Cannabigerol (CBG) is a type of cannabinoid obtained from the cannabis plant. It’s often referred to as the mother of all cannabinoids. This is because other cannabinoids are derived from cannabigerolic acid (CBGA), an acidic form of CBG.
The more well known cannabinoids obtained from the cannabis plants are cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) which most people have heard of.
CBG is found in smaller quantities than other cannabinoids in cannabis plants. In most strains of the plant, only 1% of CBG can be found compared to 20 to 25% of CBD or 25 to 30% of THC. For this reason consumer products from the CBG are rare and often expensive. However, it is growing in popularity due to the benefits it has to offer.
The way CBG is made is it is derived from young cannabis plants because they contain higher amounts of CBG than fully developed plants. In fully developed plants with high concentrations of THC and CBD, you’ll find very low concentrations of CBG. This is because most of the CBG has already been converted to CBD and THC as the plant developed.
Due to the difficulty of getting CBG, cannabis growers have been experimenting with cross-breeding and genetic manipulation to help cannabis plants produce more CBG.
The way CBG works is it is processed by the body’s endocannabinoid system. The endocannabinoid system is made up of molecules and receptors in our bodies that are responsible for keeping our bodies in an optimal state regardless of what’s going on in our external environment. In our bodies, CBG imitates endocannabinoids, the natural compounds our body makes.
What is the endocannabinoid system you ask? Well, our body contains two types of cannabinoid receptors—CB1 and CB2. CB1 receptors are found in the nervous system and brain, while CB2 receptors are located in the immune system and other areas of the body.
CBG works by binding to both receptors where it’s thought to strengthen the function of anandamide, a neurotransmitter that plays a role in enhancing pleasure and motivation, regulating appetite and sleep, and alleviating pain. Unlike THC, CBG has no psychotropic effects, so it will not get you high.
Research shows that CBG can have therapeutic effects. However, human studies on this are scarce and more research needs to be done in this area. Some promising animal studies show that CBG might ultimately be found useful for the following therapeutic benefits listed below.
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
- Glaucoma
- Huntington’s Disease
- Antibacterial Properties
- Fighting Cancer Cells
The most common way CBG is produced for consumers is as an oil. You can get the benefits of CBG by using pure CBG oil. However, CBG oils are rare and expensive. Despite this, you can get some of the benefits of CBG from using broad-spectrum CBD oils. Broad-spectrum CBD oils contain all the cannabinoids found in a cannabis plant including CBG, but it doesn’t include THC.
When cannabinoids are used together, they can increase the effectiveness of each other by a phenomenon called the entourage effect.
