You may have come across suggestions that involve cannabinoids such as CBG or cannabigerol if you are suffering from glaucoma. Scientists are studying the effects of cannabigerol on glaucoma, one of the major causes of blindness in the United States. Cannabinoids like CBD or cannabidiol have already proven to be a panacea of a host of physical and mental health issues. THC, under a controlled environment, may cure many diseases. Since there are over 400 cannabinoids, flavonoids, and terpenes in a cannabis flower, researchers study each of them to assess their individual effects. So how much progress has there been in the case of CBG and glaucoma? Have we found an ultimate cure in CBG when it comes to glaucoma? Let’s try to understand in detail.
What exactly is glaucoma?
Glaucoma is an eye-related condition, which affects the optic nerves, which send images from the brain to the eyes. The condition arises due to abnormally high pressure, also known as intraocular pressure (IOP). The continuous problem of IOP leads to severe damage in optic nerve tissues. This condition ultimately leads to blindness. Those in the initial stages can cure the problem but it becomes difficult to bring back eyesight in the later stages. The bad thing is glaucoma shocks you suddenly. If you suffer from the condition, signs are not visible from the very start. Though the condition develops gradually, you may not notice until it reaches its last stage. That establishes the fact that it’s super important to get your eye checkup regularly.
Symptoms & causes of glaucoma?
There are two types of glaucoma conditions — open-angle glaucoma and angle-closure glaucoma. In open-angle glaucoma, some patches occur in the eye, and the patient also suffers from tunnel problems. In the case of acute angle-closure glaucoma, patients have an unclear vision, redness, eye pain, halos vision, and other symptoms like regular vomiting and nausea. Primarily, glaucoma is caused due to nerve damage. You may recover from nerve damage but it can leave behind blind spots in the eye, which develop into tissue damage and the condition called glaucoma. Experts say nerve damage is caused due to extra pressure in the eye that originates from the build-up of a fluid called aqueous humor that flows via channels in the eye. If aqueous humor gets blocked somewhere, it causes nerve damage.
What is cannabigerol?
Marijuana researchers Yehiel Gaoni and Raphael Mechoulam had first discovered CBG in 1964 in Israel. They managed to extract CBG, along with CBD and THC, from a marijuana plant. Although their discovery did not lead to the widespread use of CBG due to more interest in CBD and THC, it certainly has emerged as a promising compound in the present scenario. People now want to explore its properties just like CBD and THC to understand its effects on the human body.
So, what is a CBG compound? Well, it holds many similarities with CBD. It does not cause high or intoxication like CBD. It possesses similar medicinal properties to CBD. It’s also present in higher concentrations, like CBD, industrial hemp, and more potent plants. People have so far overlooked CBG as compared to the two other more popular compounds. But researchers have realized that it’s high time to conduct high-level studies and research to understand it better.
CBG & glaucoma?
Firstly, a clarification: research on CBG and its effect on glaucoma conditions has limits. However, some early-stage studies have confirmed that CBG may be beneficial in treating glaucoma due to the presence of endocannabinoid (ECS) receptors in the eye. When CBG a patient takes CBG, it activates ECS, which reduces the effects of intraocular pressure. Two prominent studies assessed the impact of CBG on glaucoma — one back in 1990 and another in 2008. The department of ophthalmology in West Virginia University, in its study on cats in 1990, found CBG reduced intraocular pressure by significantly 4-7mm Hg.
The study also concluded the CBG was unable to affect the rate of the formation of aqueous humor. But the glow of aqueous humor also increased three-four times. The 2008 study concluded that the vasodilator and neuroprotective properties of CBG helped reduce intraocular pressure in the eye, which prevented the optic nerve from damaging. However, these are basic studies. It’s not news that cannabis research is at a nascent stage and the government must relax laws to make it possible for researchers to conduct large-scale trials around cannabis and cannabinoids.
What to consider before buying CBG?
It’s important to ensure that your CBG should be 100 percent authentic and approved by the relevant authorities. It should be tested and verified by third-party labs, which gives an independent analysis of the product. Proceed only if it gets a green signal from an independent lab. You may also want to try out whole spectrum products, which comprises all major cannabinoids to have a wholesome effect.
So far, no CBG-based drug has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, though it comes combined with CBD and THC. As per the FDA, “parts of the cannabis plant that do not contain THC or CBD might fall outside the scope of the [drug exclusion rule]”. The need is to have detailed discussions with your medical experts before using CBG-based products for glaucoma. It could especially be helpful for patients in the early stages as they can switch over to other medications if CBG does not help.
The bottom line
CBG, which affects around 3 million Americans every year, about 2.7 million of whom are above 40 years of age, has shown promise and backed by large-scale studies, it can also get FDA approval for the treatment of glaucoma. The countries like Mexico, Uruguay, Canada have fully recognized the capabilities of cannabis and its allied products, and want to tap on the industry by fully legalizing research and their use for recreational purposes. The countries like the US and the UK have also seen significant progress but more needs to be done if they want to become hubs of this booming industry.
