Cannabinoids, CBG Cannabigerol
What is CBG Cannabigerol? Health benefits of CBG
Dec
What is CBG Cannabigerol?
CBG cannabigerol is one of many cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant. The two most common cannabinoids that most people know are THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol)
and CBD (Cannabidiol). Cannabigerol is more common in hemp varieties of cannabis.
What are the benefits of CBG Cannabigerol?
CBG is known for its antibacterial effects and may be of benefit in the treatment of glaucoma, inflammatory bowel disease and to decrease anxiety and muscle tension.
According to Rudolf Brenneisen, its main Pharmacological characteristics are: antibiotic, antifungal, anti inflammatory and analgesic (5)
Will CBG (Cannabigerol) make you high?
CBG is generally considered to be non psychoactive, i.e. it won’t make you high like THC. There have been no major human studies into the long term effects of CBG or the effects of taking high doses.
CBGA transforms to THCA, CBDA and CBCA by the action of certain enzymes. After exposure to heat or UV light these cannabinoids change to THC, CBD and CBC. CBG is formed directly from CBGA.
How are CBG Crystals made?
CBG Crystals, sometimes referred to as CBG Isolate are created from plant based source material (most often agricultural hemp). The cannabinoid is extracted, purified and “Isolated” through a variety of processes. The resulting crystals are typically 99% pure CBG.
What are the benefits of CBG + CBD?
CBG oil contains both CBG Cannabigerol) and CBD (Cannabidiol) giving you the combined benefits of both CBG and CBD. CBG turns into CBD naturally in the cannabis plant, so they are closely connected. It has been shown that full plant extracts are sometimes more effective than single molecule cannabinoids because of the entourage effect, which is a concept that insinuates when cannabinoids are together, their therapeutic effects are more powerful.
Why is CBG (Cannabigerol) so expensive compared to CBD (Cannabidiol)
Due to the scarcity of CBG in most cannabis strains (typically less than 1%) a lot more plant material is needed for any significant amount of CBG to be made. CBG is found in its highest quantities three quarters of the way through the flowering process, which means CBG needs to be harvested early to obtain the highest concentrations.
This need for more raw materials and the purification and isolation process pushes up the production costs of CBG compared to other cannabinoids like CBD. This is why it is generally more expensive than other cannabinoids.
Is CBG (Cannabigerol) Legal?
Cannabigerol (CBG) is legal to purchase in most countries in the world and can be shipped to all 50 US states. If you are in doubt please check your local laws and regulations. All of the cannabinoids in our products, including our CBG and CBD, are natural constituents of industrial hemp and hemp oil. Our CBG hemp oil extract contains cannabinoids, including cannabigerol (CBG) and cannabidiol (CBD) and other phytonutrients.
Scientific Research on CBG (Cannabigerol)
Relatively few scientific studies have been undertaken for CBG (Cannabigerol). When you do a search on PubMed there are only 84 results for CBG (Cannabigerol) compared to 1613 for CBD (Cannabidiol)
Most of this research has been done on animal models of disease in rats, cats and mice and not humans subjects, so these results cannot just be extrapolated since humans are more complex organisms. However, the results are exciting and show potential areas of future medical research.
Appetite stimulant (rats)
CBG Cannabigerol is a novel, well-tolerated appetite stimulant in pre-satiated rats.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27503475
Glaucoma (cats)
A Comparison of the Ocular and Central Effects of Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol and Cannabigerol
http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/jop.1990.6.259
Inflammatory bowel disease (mice)
Beneficial effect of the non-psychotropic plant cannabinoid cannabigerol on experimental inflammatory bowel disease.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23415610
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006295213000543
Receptor activation/suppression (mice)
Evidence that the plant cannabinoid cannabigerol is a highly potent α2-adrenoceptor agonist and moderately potent 5HT1A receptor antagonist
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2823359/
What are the effects of CBD Cannabigerol?
The effects of Cannabigerol are based on observations in animal studies. It has been observed to affect the CB1 receptor in the brain and central nervous system and acts as an antagonist.(8) The CB1 receptor is keyed to Anandamide (endocannabinoid) and THC (phytocannabinoid), so it’s thought to be responsible for partially reducing the psychoactivity associated with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
It also influences the CB2 receptor associated with the body’s immune and gastrointestinal system, although there is no consensus if it promotes or inhibits the CB2 receptors.
