Cancer is an epidemic that has been on the headlines for many decades now. And although it remains a deadly killer both in the US and abroad, it is increasingly being known that cannabis and cannabinoids such as CBG have properties that could help provide medicinal value in the fight against this disease. Read on to learn more.
A brief on cancer and how prevalent it is
According to the National Cancer Institute, there were 15.5million cancer survivors in the US as of 2016. The institute also estimated that there are approximately 2 million new cancer cases every year and over 500,000 mortalities annually as a result of the disease. Data from their site also says that 38.4% of the population is likely to be diagnosed with some form of cancer at some point.
Worriedly, data on cancer in other parts of the world is even more gloom. The National Cancer Institute reports that in 2012 about 57% of all new cases and 65% of cancer deaths occurred in less developed regions across Central America, Africa, and parts of Asia.
Is there a link between cancer and CBG?
Luckily, there is a glimmer of hope in CBG when it comes to the fight against cancer. For the longest time, cannabis products have been used to help with cancer in some form of way. A huge percentage of patients taking medicinal cannabis today are on it due to cancer. CBD is also a huge taker with cancer patients. Expectedly, therefore, CBG too has shown great promise in helping mitigate against cancer in various ways.
How can CBG help with cancer treatment?
CBG can help inhibit the growth of tumors:
It has been observed in studies that CBG can inhibit the growth of cancer cells and thereby slow down or prevent the growth of tumors. By doing so, CBG can abate the spreading of cancer and fast-track treatment or prolong the life of the patient massively.
CBG can help abate inflammation: Cancer treatment can be rough and often causes various forms of inflammation (both external and internal). CBG can help mitigate inflammation which would help cancer patients cope with treatment better.
CBG can help with pain as a natural analgesic: Cancer treatments and infections can be painful to endure especially if at an advanced stage. CBG has analgesic capabilities which can come in handy at this point and offer an organic and non-psychotropic pain relief.
CBG can help with muscle wasting & appetite: Cancer (as well as some of its treatment procedures) can cause weight loss, muscle wastage and reduced appetite. CBG is known to trigger the ECS system to uplift mood, increase metabolism and improve appetite – changes that can help maintain cancer patients in better form as they try to recover.
Are there any studies to show that CBG can help fight cancer?
- This research paper from 2009 showed that CBG could help inhibit cancer cell growth.
- This article from 2015 shows that CBG and other cannabinoids can help prevent tumor development.
- This study from 2015 showed that experiments on mice showed that CBG was able to slow down growth of colon cancer cells.
- Another study from 2018 also agrees that CBG and other cannabinoids contain anti-cancer properties.
All the fingers point towards CBG having the capability to slow down cancer cells. And with time even more research will provide more clarity on how CBG affects the different types of cancers out there.