By now we’re all very familiar with CBD. It seems to be everywhere we look. Since hemp was removed from the Schedule I list of controlled substances with the passing of the 2018 Farm Bill, it started popping up everywhere.
CBD however is not the only cannabinoid that makes up the Hemp plant. It has been the most studied one, and certainly the one compound that made hemp extract extremely popular in recent years.
There’s very good reason for the popularity of CBD, and why it became so easy to buy CBD online. It is a natural, non-addictive, non-psychoactive compound that shows major potential in helping people with various physical and mental conditions.
Those include:
- Epilepsy
- Seizures
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Pain
- Inflammation
- Insomnia
- Sleep Issues
That’s a fairly long list, and there are more benefits still being studied. It’s also thought to help with recovery and relapse prevention from certain substance abuse disorders.
So how does CBG differ?
Similar to CBG, Cannabigerol (CBG), is also a cannabinoid, or one of over one hundred chemical compounds found in a cannabis plant.
It is thought to be the precursor to most of the other compounds as when CBG-A (acidic form of CBG) breaks down, it forms CBG, CBD, THC and additional Cannabinoids.
Similar to CBD, CBG is a natural, non-addictive, non-psychoactive compound. It works with the same receptors in the ECS (endocannabinoid system) in our bodies.
It has not been studied as much as CBD, but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have potential.
Even with the limited studies, several benefits have already been seen, including:
- Reduction in inflammation for people with IBD (inflammatory bowel disease).
- Glaucoma. You might have heard of weed or THC to help, however CBG seems to be effective in reducing intraocular pressure.
- Bladder dysfunctions. A 2015 Study looked at five various cannabinoids and their how they affect the bladded. It was hypothesized that CBG shows the most promise in treating various bladder dysfunctions.
- Various studies have concluded that CBG may have neuroprotective properties.
- Can help to stimulate and improve appetite.
- Finally, there are studies out there that deal with CBG and cancer. That’s what we want to focus on today.
A 2014 Study of CBG and colon cancer showed incredible results in stopping the growth and spread of colon carcinogenesis.
“CBG inhibited the growth of xenograft tumours as well as chemically induced colon carcinogenesis. CBG hampers colon cancer progression in vivo and selectively inhibits the growth of CRC cells, an effect shared by other TRPM8 antagonists. CBG should be considered translationally in CRC prevention and cure.”
A 2018 Study examined the potential of cannabinoids again breast cancer cell lines. In this study, the authors concluded that drug preparations with high levels of CBG, THCA, and THC were more effective in providing treatment than THC by itself.
There’s a U.S. company called Cannabics Pharmaceuticals. They have research facilities located in Israel, that specifically focus on using cannabinoid therapies for cancer treatments and negating the side effects of conventional therapy.
They recently conducted pre-clinical studies that looked at human stomach and bone cancer. They found that CBG was more effective than its acidic form, CBGA against sick cells.
This company also used both CBG and CBC (cannabichromene) to study their potential against gastrointestinal cancer cells.
When combined, both cannabinoids were shown to increase cancer necrosis (cell death) as compared to other cannabinoids.
This alone suggests more studies need to be conducted with this hemp extract combination.
There is also evidence from a 2019 Study in the UK, that CBD and CBG can help develop a treatment for ovarian cancer.
As you can see, there’s a ton of potential for CBG to be used as a steppingstone to developing targeted therapy approaches for certain types of cancers.
CBG is only now getting the recognition and attention it deserves from the scientific community.
Up to this point, THC and CBD were the most studied cannabinoids and for good reason. Most cannabis strains are either high in THC content, or high in CBD content (hemp).
CBG has historically been on the low side in both.
That is changing as more hybrid strains are being created that are focusing on a CBG high content plant.
Same goes for the studies being conducted.
More and more studies are being done worldwide on CBG, especially since it has the potential to help with discovering a path to curing cancer.
It’s important to note however that there’s a lot more work to be done.
There also needs to be more work done on discovering and studying all of the additional cannabinoids of the hemp plant. That is because there seems to be more and more evidence that the mythical entourage effect of the hemp plant is a real thing.
The entourage effect is when all of the cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids work together to increase the efficacy of the hemp extract oil on helping to get the medical benefit.
Therefore, whenever possible we will always recommend a user tries either full spectrum CBD, or broad spectrum CBD as opposed to CBD Isolate. That is because both contain all of the cannabinoids of the hemp plant.
Major exception being full spectrum contains up to 0.3% THC, while broad spectrum is THC free.
Whether or not you want to try to add CBG to your daily CBD wellness practice, it is your call.
We are really far away from having complete knowledge on how CBG works on all types of cancers, however we are getting closer every day.
What you should keep in mind is that if you do want to give cannabigerol a try, buy CBG online from a reputable source and brand. Make sure whatever brand you choose has third party lab results easily available.
We recommend the CBDistillery Full Spectrum CBG Oil 1:1 as a good starting point. This oil contains 500MG of full spectrum CBD and 500MG of CBG for that added benefit.
CBDistillery is a very trustworthy brand and you can easily find their Certificates of Analysis.
No matter what you choose, we are living in exciting times when it comes to cancer research. While we are no where close to curing all types of cancers, we are getting closer each day to learning new ways to fight this awful disease.
Any effective weapon in our arsenal is a plus. This is why CBG is so exciting.
