Pharm-grade is Herbology’s DNA.

Herbology may have recently introduced itself to consumers with its collection of ultra-pure extracts for the new G Pen Gio vaporizer, but the brand has been well-known to medical researchers – and the developers of the Gio – for years.

Established in 2011, Herbology is a pioneer in testing and analyzing cannabinoids. The company is working to develop pharmaceutical-grade medications for researchers and hospitals, and its analytics lab helped G Pen ensure that its Gio design components were safe.

“Although we are making consumer goods as part of our business plan, our intention is to further science and medicine by using cannabis,” says Ryan Littman, Herbology’s chief operating officer.

Littman says the goal is to manufacture the medicines used in clinical studies, and Herbology already has partnerships with several California hospital groups to develop plans for eventual cannabis clinical trials and efficacy studies. Meanwhile, consumers can benefit from its naturally extracted, rigorously tested, rich-tasting oils in a variety of THC and CBD formulations.

It’s the terps.

What makes Herbology’s extracts different is attention to terpenes, the essences that give all plants their flavors and aromas. Its oils are extracted cleanly with CO2, using proprietary machinery that draws and collects the strain’s terpene profile.

“We believe terpenes are the secret sauce of the plant, and no one is extracting them efficiently,” Littman says. “The idea of what a strain is, is in the terpenes.”

Herbology extracts every element of the plant and reconstitutes it in oil, he says, preserving both flavor and efficacy.

Its high-end terpene line, including the Purple Grapefruit, contains select terpenes chosen for specific flavor profiles, Littman says. So a Sour Diesel extract, for example, tastes and feels like the actual Sour Diesel flower strain.

If you want it analyzed right, analyze it yourself.

Another benefit of making consumer goods at a pharmaceutical-level facility is the reliability of the end product. Each batch of Herbology oils is repeatedly tested throughout processing to ensure consistent THC and CBD levels. Such precise cannabinoid isolation and measurement capacities also allow for specific formulations and combinations.

“Having an internal lab, we’re able to build the CBD:THC ratios to a very precise number,” Littman says. Three CBD:THC cartridges are available for the Gio, with the highest CBD concentration 15:1.

Like Herbology’s pure THC oils, its CBD formulations are made entirely from plant material, without any dilutants or flavorings. The Strawberry-Mint variety, with 3:1 CBD to THC, is flavored with real strawberries and mint leaves.

Herbology’s testing and analysis capabilities is what led G Pen to seek the company’s services while developing the premier Gio vape. Herbology was able to test the Gio’s prototype hardware and cartridges to ensure they didn’t leach anything toxic. One of G Pen’s founders characterized the partnership with Herbology as critical during the Gio’s design and development process.

“They are the ones that have really helped us do all the formulations and the testing of the hardware components,” Chris Folkerts told TheSmokersClub.com earlier this year.

Herbology wouldn’t have created its first consumer line with anyone else, Littman says.

“We feel like they’re a leader in the hardware space,” he says. “We’ve done the Herbology launch with them, and we see there’s a lot of synergy in product development with their group.”

[Product(s) named in this story are registered under California licenses CDPH-T00000009 and CDPH-T00000010]