CONTENTS:
What is CBG?
CBG is cannabigerol for short. Next to CBD (cannabidiol), another cannabinoid found in cannabis.
It was discovered in 1964 by a team led by Yehiel Gaoni and Prof. Mechoulama. It is still being researched because of its wide range of potential medical and therapeutic applications from regulating appetite to minimising inflammatory processes to fighting cancer.
The disadvantage of cannabigerol is the cost of its production. It is called the 'Rolls Royce among cannabinoids' precisely because of its high price.
The CBG content of hemp is much lower than CBD or THC. In the United States or Canada, hemp is grown with CBD content as high as 20% (unattainable levels in Poland due to THC-related regulations). In contrast, these varieties only generate about 2% of cannabigerol. This is likely to change in the near future as there are reports from the cultivation market in Poland of success in growing cannabis with a content of this cannabinoid close to 12%. As the content increases, the availability will increase and the price should also come down soon after.
Work to breed cannabigerol-rich varieties is ongoing and this situation will probably change in some time - which is why some people write about this cannabinoid in terms of a 'melody of the future'.
You can read about how this phytocannabinoid is formed in the last paragraph for the advanced.
Here I will just mention that the acidic form of cannabigerol CBG-A is the precursor of CBD, i.e. CBD is formed from CGB-A under the influence of temperature during the growth process of hemp.
Like cannabidiol - CBG is a non-toxic plant chemical compound.
It is also perfectly legal - it is not included in any list of banned or controlled psychotropic substances or narcotics.
It does not have an intoxicating effect. In laboratory animal studies to date, cannabigerol has been well tolerated and considered safe due to the absence of side effects of use1.
Cannabigerol shows promising potential for potent therapeutic properties in studies to date.
Which ones? You will read about this further on.
What properties and effects does CBG have?
The amount of research into the properties and effects of CBG is considerably less than for CBD.
Cannabigerol (CBG) acts in the body in a similar way to CBD. It interacts with the same receptors of the endocannabinoid system2. The properties of both cannabinoids appear to be very similar.
CBG shows strong synergistic effects with other cannabinoids and terpenes. This means that it works more effectively in their presence. This is why full spectrum preparations are considered better, more effective than those based on cannabinoid isolates.
What we know for sure today is that CBG exhibits a broad spectrum of action:
- Antibacterial - antibacterial properties of CBG are well understood, it is also effective against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and other antibiotic-resistant bacteria; as is CBD, so their co-presence in the formulation enhances the effect of the antibacterial properties of the
- Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant - relatively new survey of 18 november 2019 showed that the anti-inflammatory efficacy of cannabidiol (CBD) is higher when combined with CBG; both these cannabinoids reinforce each other in their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties
- Neuroprotection - in a 2018 study (in vitro model of a neuroinflammatory state) demonstrated the strong neuroprotective properties of cannabigerol, the study indicated CBG as a potentially very effective compound for the treatment of neuroinflammatory conditions and the minimisation of oxidative stress
- Analgesic - in a study that is now nearly 30 years old, researchers have shown strong analgesic and anti-ruminant properties of cannabigerol, the potency of the anti-inflammatory effect has been shown to be superior to commonly used painkillers
- Anticancer - interaction CBG and CBD with limonene leads to the self-destruction (apoptosis) of breast cancer cells, and the combination of CBG and CBD with myrcene (a terpene present in hemp and hops) effectively inhibited the tumourigenic process of aflotoxin-induced liver cancer
- Calming and relaxing - cannabigerol can have an inhibitory effect on GABA (y-aminobutyric acid) reuptake at levels comparable to THC and CBD this indicates a potential calming and relaxing effect
- Antidepressant - here only studies on animal models are available, but the results were very promising and cannabigerol showed strong antidepressant properties; this is due to the inhibition of anandamide uptake and the fact that CBG is a moderate 5-HT antagonist1A
- Anti-anxiety - CBG together with CBD and linalool (a terpene found in hemp, also found abundantly in lavender) can have an anti-anxiety effect
- Antihypertensive - cannabigerol moderately lowers intraocular pressure which may be of particular interest to people with glaucoma
- Antifungal - cannabigerol alone has moderate antifungal properties, while a combination of CBG and CBC (cannabichromene) with a terpene known as caryophyllene oxide present in hemp showed efficacy similar to pharmacological drugs (sulconazole and cyclopirox)
However, the functions of cannabigerol are slightly different from CBD. Read on to find out what these differences are.
