABIDIOL (CBD) ISOLATE, PURE TETRAHYDROCANNABINOL (THC) DISTILLATE.
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WHAT IS MANNITOL? IS IT A PHARMACEUTICAL? IS IT SAFE?At the levels we use, mannitol is not a pharmaceutical, it's considered a sweetener. Mannitol is a very common, safe ingredient in candies and gum. It is also regarded as GRAS (Generally Regarded as Safe) for consumption by the FDA as a food additive. It's also found in many foods. In fact, a 100g serving of cauliflower has 17 times the mannitol of one of our tablets. Here's a great explanation of its uses: https://foodinsight.org/what-is-mannitol/.
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ARE SUM SUBLINGUALS "EDIBLES"?"While they are edible, we do not think of SUM Sublinguals in the category of “Edibles.” They quickly dissolve under your tongue and absorb into your bloodstream. With edibles, the cannabinoids begin a long, inhospitable journey through the gastrointestinal tract, stomach, and liver. Only a small fraction of the cannabinoids are absorbed in the process. And that final amount will vary greatly by such factors as how much food is in your stomach. So, no, SUM is a Sublingual, not an Edible.
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DO ALL SUBLINGUALS HAVE THE SAME UPTAKE?Under the tongue is a great place for cannabinoids to get to your bloodstream. But, they first have to absorb through the mucosal membrane. Oils (whether from a dropper, a spray, or on dissolvable strip) have trouble getting through because they're not water-soluble. They tend to pool up and sit there until some of it gets swallowed (see the question about edibles). So no, sublinguals have vastly different absorption rates and, therefore, bioavailability or uptake.
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HOW IS SUM DIFFERENT FROM OILS THAT ALSO GO UNDER THE TONGUE?It’s difficult to keep oil-based liquids under your tongue long enough for them to be absorbed. Much of it ends up getting swallowed, turning them into inefficient edibles which are inconsistently metabolized by the body. SUM is water-soluble and dissolves in under a minute, quickly absorbing through your mucosal membrane. And SUM is flavored with wintergreen.
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HOW SOON WILL I FEEL THE EFFECTS?Due to the superior uptake (bioavailability) of SUM, perceivable effects should be felt within 10 to 15 minutes. Microdose effects are not generally felt as a traditional “high” feeling commonly associated with cannabis products, but rather felt as a gradual and constant sense of calm, focus, energy, or relief.
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ARE SUM SUBLINGUALS MINTS?No, but they are deliciously minty. SUM Sublinguals go under your tongue, not on it. And they dissolve much faster than a mint. The reason we created SUM was to offer the purest and most precise microdose of beneficial (anti-inflammation and anti-oxidation) cannabinoids. The cannabinoids in SUM (CBD and THC) absorb into your bloodstream through the capillaries of your mucosal membrane. This is important because mints and other edibles take a long, slow journey through your gastrointestinal tract and are changed and diluted as you metabolize them. Precision is impossible when you swallow cannabinoids. You have no idea how much of the dose will get to your bloodstream. Some brands spin it by saying their edibles absorb in multiple ways as they travel from your mouth, through the bile in your stomach, through your liver, and finally to your bloodstream. The reality is that amount will vary every time you eat an edible or mint based on what’s in your stomach at that moment. So, you need to start with a much larger dose of an edible to end up near the dose of SUM.
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IS SUM SUGARFREE?Yes, SUM is sugarfree.
