A small study has suggested cannabigerol (CBG) may represent a novel option to reduce stress and anxiety in otherwise healthy adults.
While the cannabinoids tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) have garnered the most research attention, cannabis contains many other cannabinoids; including cannabigerol.
CBG has been referred to as the “mother of all cannabinoids”, due to other cannabinoids being derived from cannabigerolic acid. CBG is the decarboxylated form of cannabigerolic acid. As a cannabis plant grows, most of the cannabigerol is converted into other cannabinoids – including THC and/or CBD.
In the USA at a federal level, CBG is not illegal as long as it has been extracted from hemp rather than marijuana plants.
CBG has received increasing attention due to its potential health benefits; among them as a treatment for anxiety. While research is being carried out on CBG to determine its pharmacological properties and potential effects in managing various conditions, results are still few and far between.
But some recent research has shed some light on CBG’s potential for stress and anxiety management. Led by Washington State University’s Professor Carrie Cuttler, acute effects of cannabigerol on anxiety, stress, and mood were studied in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover field trial.
The trial was conducted with 34 healthy adult participants who first completed two interview sessions; providing ratings of anxiety, stress, mood, and subjective drug effects prior to double-blind administration of 20 mg hemp-derived CBG or placebo tincture. The ratings were again collected after administration of CBG.
The researchers found a significant main effect of CBG was overall reduction in anxiety as well as reductions in stress and enhanced verbal memory relative to placebo. Importantly, there was no evidence of subjective drug effects or impairment. However, the researchers note five individuals who completed the screening survey indicated they had previously experienced a severe adverse reaction to CBG.
The trial was very small and had a number of acknowledged limitations, which means the results should be translated with caution. But it does provide a valuable springboard for larger and more detailed cannabigerol studies.
“Additional research is needed to corroborate these novel findings as well as to extend them to a clinical population of patients with anxiety disorders,” state the researchers.
The study report has been published in the journal Scientific Reports.
