Five Timely Questions With Gunhee Park Founder Of Populum

Warren Bobrow=WB: Please tell me about yourself. What path did you take to cannabis (CBD)? Why cannabis?

Gunhee Park=GP: My name is Gunhee Park, and I’m the founder of Populum. I’m originally from South Korea and I immigrated to the US when I was 15. Growing up, I had a lot of health issues where my mom would have to make weekly visits to the doctor. During that time, my mom also turned to traditional Eastern herbal medicine, investing a lot of time and effort in getting me all these plant-based supplements. The most exotic supplement I’ve tried is a Divlji ginseng. These strains grow undisturbed deep in the mountains for decades and is supposed to be more potent (and effective) than regular farm cultivated ginseng. CBD piqued my interest in 2015, as I became more familiar with the hemp plant. While I initially enjoyed the nutritional advantages of eating hemp seeds and protein, I was particularly drawn to hemp-derived CBD for its benefits as a plant-based supplement. At the same time, I was initially skeptical with CBD as I often found exaggerated claims from brands that promote CBD oil as some form of cure-all. After spending some time looking for reputable and trustworthy products, I realized how difficult it was to find a brand that was transparent and honest about what they were selling. Eventually, I realized that this lack of information and credibility was depriving the public of access to CBD, and through Populum, I set out to help reframe the way people view CBD, and to provide high-quality, trustworthy hemp products to conscious consumers like myself. 

 WB: Please tell me about your company? What is your six and twelve month goals? 

GP: From the beginning, we established that transparency is the core value in every aspect of our business. We do this by using only domestically-sourced hemp, third-party lab testing every batch, and consciously selecting the ingredients we put in our products. With transparency comes education about what hemp CBD actually is, how to properly use CBD, and how to find the right product. For Populum, that means providing as much educational information as possible on our website and blog, having customer service representatives ready and available to answer questions, and giving customers a risk-free 30-day trial. We’re proud to be the first brand in the industry to offer a truly risk-free trial. While CBD has quickly become popularized, it is still a new supplement for a lot of people. As we move into 2020, our goal is to continue to invest in customer education. Additionally, we plan to invest in product development to introduce more user-friendly and effective ways for customers to take/use CBD. 

WB: What does CBD do? How do you determine dosage? 

GP: Our bodies consist of the endocannabinoid system (ECS), that naturally create neurotransmitters called endocannabinoids called Anandamide and 2-AG. These work with our central nervous system and peripheral nervous system to help maintain homeostasis – your body’s natural state of stability. Phytocannabinoids, such as cannabidiol (CBD), mimic and/or supplement endocannabinoids by working with receptors within our body. While research around CBD is still in its infancy, we do know that US Health and Services holds a patent on Cannabinoids, that states –

This new found property makes cannabinoids useful in the treatment and prophylaxis of wide variety of oxidation associated diseases, such as ischemic, age-related, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. The cannabinoids are found to have particular application as neuroprotectants, for example in limiting neurological damage following ischemic insults, such as stroke and trauma, or in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and HIV dementia. Non Psychoactive cannabinoids, such as cannabidiol, are particularly advantageous to use because they avoid toxicity that is encountered with psychoactive cannabinoids at high doses useful in the method of the present invention.

We’ve found that CBD works differently for every individual. While there’s no scientifically proven dosing regimen, you should approach hemp CBD oil step by step. We recommend starting at a smaller dosage, but gradually increase the concentration until you find what works best for you.  We recommend starting out with 8mg of CBD, however you may find you need more or less. We’ve also put together an infographic for our customers to make it easy to determine the starting dosage recommendation. 

WB: Do you have a favorite restaurant? Where? What type of food?

GP: I always look out for good Asian cuisines, such as Thai or Vietnamese. Obviously, being from Korea, I will always fall back on a good Korean dish. 

WB: What is your passion?

GP: Since 2015, my wife and I have rescued 2 dogs, fostered 3 more, and volunteered with animal rescues while living in Texas and Nebraska. What started as a simple curiosity from wanting to get a dog grew to an active interest in helping animals that are put in poor circumstances because of human mistreatment. My passion for rescuing animals has extended into my work at Populum. We recently launched Populum’s Rescued Pets CBD Program, which rewards customers who adopt or foster animals with a 25% discount on any of our Zen Pets products.