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WHICH IS BETTER: ISOLATE OR FULL SPECTRUM?This is an important discussion because there is a lot of confusion and some misleading messaging going on out there. First, neither one is better per se. It’s all about what you’re after. We use isolates to form "custom spectrum" products. This means that the amounts of cannabinoids (THC, CBD, CBN) noted on each of our products is the actual amount of those cannabinoids in the product. In many cases, brands will say "10mg" and that's simply the amount of the aggregate of all their ingredients in the oil. So, the specific cannabinoid amount is less. 10mg of full spectrum oil on a label means it has a subset of CBD (not 10mg of CBD) and a subset of other ingredients. The amounts of each ingredient is unknown and will vary from batch to batch. Full spectrum simply means that all of the existing cannabinoids, terpenes, and perhaps other plant components like waxes, proteins, and even chlorophyll found in hemp oil are retained in the product. The combination of the different ingredients may be what you’re after as there are benefits of the minor ingredients. Just know that it’s difficult, if not impossible, to know how much of each component you’re getting in each dose. So: 10mg of “Full Spectrum Hemp Oil” is a mix of cannabinoids, terpenes, and other parts of the plant. So, you are getting more than CBD yet not 10mg of CBD. 10mg of CBD Isolate is 10mg of CBD. We chose the precision of isolate to eliminate the variability that comes with full spectrum. At times, you might see "full spectrum" attached to just one cannabinoid as in "Full Specturm CBD." As we’ve said, full spectrum refers to a combination of ingredients — not just one cannabinoid. So, “Full Spectrum CBD” is a misnomer as it suggests a wide range of several things (full spectrum) while being only one thing (CBD).
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WHAT'S THE ENTOURAGE EFFECT?Simply put, it's multiple cannabinoids working together to become greater than the sum of their parts. We believe in the entourage effect and produce "custom spectrum" products with isolates of CBD, THC, and CBN. . . with more cannabinoids coming soon to our product line.
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HOW IS SUM TESTED?We source our cannabinoids from carefully vetted suppliers, with the highest of quality standards. We choose to use cannabinoids in their most pure form, isolate or distillate, in order to maximize the benefits of the cannabinoid and limit the number of variables in the user experience. We use qNMR (quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy) to measure the exact purity of our starting materials (CBD isolate, THC distillate). This is the most accurate analytical method for determining purity of samples, and is much more accurate than chromatography, which is the method used by most analytical labs. Chromatography methods often return values of over 100% purity, which is, of course, impossible and illustrates the error inherent in these common methods. We also use USP (United States Pharmacopoeia) standardized methods for quality control.
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IS SUM VEGAN? HOW ABOUT SUGAR AND GLUTEN?SUM Method products are all sugarfree, gluten-free, and vegan.
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HOW CAN SUM BE WATER SOLUBLE?Well, it’s quite a feat. If you’ve ever used a tincture, you know that oils mainly pool under your tongue and don’t really absorb into the mucosal membrane very well. You eventually swallow a lot of it, transforming it to an edible that has to go through your digestive system. This greatly delays the time to your bloodstream and reduces its effectiveness. Since humans are water-based, a sublingual (under-the-tongue) delivery method should be water soluble for best absorption. And that’s where SUM comes in. The scientists at SUM created a breakthrough formula where the cannabinoid molecules are completely enveloped so they can absorb through your mucosal membrane. Each tiny droplet of cannabinoid oil is covered with a layer of our ingredients that have both oil and water-soluble properties. The oil parts of the ingredients interact with the cannabinoids and the water-soluble parts interact with water, forming a “bridge” between the cannabinoid oil droplet and the water which suspends the oil droplet and prevents it from separating. This breakthrough results in a small tablet that: quickly dissolves under your tongue, has a minty taste, absorbs directly into your bloodstream, and gets to work in less than 15 minutes.
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WHY ARE THERE SPECKLES ON THE TABLETS?The speckles are normal and part of the formulation. As a natural product, THC has an amber color that can intensify over time. If you see small yellow speckles on the tablets, that the THC.
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IS SUM AVAILABLE IN MY STATE?Currently, SUM is available only in Colorado dispensaries. We are actively seeking partners in other states and will update our status beyond Colorado as this develops.
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HOW DOES THC WORK IN THE ENERGY PRODUCT?It may be counterintuitive, but THC is actually a vasodilator (widening of blood vessels) in small doses. Once past a threshold dose, that is no longer the case.
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WHAT IS CBN?Cannabinol (CBN) is a non-intoxicating cannabinoid. We use it for its gentle sedative properties in our Sleep formulation, avoiding artifical sleep aids and hormones like melatonin.
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