Cannabinoids And Therapeutic Effects: CBG (Cannabigerol)
Scientists first discovered cannabigerol, or CBG, in 1964 as a constituent of hashish. In 1975, found out CBGA (Cannabigerolic Acid) is the first cannabinoid formed in the plant; the first expression of cannabis鈥� unique class of cannabinoids. From there, CBGA gets transformed into THCA, CBDA or CBCA of enzymes. The ability to produce cannabigerolic acid (CBGA) is what makes the so cannabis plant unique.
Cannabigerol (CBG) is like a mother, the precursor to the : tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA), cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), and cannabichromenic acid (CBCA). The cannabis plant has natural enzymes, called , that break the CBGA down and direct聽it toward the desired branch. The plant鈥檚 synthases (THC-synthase, CBD-synthase, CBC-synthase) are named for after the cannabinoid they help create. Cannabigerol (CBG) is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid which is currently being researched聽for a multitude of medical properties. While it is not as well studied as the better known cannabinoids like THC or CBD, research finding so far suggests it does have a wide range of medical benefits for the cannabis consumer.
When any of the cannabinoid acids are exposed to heat or prolonged UV light, they lose a molecule of carbon dioxide (CO2). At this point, they are considered to be in the neutral cannabinoid form of CBG, THC, CBD, CBC, & etc. In most cannabis strains, CBGA is immediately converted to another cannabinoid and is not typically found in high concentrations. However, if a strain is high in CBGA, then smoking it would cause it to change to cannabigerol (CBG).
Testing of industrial hemp strains has found much higher levels of CBG than most strains of cannabis. Further studies have shown that this phenomenon may be due to a . It is believed that the gene keeps the plant from producing one of the cannabinoid synthases (what converts CBGA to one of the major branches).
CBG is effective in a range of treatment and therapies, according to a , published in the British Journal of Pharmacology. These include producing modest antifungal effects, inhibiting which may be useful in treatment of autoimmune diseases, in conjunction with l-limonene (citrus found in cannabis)- CBG shows promising results to fight many kinds of , and pure CBG and CBD cannabinoids can powerfully inhibit
Just recently in January 2015, researchers that CBG had neuroprotective effects in mice with Huntington鈥檚 Disease, a by the degeneration of nerve cells in the brain. CBG has also shown it slows down the progression of colon cancer in mice, a that may soon lead to a new treatment method. suggests CBG is a highly potent and moderately potent, giving it a wide range of potential therapeutic potential use as an antidepressant, for dermatological applications, and as an analgesic.
CBG has been classified as an antagonist of the CB1-receptor in the , which affects the central nervous system. Cannabigerol has also been determined to affect the CB2-receptor, which influences the entire body more. However, researchers aren鈥檛 sure if CBG promotes or inhibits CB2-receptor activity yet.
An Italian study published in May of 2013 suggests that CBG鈥檚 strong can benefit people with inflammatory bowel disease. In this study, CBG was found to normalize a range of inflammatory markers in the human body, reduce oxidative damage-causing free radicals in the human body and raise levels of one of the body鈥檚 own antioxidants- superoxide dismutase. is a metal-containing antioxidant enzyme that reduces potentially harmful free radicals of oxygen formed during normal metabolic cell processes to oxygen and hydrogen peroxide with in the human body. Free radicals can damage any component of the body鈥檚 tissues, from connective tissue proteins to DNA, which can cause more inflammation, and inflammation is the body鈥檚 response to damage.
CBG 聽is also useful in the treatment of , as it can increase the fluid drainage from the eye and reduce the amount of pressure. It has also been shown to stimulate the growth of new brain cells, including in the elderly and聽it that genuinely neurogenic compounds are extremely rare. CBG also stimulates bone growth, is antibacterial, and combats insomnia.
One of the most recent studies on CBG in 2016 shows how it can help those who suffer from extreme weight loss caused by a host of debilitating ailments. This has recently sparked the interest of the scientific and medical community in CBG as a safe and effective means of stimulating appetite, according to research conducted at Berkshire鈥檚 University of Reading that was recently published by the .
CBG as a minor cannabinoid is in pretty much all varieties of cannabis, generally at less than 1%. Nevertheless, narrow-leafed cannabis strains from the Indian-subcontinent, were found to have slightly higher levels of CBG . If you , relatively high amounts of CBG can be extracted from cannabis plants about three-quarters of the way through flowering. Information on CBG content throughout flowering can be reviewed from an done on Bediol, a medicinal strain produced by Bedrocan BV Medicinal Cannabis, a Dutch supplier of research grade medical cannabis. They flowered the Bediol for eight weeks and analyzed the content of different cannabinoids every week finding that CBG was the highest at week 6 during the flowering stage.
As cannabis consumers continue to show more interest into the diversity of cannabinoids like CBG, growers in the industry will follow suite and further be able to create CBD-CBG hybrid strains. This will introduce a whole new possibility into the future for the medical uses of cannabis and it鈥檚 variety of strains. Cannabis聽strains that are high in cannabigerol are likely to have a much more balanced effect with the body鈥檚 homeostasis. CBG seems to help your brain find a happy medium between the rest of the cannabinoids, causing a therapeutic feeling of synergy.
Once more one of the cannabis plant鈥檚 lesser-known cannabinoids has received scientific vindication and a clean bill of health. With showing CBG to work synergistically with CBDA and THC, the CBG compound has many beneficial attributes for the cannabis consumer, all without the nasty side effects of the western world鈥檚 toxic pharmaceuticals.
