Thanks to the 2018 farm bill and increased awareness of the benefits of using cannabis and hemp, this plant is once again being grown on a national scale. One of the most important aspects of this is of course, the rapid rise of public interest in various cannabinoids.

Although CBD and THC lead the way when it comes to cannabis research, another compound is slowly making its way into the spotlight: CBG, or cannabigerol. Although studies on this cannabinoid are limited for the time being, it has enormous therapeutic potential. One of the most recent discoveries slates CBG as a powerful remedy for diminishing certain tumors.

What is CBG?

CBGA was discovered in the  1960s by Israeli Professor, AKA the Father of Cannabis Research, Raphael Mechoulam and one of his partners, Yehiel Gaoni. As it turned out, CBGA, the version of CBG that still has its carboxyl acidy group and can be found in completely raw cannabis plants, is one of the most important cannabinoids in existence – it’s a precursor to all other cannabinoids. It has since been rightfully dubbed, the Mother of All Cannabinoids.

Specifically, CBGA (cannabigerolic acid) is a direct line to three main cannabinoids: tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA), cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), and cannabichromenic acid (CBCA). Once exposed to heat or light in process known as decarboxylation, THCA, CBDA, and CBCA will shed their carboxyl acid group and become THC, CBD, and CBC, respectively. When it comes to CBGA though, certain enzymes break it down and it is immediately converted to THCA, CBDA, or CBCA. This is why more THC means less CBG, because of the unique way these compounds interact and are synthesized.

Because of this, plants that do covert to CBG will have their highest cannabigerol content early in the flowering stage. In most cultivars, if left to fully mature, almost all CBG will be converted into other cannabinoids. However, as mentioned above, some hemp strains naturally produce high amounts of CBG rather than CBD or THC.

Anti-Tumor Properties of CBG

A recent press release from Cannabics Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced last week that preliminary findings from their pre-clinical trials conducted in Israel show that CBG has greater anti-tumor effects than CBGA, the acidic from of cannabigerol. Specifically, CBG was found to have an impact on human stomach and bone cancer cell lines.  

According to the study, “the HTS platform was utilized to screen the necrotic effects of both CBG & CBGA on various types of cancer cell lines. Interestingly, CBG was found to induce necrotic effects while CBGA had no such effect. These findings further support previous research performed by the company, which has consistently shown differential anti-tumor effects when using a variety of cannabinoids on human cancer cells, derived from both fresh biopsies and cell lines.”

This discovery could open the door for Cannabics Pharmaceuticals to organize additional research efforts, as well as eventually offer personalized cannabinoid therapy for patients in the future.

Dr. Yaakov Waksman, the company’s Head of Cannabidiol Research, had this to say on the subject: “CBG is gaining a lot of interest as of late by the scientific community due to its potential therapeutic properties. The recent preliminary findings from our research team illustrate how purified cannabinoids can potentially yield anti-tumor activity and enable us to examine the entourage effect of botanical extracts versus the purified compounds. We are excited by these preliminary findings and plan to perform additional experiments in the near future to further support them.”

CBG’s Other Benefits

In addition to its anti-tumor properties, CBG has many other potential medical benefits. Various studies on this cannabinoid have uncovered its ability to be used as a neuroprotectant, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory compound. Limited research also suggests that it can effectively treat gastrointestinal disorders and glaucoma.

A 2008 study found CBG to be beneficial in the treatment of MRSA due to its antibacterial and antifungal properties. Its neuroprotective properties, mentioned above, may help people with Huntington’s disease, while further research has looked into its potential to treat bladder dysfunction.

CBG is also being used as a safe and effective antidepressant and its effects mimic those of SSRI medications. It’s also believed that CBG can boost production of the endocannabinoid Anandamide, which naturally increases dopamine levels as well as regulates various functions such as sleep, mood, and appetite.

How To Find CBG

Although some companies are already advertising CBG oil for sale, the effectiveness (and safety) of these products remains to be known. As of now, the most popular way to get your dose of CBG is through good ole’ fashioned flowers. Although CBG-dominant flowers are anything but old fashioned, the act of smoking of vaporizing natural cannabis or hemp buds still remains to go-to method for most consumers.

Because this is a relatively new trend, knowing where to find CBG flowers can be a challenge. Of course, you want to find a company that has good quality buds for a reasonable price. You also want them to be reliable and have good customer service should an issue arise. Multiple hemp flower retailers are selling different CBG strains on their websites, many of which have great reviews, but it can still be difficult to know what is legit and what isn’t in today’s market.

This is why we’ve put together a couple of newsletters to help you find exactly what you’re looking for. If you’re a consumer, we have the CBD Flowers Weekly to bring you deals on all the best hemp flowers. If you’re buying flowers for resale, we’ve created the CBD Flowers Business Newsletter – a weekly subscription that has various pound and wholesale deals.

Subscribe to the newsletter of your choosing and check your email every Thursday morning to learn more about hemp flowers!