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Consumers would be forgiven for being skeptical. Unregulated CBD<\/span> products are sold as cure-alls in strip malls and convenience stores. CBN<\/span> doesn\u2019t live up to its billing as standalone sleep aid. Sketchy hemp-derived Delta-8 and Delta-9 THC<\/span> consumables are designed explicitly to evade legal restrictions. But some say the next cannabinoid to grab the attention of health-conscious cannabis users may well be worth a closer look: Cannabigerol or CBG<\/span>.<\/p>\nCBG<\/span> is often billed as \u201cthe mother of all cannabinoids\u201d because its acidic precursor \u2013 CBGA<\/span> \u2013 is also the precursor of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC<\/span>), cannabidiol (CBD<\/span>), and other cannabinoids present in the cannabis plant. As the plant matures, most of its CBGA<\/span> is converted to other molecules, leaving very low levels of CBG<\/span> in the mature, dried flower \u2013 typically below 1% by dry weight. Specially bred strains, however, can produce close to 20% CBG<\/span> (but little THC<\/span>) \u2013 and that could be a boon for the medical cannabis community.<\/p>\nPotent But Nonintoxicating<\/h2>\n CBG<\/span> was first isolated in 19641<\/sup> and synthesized in 19712<\/sup> by \u201cGodfather of cannabis research\u201d Raphael Mechoulam and frequent collaborator Yechiel Gaoni. But it spent the next few decades in relative obscurity. More recent preclinical research has shown that this versatile, nonintoxicating compound is a weak partial agonist or activator of the cannabinoid receptors CB1<\/span> and CB2<\/span>, an antagonist of the serotonin 1A receptor, and an agonist of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA<\/span>. It\u2019s also a PPAR<\/span>y agonist and the only known cannabinoid to function as an agonist at the alpha-2 adrenergic receptor.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\nToday CBG<\/span> is better understood and more widely used than ever before, with unregulated CBG<\/span>-rich products available online.<\/p>\n<\/aside>\nDespite CBG<\/span>\u2019s unique and promising pharmacology \u2013 reviewed in a couple new papers4<\/sup>5<\/sup> \u2013 research into its effects in humans has been relatively minimal. As recently as a few years ago, CBG<\/span>-dominant cannabis varietals were almost unheard of, and any producers that wanted the compound could not easily access it. Today CBG<\/span> is better understood and more widely used than ever before, with unregulated CBG<\/span>-rich products available online. But CBG<\/span> still maintains a low profile, even in state-licensed dispensaries.<\/p>\nIf recent trends and research findings are any indication, however, that may soon change.<\/p>\n
CBG<\/span> in Practice<\/h2>\nMedical cannabis expert and physician Dustin Sulak is among CBG<\/span>\u2019s believers. He has been treating patients at his two integrative medicine clinics in Maine with CBG<\/span>-dominant cannabis for about a year. \u201cI\u2019m seeing strong signals of efficacy in anxiety, pain, and sleep disturbance, usually at doses lower than those required when treating similar symptoms with CBD<\/span>,\u201d Sulak said by email. \u201cAdverse effects are mild and infrequent, with tiredness being the most common.\u201d<\/p>\nAlong with his medical practice, Dr. Sulak also runs an educational platform called Healer.com, which sells products \u2013 including CBG<\/span> capsules and oil drops \u2013 made from Maine-grown organic hemp. Healer\u2019s website suggests these products offer \u201ccalming effects and superior relief from occasional sleeplessness, physical nervousness, \u2018flight or fight\u2019 feelings, and \u2026 nerve discomfort not addressed by CBD<\/span> and CBDA<\/span>.\u201d Also distinguishing it from CBD<\/span>, which inhibits THC<\/span> activity at the CB1<\/span> receptor, CBG<\/span> does not diminish the cannabis high.<\/p>\nAn article by Sulak on the company\u2019s website outlining the potential benefits of CBG<\/span> acknowledges that while much of what\u2019s known about cannabigerol is based on cell and animal studies, the compound \u201c[shows] promise for improving conditions including inflammatory bowel disease, other inflammatory conditions, glaucoma, mood disorders, and nerve pain.