Potential Benefits of CBG
Research shows that CBG may have therapeutic effects. While more research is needed to learn the exact effects of this cannabinoid and its potential benefits, here are a few of their findings.
Anxiety and Depression
One small-scale study found that the number one reason people used cannabis preparations high in CBG was to reduce anxiety, with one in three using it to ease depression.4 Most of the users reported that they felt that CBG was more effective for these purposes than conventional medicines.
Chronic Pain
In the study mentioned above, the second-most common reason people used CBG was for chronic pain, with 73.9% reporting that it worked better than traditional medicines.4 Chronic pain is pain that lasts three months or more. This type of condition impacts roughly one in five U.S. adults or around 51.6 million Americans.5
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Chronic pain among adults — United States, 2019-2021.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
According to one review, between 15% and 40% of people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) use cannabis and cannabinoids to increase their appetite as well as to reduce their pain.6 Although studies have found promise for its effects on IBD, researchers added that high-quality evidence is lacking, as is advice as to the proper dose and mode of administration.
Glaucoma
Individuals with high eye pressure, also known as intraocular pressure (IOP), are at a greater risk of developing glaucoma.7 Several studies have looked at the impact of cannabinoids on IOP. Many have found that these cannabis derivatives help lower IOP in both humans and animals, making them a potential glaucoma treatment.8
Huntington’s Disease
Huntington’s disease causes a breakdown of nerve cells in the brain. Cannabigerol appears to have a positive effect on cell viability while also protecting certain cells (N2a cells) from the toxic effects of excitatory neurotransmitters that, when activated too long, lead to cell death.9
Cancer
A 2021 meta-analysis reports that CBG appears to not only stop breast cancer cells from increasing in numbers but may also kill off inflammatory cells associated with this cancer type.10
Bacterial Infections
A 2020 study on the antibiotic potential of cannabis found that CBG has antibacterial properties, especially against methicillin-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus.11 Staphylococcus aureus is also known as MRSA, a drug-resistant bacteria that causes staph infections.