After founding the healthy snacking brand Naturebox, the creators of Numo wanted to do something different with supplements. They wanted to help consumers improve their health through the power of fermented foods and pure ingredients. However, they also understood that most people are busy and may not have the time or motivation to change their diets completely. They wanted to create something that provides a convenient solution for busy lifestyles.
Numo was developed to offer people a way to reap the benefits of the live cultures of fermented foods without as much hassle. Other companies on the market make all kinds of probiotic pills and supplements. But Numo wanted to do things a little differently, working hard to preserve the natural properties of its powerful ingredients.
It Started With Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar is a popular choice for health-conscious consumers because of its antioxidant and microbial properties. Like other fermented foods, ACV may help improve digestion, assist with weight loss, and support healthy energy levels and immune function. Research suggests ACV might also help balance blood sugar, lower cholesterol, and reduce blood pressure. Some people use it as a home remedy for acid reflux and even kidney stones.
But swigging ACV straight from the bottle isn’t exactly most folks’ idea of a tasty treat. If you’ve ever tried to stomach even a spoonful or two, you know the dread of forcing each sip down. So Numo decided to try and harness its benefits in a more palatable, user-friendly form. A gummy seemed like the most convenient way to deliver ACV’s potential benefits. Thus, the Numo brand and its live ACV gummies were born. The challenge they initially faced was figuring out how to maintain live cultures in a gummy.
The Challenge of Preserving Live Cultures
Traditional ACV gummies are made with many sweeteners, additives, animal gelatin, and artificial ingredients. They’re also often produced with high heat levels that kill off ACV’s naturally occurring live cultures. The result is a highly processed product that may contain far more sugar than microorganisms. The trace amounts of live culture that remain may not be enough to provide any real gut health benefits.
Numo ACV gummies needed to find a solution to this issue and see if they could maintain live cultures in a gummy. After some experimentation, they designed a unique “cold” gelling process where temperatures never reach above 122℉ to preserve live cultures like “the mother.” The result is a gummy that tastes better and retains more of the natural properties of organic and fermented foods. Numo gummies are also made with only certified organic ingredients. Additionally, they don’t contain chemicals, added sugars, animal gelatins, or any other ingredients thought to disrupt gut flora.
The Mother
The live cultures in ACV, mentioned above, make up part of a unique cocktail that fermentation enthusiasts call “the Mother.” The Mother consists of a combination of yeast and bacteria that catalyze the fermentation process. The Mother is a thick, murky sediment found in all types of raw, unpasteurized vinegar — look for it at the bottom of your vinegar bottle. Other fermented products, like sourdough bread, are also made using a “Mother” (sometimes called a “starter.”)
Scientific evidence doesn’t really differentiate between the power of the Mother and of fermented foods in general. However, they do know that a diet rich in fermented foods can play an important role in balancing the gut microbiome. The potential benefits of fermented foods may include antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, and more. Numo ACV gummies are processed in a way that’s designed to avoid disrupting the natural properties of fermentation.
And Deep Sleep Gummies Without Hormones
Sleep supplement gummies are all the rage lately, with melatonin dominating the supplement shelves at many drugstores. A hormone naturally produced in the brain, melatonin helps tell the body when it’s time to go to sleep. However, some people don’t tolerate melatonin well, as it can cause digestive symptoms and nausea. Others find it gives them uncomfortably vivid dreams or even upsetting nightmares. It is also not advisable to take melatonin every night for long periods of time, as this can risk dysregulating your own body’s production of the hormone.
Numo’s Deep Sleep Gummy provides a hormone-free alternative to support a natural good night’s sleep. Instead of melatonin, it contains ingredients like magnesium L-threonate, l-theanine, and apigenin, the latter of which comes from chamomile. Like other Numo supplements, these gummies also contain live, active cultures. That’s because evidence suggests that a diverse gut microbiome can play an important role in sleep regulation.
Melatonin
The gut itself is a significant producer of melatonin. In fact, research shows, “The concentration of melatonin in the gastrointestinal tissues surpasses blood levels by 10-100 times and there is at least 400 times more melatonin in the gastrointestinal tract than in the pineal gland.” This locally produced melatonin not only influences gastrointestinal functions, such as motility and immune response, but it also communicates bidirectionally with the central nervous system, aiding in the regulation of sleep-wake cycles.
By nurturing a balanced gut microbiome through the inclusion of live, active cultures in their Deep Sleep Gummy, Numo aims to support the intricate interplay between gut-derived melatonin and overall sleep quality. That’s a unique approach in the supplement space. By always prioritizing the gut microbiome, Numo promotes relaxation and restfulness while also nurturing the foundation for overall wellness. This holistic approach recognizes that achieving restorative sleep isn’t just about addressing immediate symptoms but also about fostering a healthy internal environment conducive to optimal sleep patterns.
Then Came An Elderberry Immunity Boost
In addition to their powerful ACV and sleep gummies, Numo offers Immunity Gummies to maintain gut health while boosting your immune system. Studies have shown that 70% of the human immune system is located in the gut, so it’s important to support gut health in order to strengthen overall immunity.
As with ACV, their gummies are made with natural ingredients and packed with probiotics. Elderberry is a flowering plant used all over the world to treat cold, flu, and other ailments. Raw berries may be poisonous to humans in large doses, but they have many medicinal properties when cooked or processed. A natural antioxidant, elderberry is available in syrups, teas, tonics, capsules, tinctures, and more. It is thought to decrease the duration of certain illnesses and help treat pain and high cholesterol.
Numo Immunity Gummies combine elderberries’ potential healing power with kimchi’s powerful probiotic effects. They’re also formulated with Zinc and vitamin D, which may help ward off or fight illnesses like the common cold. Other cold-fighting supplements tend to contain only basic vitamins and minerals. However, Numo gummies include live cultures because the company believes gut health is the first step to a healthy immune system.
The Whole Picture
A healthy gut is a necessity in regulating metabolism, fighting inflammation, and avoiding disease. It may even be linked to mental health and could help prevent anxiety and depression. But dietary and lifestyle changes are a gradual process, requiring a good amount of time and discipline. Numo aims to make a difference in peoples’ lives by making gut health more accessible to everyone.
