CBG Oil? What is that?
Cannabis has been a miracle drug for a very long time, and now more than ever, people are finding out that there are numerous cannabinoids in cannabis itself. One of them is the cannabinoid known as CBG, and that’s what we’re going to explain. While it’s only one of the five hundred and sixty cannabinoids, it’s actually a non-acidic form of cannabigerol acid, which is why it’s been called cannabigerol. Different cannabis strains (primarily from hemp) have some CBG in more amounts than others, and it’s normally caused by the recessive trait in the plant. Therefore, they may have higher CBG-A (the acid) in it compared to other strains of the plant.
What Does CBG do?
CBG is very similar to Cannabidiol (or CBD for short) and it also has the factor of being non-psychoactive, which is something that many people are starting to enjoy in the CBD market. However, it’s starting to be recognized as more of a therapeutic form of cannabinoids on the market and is very common in some CBD blends already. Because of this and the popularity of CBD oils that are “full-spectrum” as compared to those that are purely CBD, there has been more research that has started because of it.
CBG is already being tested in laboratories and it has been proven to have all of the same benefits as CBD already, such as reducing seizures, helping to induce and give test subjects better sleep, as well as being completely beneficial in things like mood enhancement, and what’s better? It unlike CBD hasn’t shown signs yet of causing nausea or loss of appetite, but rather the opposite. Subjects in the tests have shown higher amounts of eating. This is probably because CBG is proving to be the predecessor of its lower cannabinoids CBD and THC (we’ll get onto this next).
CBG as a Predecessor?
While CBG itself is not the actual predecessor to CBD or THC, science has shown that CBD and THC are two of the other common cannabinoid compounds found in the hemp plant, and it’s also one of the reasons that the plants are harvested before they’re overly mature. However, the studies have also shown that the more CBD and THC a plant has, the less CBG it has. This has proven to mean that the CBG-A (cannabigerolic acid) actually converts itself into other cannabinoids, CBG being the closest to the acid itself. The acid is broken down by other acidic enzymes in the plant that allow it to create THC CB and CBC, then convert themselves into CBD and THC.
Most cannabis strains actually become CBD and THC almost immediately, therefore a plant that’s higher in THC is going to have less of the CBD and CBG, which is proven to be just the opposite when it comes to strains that are higher in CBD and CBG. Therefore, there are special methods that plant growers actually use in order to get the CBG and CBD. Many scientists have found that they’re able to extract more CBG in higher amounts from smaller and younger plants, which means they’re starting to figure out when to actually extract the drug.
How Does CBG Work?
Well, we’ve already deducted that it’s pretty similar to CBD itself, but when mixed with the other cannabinoids found in hemp, it can actually work the exact same way that THC and CBD combine as a team to produce what scientists call the “entourage effect”. However, unlike THC, CBG has no psychoactive qualities just like CBD, and therefore it doesn’t also throw a big red flag when it comes to things like drug tests, and other studies. It’s also proven to be non-addictive just like CBD itself, and they’re finding out that CBG can inhibit the neurotransmitter in our brains known as GABA, which blocks impulses between the nerve cells and our brains. This can greatly increase the effects of pain relief and other common problems.
Science has also had its theories that GABA is also in charge of enhancing or boosting our positive mood, as well as helping to relax our nervous system. Symptoms of this have been linked and can be assumed that this is one of the reasons that CBD and other cannabinoids can actually help you get a better night’s sleep, as well as be in a general overall better mood in which CBD has been used to treat anxiety disorders.
What About Side Effects
Unlike CBD, which has some negative side effects for some users, such as nausea, headaches, and more, there have been no proven side effects that can be observed as negative in any way when it comes to CBG. Therefore, if it’s used in therapeutic doses, you can actually use CBG compared to CBD and it can help more than anything.
Is CBG on the Market Yet?
As a matter of fact, CBG is on the market, and it’s being researched more for pharmacological reasons, mainly because of the fact that it offers the same health benefits as both CBD and THC, without all of the side effects. That being said is indeed extremely marketable, and you can purchase oils, tinctures and more. Also, CBG is included in many of the cannabinoid compounds that are considered to be “full spectrum” CBD products as well.
Ways that CBG is Beneficial to Your Health
Since we have a lot of endocannabinoid receptors in our eyes, CBG is believed to be a great help just like CBD when it comes to reducing pressure from glaucoma. Therefore, it’s got all of the extra neurological benefits as well.
CBG has been experimented with mice and was actually found to help alleviate the issues of IBS (or irritable bowel syndrome). That being said, this can help it to be a great treatment and even a possible cure for the disease that strikes millions of people worldwide. Another experiment is that it helped to reduce and almost completely eliminate degeneration of neurons in mice that had Huntington’s disease, as well as show numerous benefits when it comes to fighting cancer.
We’ve been searching for a cancer cure for years, and CBG was able to block the receptors that are the leading cause of growth of cancer cells, primarily mice that suffered from colon cancer, which seems promising. Not only that, but it also showed promises as it lowered tumors. If it is working for colon cancer, there’s only a small amount of time before we get into a possible real cancer cure.
Another research study showed that unlike CBD itself, CBG has active antibacterial properties, and has even been able to protect against MRSA, which is one of the hardest forms of staph infection that there is to treat, and is also one of the most resistant to other drugs out there on the market. For decades, many people have used cannabis as a topical treatment to help remove skin infections, but nobody knew what exactly was in cannabis at the time.
In recent years, another form of CBG actually showed to be an appetite stimulant, unlike CBD. Therefore, you may actually consider this a therapeutic option for people who are suffering from cachexia, anorexia, and other eating disorders or muscle degeneration side effects. When someone who is in the later stages of cancer for example, their muscles and bodies start to deteriorate, and by implementing an appetite stimulant into the mix, this may be able to help reduce the amount of deterioration caused by cancer, and ultimately can aid in the fight of cancer with other treatment forms.
Also included in CBG compared to other cannabinoid studies, there have been successful proof or inhibition when it comes to muscle contractions and bladder contraction, which means that there may be numerous bladder dysfunction diseases that can be treated and possibly cured with CBG as well.
Conclusion
While CBD itself is the more popular of the two products, there is sufficient evidence starting to grow in the market of CBG as well. You can buy many products that only contain CBG, although they’re not regulated or monitored in the same ways as some of the CBD oils out there. While there isn’t as much research done on CBG as there is on CBD itself, the studies that have been done so far are able to prove that there is a great bit of possibility when it comes to using CBG as a primary form of treatment, since it contains all of the positive traits of CBD and THC combined, but none of the side effects both physically and neurologically.
If you do find a CBG product that does contain THC in any shape or form, be sure that you can purchase it in your state, as many states in the United States have certain regulations against THC, and in some states marijuana and products containing THC are still considered illegal. At the same time, you may want to try and find a CBG product that only has CBG in it and pure CBD if you want one of those true “entourage effect” moments.
