There are different cannabis products out there these days. Most are products containing just CBD, while others contain both CBD and CBG. Some products contain all the cannabinoids, it produces the “entourage effect”. Since the rise of CBG, there are more products out there containing CBG. Manufacturers are marketing their pure CBG products for use. In this article, we will discuss CBG and products on the market with CBG in them.
What is CBG?
CBG oil is a vape liquid or tincture that’s consumed the same way as CBD oil. CBG is short for “cannabigerol,” which is one of over 100 cannabinoids that we can isolate from the cannabis plant. It is a non-psychotropic cannabinoid, though it is psychoactive. CBG is effective at reducing inflammation, and also acts as an antioxidant. It is a versatile compound and is in a variety of forms such as topical creams, edibles, oils, tinctures, and there’s even CBG flower strains of CBD bud.
How to grow and extract CBG?
This is where things get a little tricky with CBG. While it’s the only cannabinoid in the young plant, most of the CBG-A converts through the natural process into either CBD or THC. That’s because most of the hemp grow to make CBD products goes through a full growth cycle. The goal is typically to maximize the amount of CBD while keeping levels of THC below 0.3%. The THC levels must be less than 0.3% to be legally classified as derived from hemp.
By the time that the hemp plant matures and is fully grown, the natural CBG content is usually 1% or less. This is why most full spectrum CBD products have very low levels of CBG shown on their third-party lab reports. The low levels of CBG in traditional industrial hemp means that we need a lot more hemp to create high CBG products.
Fortunately for those seeking high CBG products, the growing and extraction methods of hemp farmers are continuing to evolve. By harvesting the plants earlier in the growth cycle, you can achieve much higher levels of CBG. As the interest in CBG products continues to increase, it’s likely that we’ll see even more advancements in efficiently extracting CBG from the hemp plant.
Potential benefits of CBG products on the market.
Medical studies into the effects of CBG and other cannabinoids are not enough to date. We expect more cannabinoid research in the coming years now that hemp is officially legal in the U.S. In the meantime, the clinical research into CBG has a limit to studies performed on mice. While these studies certainly don’t imply, they will have the same results for humans, they may help spur further research.
- Inflammatory bowel disease-CBG reduce inflammation associated with colitis in mice in this 2013 study. The study suggested that “CBG could be considered for clinical experimentation in IBD patients.”
- Appetite stimulant– in a 2016 study, CBG stimulates the appetites of rats. It concluded that investigation of the therapeutic potential of CBG for cachexia and other eating disorders is warranted.
- Huntington’s Disease – CBG shows to be “extremely active” as a neuroprotectant in mice. The study suggested that CBG should undergo research further for the treatment of neurodegenerative disease such as Huntington’s Disease.
- Colon cancer– a 2014 study found that CBG slowed the colon cancer cell growth in mice and recommended more research.
Products with CBG in the market.
CBG Topicals
CBG topical delivers results topically. A lot of people are just learning that one can apply CBG topically. Not only can you apply CBG topically, but its products can be a very powerful delivery method. But beware, not all topicals are not equal. Some CBG topicals are organic shea butter, organic beeswax, organic coconut oil, and essential oils to help the CBG absorb into the skin. Organic eucalyptus and peppermint essential oils might also be in it for scent. Make sure to go for minimal ingredients that you can pronounce. It’s hard to trust some topicals that are full of industrial chemicals.
CBG flower
CBG flower is a hemp flower with high levels of CBG. Cannabigerol, or CBG, is one of the 100+ cannabinoids that are in the cannabis plant. CBG is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid, meaning it won’t get you stoned. It typically converts into CBD and THC as the hemp plant grows, but some strains of industrial hemp, including Jack Frost, grow specifically to produce high levels of CBG in order to take advantage of its beneficial effects. Like THC and CBD, CBG reacts with the cannabinoid receptors in the human body, but each cannabinoid provides different effects.
CBG flower provides the body with CBG, which binds to cell receptors in the body called CB1 and CB2 receptors. Your body naturally produces endocannabinoids which themselves bind to these receptors as part of the body’s internal messaging systems. By using these receptors, CBG is able to produce its health-supporting effects.
CBG oil
CBG is naturally formed in hemp plants and one can extract in order to activate and isolate the compound. You can do this through extraction from the hemp plant and decarboxylation, or heating. You can add the CBG extract to carrier oils such as hemp oil or other oils to create a consumable CBG oil product. When in its oil form, you can use as a tincture placed under the tongue or as a water soluble.
CBG gummies
CBG Gummies are from Cannabigerol (CBG), the “mother cannabinoid” from which all other cannabinoids stem. Infused into a delicious fruit-flavored gummy, CBG gives feelings of focus and energy, along with support for the digestive system. They make them with pure CBG isolate, meaning they don’t contain any of the other cannabinoids including THC or CBD.
Like other cannabinoids, Cannabigerol (CBG) molecules are fat-soluble, meaning they’re typically in hemp oil without the ability to spread in water. This takes the body time to digest hemp oil and unlock the CBG into a bioavailable state. CBG-containing hemp oil particles are drastically put down in size, allowing them to disperse into water, and more importantly, go to work faster and more effectively inside the body.
CBG isolate powder.
Manufacturers make CBG isolate powder by extracting pure CBG from the cannabis plant using a supercritical CO2 extraction system to create a clean CBG distillate oil, which you refine and purify into CBG isolate. What’s left is pure CBG you can use sublingually, mix into food, or measure out and put in capsules.