\u201d<\/p>\nCBG<\/span> for Pediatric Patients<\/h2>\nCalifornia-based cannabis physician Bonni Goldstein also occasionally prescribes CBG<\/span>, including for children suffering from autism-related symptoms like anxiety, hyperactivity, digestive issues, and speech problems. Typically CBG<\/span> is added to an existing regimen of CBD<\/span> and THC<\/span>, she says, starting at very low doses and titrating up until an effect is observed.<\/p>\nDr. Goldstein, auithor of Cannabis Is Medicine<\/em>, suspects that many of the positive outcomes she\u2019s observed are related to CBG<\/span>\u2019s ability to reduce inflammation. In any case, some guesswork is involved given the paucity of available data on the compound\u2019s effects in humans (particularly children) and the wide variability of effects typical of all cannabinoids. She also acknowledges that not all patients see benefits.<\/p>\n\u201cCBG<\/span> is under-studied, but I can report to you these findings,\u201d she says. \u201cI have seen CBG<\/span> cause increased [problematic] behaviors in some children with autism, but the minute we see that then we just don\u2019t use it anymore. I\u2019ve also seen that in some of the patients it can be chemovar-dependent. At this point, it\u2019s still trial-and-error for most families.\u201d<\/p>\nIn adults, Goldstein has seen CBG<\/span> help treat anxiety and pain, including in individuals for whom CBD<\/span> wasn\u2019t effective or only worked at too high of a dose to be affordable.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Survey Data<\/h2>\n Sulak\u2019s and Goldstein\u2019s clinical experiences with CBG<\/span> appear to be reflected in the findings of a survey of 127 CBG<\/span> users described in the October 2022 issue of the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research<\/em>.6<\/sup> Performed by medical cannabis expert Ethan Russo of CR<\/span>eDO Science together with researchers at Washington State University and the University of California in late 2020, it\u2019s the first patient survey of CBG<\/span>-predominant cannabis use to date.<\/p>\nResponders reported efficacy for anxiety, chronic pain, depression, and insomnia \u2013 often surpassing that of conventional medications \u2013 without significant side effects or withdrawal symptoms. \u201cPeople were using it for a wide variety of conditions and almost uniformly found it helpful,\u201d says Dr. Russo, who served as lead author.<\/p>\n\nCBG<\/span> users reported efficacy for anxiety, chronic pain, depression, and insomnia \u2013 often surpassing that of conventional medications \u2013 without significant side effects.<\/p>\n<\/aside>\nIt\u2019s worth remembering that this is a survey, not a trial, and the researchers were not able to control or verify what patients were actually taking. They did stipulate that CBG<\/span> had to represent at least 50% of the total cannabinoid content, but some responders indicated that they were also using CBD<\/span>, THC<\/span>, and CBN<\/span> in smaller quantities.<\/p>\nRusso says a follow-up study is underway to investigate CBG<\/span> in humans with a higher degree of confidence, but he already predicts that given its apparent efficacy, safety profile, and lower dosage requirements, the compound is poised to break through to the mainstream \u2013 hopefully while avoiding some of the hype and commodification (and attendant quality-control issues) of the CBD<\/span> craze.<\/p>\n\u201cI have felt for a very long time that CBG<\/span> was an up-and-comer and wasn\u2019t getting the attention it deserved,\u201d Russo says. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen a revolution in cannabis therapeutics related to cannabidiol the last ten years, and I think that the same level of excitement is warranted by cannabigerol.\u201d<\/p>\nNate Seltenrich, an independent science journalist based in the San Francisco Bay Area, covers a wide range of subjects including environmental health, neuroscience, and pharmacology. Copyright, Project CBD<\/span>. May not be reprinted without permission.<\/em><\/p>\nSources<\/h2>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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