ARE CBD TINCTURES OLD NEWS? BY BRENDAN MURPHY
T
UCKED AWAY ON A SMALL STREET in the northeast side of Buffalo is America’s only certified-organic finished-product manufacturer for CBD capsules.
Plant Science Laboratories, owned by Mike Barnhart, specializes in dehydration and milling manufacturing for the nutritional supplement industry. In a nutshell, they process whole foods, extracts, and concen-
trates into powders for use in nutritional and dietary supplements.
into a micronized powder and incorporated with organic plant fibers—pea and oat—resulting in a finished product with a particle size of 100 microns. It’s then encapsulated in a machine that can produce up to 100,000 capsules per hour.
WHY CAPSULES? Besides creating a product that’s a more
With tincture, your body digests most of the CBD in the duodenum, the part of the digestive system that connects the stomach to the small intestine. With the encapsulated plant fibers, however, the CBD is digested further down the
the dose. Plant Science Laboratories offers several CBD capsule products. Their mainstay is plain CBD, but they also have a CBD/ CBG combination which is recommended for nighttime use to promote sleep and
They’re not making the usual tinctures which have become so prominent, though. “Who actually likes taking tincture?” says Barnhart, “Nobody—it tastes bad.” That’s why he set his sights on something different. Through countless hours of experimentation, Barnhart developed his proprietary “micronization” process, whereby concentrated CBD distillate is processed
22
CannaBuff.com WINTER 2021
biology from the University at Buffalo, he considers himself a scientist first and foremost. He’s been working in the industry for thirty years. Plant Science Laboratories has been open for eighteen. It’s impressive what Barnhart has been able to accomplish with the company, which he built from the ground up without investors myself,” he said proudly. “Everything you see here, I built. When I laid down that first
alters the body’s absorption process.
more standardized means of delivering
recipient of a hemp processing license.
manufacturing. Armed with a degree in
many people, the addition of plant fibers
for an extended-release effect, and a
Science Laboratories was the state’s first
nutritional supplement formulation and
preferable method of consumption for
body’s absorption of the CBD, allowing
When New York legalized hemp, Plant
Mike Barnhart has a long history in
or financial support. “I’ve financed this all
small intestine. The added fiber slows the
A DIFFERENT APPROACH
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
relaxation. Their newest blend is CBD and green tea, which contains caffeine and guarana and is better suited for morning or daytime use. The benefit of powder-form CBD is that you can add it to anything, Barnhart
“Who actually likes taking tincture?” says Barnhart, “Nobody—it tastes bad.” That’s why he set his sights on something different.
emphasized. Energy drinks, supplements — you name it. Plant Science Laboratories is constantly experimenting with new formulations, and Barnhart envisions his CBD powder being added to a wide range of supplements. Plant Science Laboratories also distributes their CBD powder wholesale in addition to their proprietary capsules.
concrete floor in 2003, I didn’t know how exactly this would pan out or what it was going to look like, but I knew it was going to work.” The building the company inhabits was restored by Barnhart, and was originally much smaller. Over the years he’s expanded