CBG Cannabigero is a highly potent alpha-2-adrenoceptoragonist and moderately potent 5-HT1A-receptor antagonist(3), giving it a wide range of potential therapeutic uses as an antidepressant, for the treatment of psoriasis, and as an analgesic.
It also exhibits GABA uptake inhibition to a greater extent than THC or CBD.(7)
GABA is an amino acid that acts as neurotransmitter and determines how much stimulation a neuron needs to cause a reaction. When GABA uptake is inhibited it can decrease anxiety and muscle tension similar to the effects of cannabidiol (CBD) by inhibiting nerve transmission in the brain.
PHARMACOLOGICAL PROPERTIES of Cannabigerol (CBG) as reported by Dr Ethan Russo (6)
- TRPM8 antagonist prostate cancer (De Petrocellis et al., 2011)
- GABA uptake inhibitor (Banerjee et al., 1975)
- Anti-fungal (ElSohly et al., 1982)
- Antidepressant rodent model (Musty and Deyo, 2006); and via 5-HT1A antagonism (Cascio et al., 2010)
- Analgesic, a-2 adrenergic blockade (Cascio et al., 2010)
- Inhibiting keratinocytes in psoriasis (Wilkinson and Williamson, 2007)
- Effective versus MRSA (Appendino et al., 2008)
SUMMARY
CBG is a minor phytocannabinoid in most varieties of cannabis, it is often found in higher concentrations in agricultural hemp.
CBG is generally considered to be non psychoactive when compared to THC and doesn’t get you high.
CBG has a variety of potential benefits including: antibacterial, antifungal, anti inflammatory ,analgesic, treatment of glaucoma, inflammatory bowel disease, decreases anxiety and muscle tension, appetite stimulation.
The effects of Cannabigerol (CBG) are based on observations in animal studies not humans, but show potential areas of future medical research.
CBG Cannabigerol works in a synergistic way with other cannabinoids also known as the entourage effect.
NO PART OF THIS ARTICLE SHOULD BE TAKEN AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR OR QUALIFIED HEALTH PRACTITIONER BEFORE TAKING ANY CANNABINOIDS.
REFERENCES
1: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ja01062a046
GAONI Y., MECHOULAM R. Isolation, structure and partial synthesis of an active constituent of hashish. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1964;86:1646–1647.
2: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0031942200910963
Biosynthesis of cannabinoid acids (1975) Yukihiro Shoyama, Masahiro Yagi, Itsuo Nishioka
3: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2823359/
Cascio M, Gauson L, Stevenson L, Ross R, Pertwee R. Evidence that the plant cannabinoid cannabigerol is a highly potent α2-adrenoceptor agonist and moderately potent 5HT1A receptor antagonist. British Journal of Pharmacology. 2010;159(1):129-141. doi:10.1111/j.1476-5381.2009.00515.x.
4: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10681-005-1164-8
The inheritance of chemical phenotype in Cannabis sativa L. (II): Cannabigerol predominant plants : de Meijer, E.P.M. & Hammond, K.M. Euphytica (2005) 145: 189. doi:10.1007/s10681-005-1164-8
5: http://www.medicinalgenomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Chemical-constituents-of-cannabis.pdf
Brenneisen, R. (2007). “Chemistry and analysis of phytocannabinoids and other cannabis constituents,” in Marijuana and the Cannabinoids Forensic Science and Medicine, ed. M. ElSohly (New York, NY: Humana Press), 17–49. doi: 10.1007/978-1-59259-947-9_2
Ethan B Russo (2010) Taming THC: potential cannabis synergy and phytocannabinoid-terpenoid entourage effects British Journal of Pharmacology DOI:10.1111/j.1476-5381.2011.01238.x
7: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/168349
Banerjee SP, Snyder SH, Mechoulam R. Cannabinoids: influence on neurotransmitter uptake in rat brain synaptosomes. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1975;194:74–81.
8: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2503660/
Gauson LA, Stevenson LA, Thomas A, et al. 17th Annual Symposium on the Cannabinoids. Saint-Sauveur, Quebec, Canada: International Cannabinoid Research Society; 2007. Cannabigerol behaves as a partial agonist at both CB1 and CB2 receptors; p. 206.
9: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1659702
Evans FJ. Cannabinoids: The separation of central from peripheral effects on a structural basis. Planta Med. 1991;57:S60–7.
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