CBG is presently the new trend in the cannabis industry. It is the parent cannabinoid for CBD and THC. Moving forward, cannabigerol (CBG) has a lot of benefits that are still being explored by scientists. One of the benefits is the antibiotic properties of CBG. New research shows that CBG can act as an antibiotic for most bacteria. This article will address this new research on CBG as an antibiotic.
What is CBG?
Cannabigerol, or CBG, is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid typically most abundant in low-THC and high-CBD cannabis strains, including hemp. Like THC, CBG reacts with the cannabinoid receptors in the brain. CBG, however, acts as a buffer to the psychoactivity of THC by working to alleviate the paranoia sometimes caused by higher levels of THC.
CBG works to fight inflammation, pain, nausea and works to slows the proliferation of cancer cells. Research has shown it also significantly reduces intraocular eye pressure caused by glaucoma. Strains high in CBG will be beneficial in treating conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s disease, and cancer.
How CBG Works
The body’s endocannabinoid system processes CBG. The endocannabinoid system is made up of molecules and receptors in our bodies that are responsible for keeping our bodies in an optimal state regardless of what’s going on in our external environment.
In our bodies, CBG imitates endocannabinoids, the natural compounds our body makes.
Cannabinoid Receptors in the Body
Our body contains two types of cannabinoid receptors—CB1 and CB2. CB1 receptors are in the nervous system and brain, while CB2 receptors are located in the immune system and other areas of the body.
CBG works by binding to both receptors where it’s thought to strengthen the function of anandamide, a neurotransmitter. It plays a role in enhancing pleasure and motivation, regulating appetite and sleep, and alleviating pain. Unlike THC, CBG has no psychotropic effects, so it will not give you a high.
Benefits of CBG
Like CBD, CBG can combat pain without having the intoxicating effect of cannabinoids like THC. Research shows that CBG can also have therapeutic effects. However, human studies on this are sparse and more research needs to be done in this area.
Some promising animal studies show that CBG might be useful for the following therapeutic benefits:
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
Inflammatory bowel disease is a condition that causes chronic inflammation in the bowel. It affects millions of people across the globe. An experimental animal study in 2013 observes the beneficial effects of CBG on inflammatory bowel disease.
Researchers induced inflammations similar to IBD in the colons of mice and then administered CBG. CBG reduces inflammation and the production of nitric oxide. It also reduces the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the intestines. They concluded that CBG should be considered for clinical experimentation in IBD patients.
Glaucoma
In an animal study, researchers found that CBG has therapeutic potential for the treatment of glaucoma. Researchers administered CBG to cats with glaucoma and noticed a reduction in eye pressure and an increase in aqueous humor outflow, a fluid produced by the eye. This fluid maintains eye pressure and provides the eye with nutrition.
Huntington’s Disease
Huntington’s disease is a condition that causes a breakdown of nerve cells in the brain. In a 2015 study, researchers examined the potential neuroprotective properties of CBG in mice who had an experimental model of Huntington’s disease.
They observed that CBG acts as a neuroprotectant that protects the nerve cells in your brain from damage. It also improves motor deficits and preserves striatal neurons against acid toxicity.
Fighting Cancer Cells
In a 2014 study, researchers observed the effects of CBG on rats with colon cancer. They observed that CBG showed some promise in blocking the receptors that cause cancer cell growth. Also, inhibiting the growth of colorectal cancer cells.
They suggest that the use of CBG should be translationally in the cure and prevention of colon cancer
How to Use CBG
The most common way they produce CBG for consumers is as oil. You can get the benefits of CBG by using pure CBG oil. However, CBG oils are rare.
The good news is that you can also get some of the benefits of CBG from using broad-spectrum CBD oils. They contain all the cannabinoids found in a cannabis plant including CBG. However, it doesn’t include THC.
When cannabinoids are used together, they increase the effectiveness of each other by a phenomenon called the entourage effect.
CBG as an Antibiotic
Antibiotic resistance is a global problem. Antibiotics are used for treating serious bacterial infections. But, as soon as a new drug is on the market, it usually does not take long before the first resistances appear.
It has long been known that Cannabis sativa contains antibacterial cannabinoids. But the potential of the plant to fight antibiotic resistance has only been superficially investigated so far. A recent study from 2020 has therefore looked into this issue. The scientists conclude that cannabigerol can be effective against infections and stop multi-resistant pathogens.
CBG and MRSA
The cannabinoid CBG could become a new weapon in the fight against so-called super bacteria. These multi-resistant germs are a threat to public health and have been a problem in hospitals for years. Many of these hospital infections happen by MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains). Also, because of the reduced treatment options, severe infections, such as sepsis, are twice as likely to cause death in the case of multi-resistant pathogens as in the case of sepsis with susceptible bacterial strains.
In the study, the researchers tested five cannabinoids for their antibiotic properties. They found that cannabigerol is particularly effective in killing MRSA pathogens. Laboratory tests showed that CBG can also dissolve hard-to-slide “biofilms” of MRSA.
Mice cured of MRSA by CBG as an antiobiotic
After CBG was successful against bacteria in the laboratory, the researchers tested cannabinoid’s ability to treat infections in animals. In a study on mice, CBG was as effective as vancomycin in curing MRSA infections. This antibiotic is an effective alternative against multi-resistant staphylococci.
For the researchers, these results are “revealing the broad-spectrum therapeutic potential for cannabinoids.” However, they need more research to find out whether CBG is safe to use as an antibiotic.
