Is CBG the New CBD?

Arguably, CBG is increasingly becoming one of the fastest growing terms in the cannabis industry.

First the industry brought us THC. Then it brought us CBD and CBD oil.

And now, the wonderful world of Hemp and cannabis is bringing us CBG.

Have you heard about CBG?

And if so, what have you heard?

What is CBG?

First of all, CBG stands for cannabigerol. Yes, it’s a bit of a mouthful but so are other cannabis or pharmaceutical products. Cannabigerol, or CBG in short, is one of the many cannabinoids in the cannabis plant. For example, CBD (or cannabidiol) in full, is one other cannabinoid found in the cannabis plant. And so is the physchoactive compound THC which is responsible for making one high. So together, CBG, THC, and CBD are all chemical compounds found in the cannabis plant and are called cannabinoids. Now, just so you know, the cannabis plant has over 120 known cannabinoids. So science has in no way exhausted the Pandora’s Box that is the cannabis plant.

Now, CBG was discovered in the mid-20^th century. However, due to little interest and knowledge about cannabinoids at the time, as well as government and societal restrictions into research on cannabis, that discovery did not go very far. However, in recent times, as government restrictions into the cannabis plants loosen, and as society grows more open-minded, more and more research is focusing on CBG.

Can CBG get you high?

Cannabigerol (CBG) cannot get you high. Unlike THC which has psychotropic properties and can alter your state of mind, CBG is non-psychotropic and does not contain any THC. Therefore, CBG cannot get you high, or alter your state of mind or consciousness. It’s similar to how CBD contains very negligible traces of THC and therefore cannot get you high as well. And in fact, CBD can be purified from its full spectrum form to CBD isolate that does not contain any THC or terpenes, plant oils, chlorophyll, and other molecules.

All in all, THC is the only known cannabinoid from the cannabis plant that contains psychotropic properties. But even more interesting is the fact that researchers have discovered that CBG contains THC-inhibiting properties. That means that taking CBG can actually help reverse the psychotropic effects that cannabis is known for. In other words, it can even out your high and get you back ‘down to earth’.

Why do some CBD oils contain CBG?

Because CBG has great health benefits and is a fellow cannabinoid to CBD, manufacturers of CBD oils sometimes add traces of CBG as a way to improve the quality and value of their products. Basically, a CBD oil product that contains CBG is more beneficial than one that only contains CBD. Make no mistake, both are great. However, the one containing CBG simply has more impact in regards to health and wellness. Another reason why CBG is added to CBD oils is that when sold alone CBG can be very expensive. So by selling it as an additive to CBD, manufacturers are making it more affordable and practical for you to get a chance to consume some CBG.

Does CBG have any benefits?

Yes, it does! Part of the reason why there is so much growing interest in CBG is because research scientists are discovering all manner of interesting facts about CBG. And mind you, we are still in the very early stages of studying CBG. Most of the research has focused on medicine and health and researchers have been able to ascertain that CBG can help treat or even prevent a number of prevailing medical conditions. Check out our page on “Benefits of CBG” where we talk about this in more detail.

How is CBG created in cannabis plants?

Cannabigerol is one of the first cannabinoids created in the cannabis plant. In fact, it’s considered the mother of the cannabinoids because it is responsible for the development of the other cannabinoids. When cannabis and hemp plants are young, they produce what is called cannabigerolic acid (CBGA). CBGA is the inactive and acidic version of CBG. This CBGA goes on to form CBD and THC through a process we shall discuss later in a different article. However, after doing so, the remaining cannabigerolic acid (CBGA) is acted upon by heat and light forcing it to turn into its active and non-acidic form that is CBG.

How is CBG harvested from cannabis plants?

Scientists have to go to great lengths to extract CBG from hemp plants. One of the reasons why it’s so hard to do so is because CBG only accounts for about 1% of all cannabinoids within the cannabis plants in volume. For comparison, cannabis plants contain about 20% THC and a similar volume for CBD.

Despite the odds, scientists go through painstaking purification and extraction processes to collect the 1% volume of CBG from cannabis plants. The equipment used is very expensive, the talent required for this work is rare, and the time consumed to achieve results is long.

Why is CBG so expensive?

As hinted above, CBG is expensive. If you’ve compared what tinctures of CBD and those of CBG sell for, then you have clearly noted the huge price disparity between them. This is not a mistake. There are good reasons why this is the case. For one, as mentioned earlier, CBG is hard to come by. There is only about 1% of it in any given cannabis plant. So for manufacturers to get the same volume of CBG as CBD, they have to harvest 20 times as many plants. That aside, the purification process is longer and the equipment needed is way more expensive.

What is the future of CBG?

CBG has a bright future ahead of it. As we continue to learn more about this chemical compound, and researchers discover more health benefits tied to it, time only knows how popular it may become. It could grow to become as popular as THC or CBD. Maybe CBG will prove to be even bigger than its fellow cannabinoids. Is that possible? Time will tell.