What are the benefits of CBG cannabigerol in the diet?
So who can benefit and when properties of CBG? The list is long and growing:
- Inflammatory bowel disease and IBS - minimising inflammation, minimising oxidative stress and associated iron loss
- Glaucoma - reduction in intraocular pressure
- Bladder dysfunction - modulates and supports normal bladder function (important for people with incontinence problems)
- Huntington's disease - The neuroprotective properties of cannabigerol are widely discussed as very promising for the treatment and minimisation of symptoms of this disease; in 2014, the organisation ASENT published a study showing that CBG can promote regeneration and stimulate the growth of new nerve cells in the brain (mouse study)
- Bacterial infections - cannabigerol can literally kill certain bacteria including antibiotic-resistant superbugs, e.g. MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
- Tumours - cannabigerol inhibits the growth of cancer cells in prostate cancer and other cancers (potentially also colorectal cancer, skin cancer, melanoma and breast cancer)
- Appetite disorders - particularly important for people on conventional treatment for HIV and cancer; the endocannabinoid system is in constant 'communication' with the digestive system and CBG interacts with this system to regulate hunger and the way the gut flora works
- Neurodegenerative diseases - cannabigerol protects nerve fibres and cells, extending their life, which may be important in the treatment of diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's
- Skin diseases - primarily minimising the symptoms of psoriasis, dandruff, eczema, atopic dermatitis and suppressing fungal infections and even killing skin fungal cells; cannabigerol strongly accelerates the skin cell renewal process
- Depression and anxiety - Increased levels of anandamide and inhibition of GABA reuptake are mechanisms that may indicate the antidepressant properties of CBG
- Cholesterol - regulates/lowers blood levels of bad cholesterol
Cannabigerol - adverse effects and risks of interactions
Cannabigerol is metabolised by liver enzymes of the P450 family. The same ones that metabolise cannabidiol (CBD). Interactions with pharmacological drugs are possible and should be considered. Nearly 60% of pharmacological drugs are metabolised by enzymes from this family. In some cases, cannabigerol may increase the efficacy of drugs and in others decrease it. The use of pharmacological drugs does not exclude the possibility of supplementation with products containing trace amounts of cannabigerol, however, caution is required. There is a risk of side effects typical of pharmacological drugs - these are not side effects of cannabigerol but a consequence of cannabigerol-drug interactions.
CBD versus CBG - the difference between cannabinoids
The main difference between the two cannabinoids is the amount of research available. While CBD has already been fairly well understood and research is still ongoing, cannabigerol still needs more research especially on humans.
Another difference is that cannabigerol interacts with endocannabinoid receptors more directly. This includes CB1 and CB2 receptors located in the brain. With very low toxicity, no intoxicating effect and no risk of addiction, this cannabinoid is of great interest to researchers from all over the world.
There is also a difference in the availability, the abundance of cannabigerol in the hemp plant. There is even more than 20 times less of it than CBD. This makes cannabigerol a very expensive cannabinoid. In CBD full spectrum oil CBG is present in trace amounts, but of good quality hemp oil Certainly this cannabinoid should be included so that the synergistic effect can be mentioned at all.
Several products have recently appeared on the market in which concentration cannabigerol outweighs cannabidiol. They have been given the name cbg oil and are of growing interest to shoppers and pharmacies - both online and traditional, stationary ones.
Cannabigerol for advanced
I dedicate this short paragraph to those who want to know more in the context of school, academic and typically scientific knowledge of this cannabinoid.
The chemical structure and 3D model of the kaanbigerol molecule look like this:
Chemical formula: C21H32O2
Type: small molecule
Occurrence: hemp and crops of the genus blanket (Helichrysum Mill.)
Biosynthesis:
Cannabis varieties rich in cannabigerol: CARMA, CARMA C80, CARMA C54, AIDA, JUANI, OCTAVIA
Secondary terpenes in CBG-rich cannabis varieties: guaiol, phytol, beta caryophyllene, alpha pinene, myrcene and ocimen
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