What Is CBG Oil And How Is It Different From CBD Oil
The cannabis-derived substance cannabidiol (CBD) steals the spotlight for medicinal benefits because of its all-natural approach to treating and preventing numerous health conditions. Among more than 400 chemical constituents present in cannabis, like THC, cannabinol, and other cannabinoid groups, CBD occupies the top spot.
Today, you’ll be widening your perspectives around cannabis as it contains more cannabinoid groups than you can imagine – cannabigerol (CBG) being the best example. While there is still limited research about CBG, it’s noteworthy that some experts suggest this might be the next CBD, and also because it’s a great substance overall.
What Is CBG Oil?
Before directly comparing CBG oils with CBD oils, it’s essential to know about this special compound first. Cannabigerol (CBG) is a lesser-known cannabinoid found in cannabis plants, which is identified as a precursor to other cannabinoids. Through heat and other chemical reactions, cannabigerol acid (CBGA), the acidic form of CBG, eventually breaks down into cannabinoids such as:
- Cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabidiolic acid (CBDA)
- Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA)
- Cannabichromene (CBC) and cannabichromenic acid (CBCA)
Like CBD, CBG is also a non-psychoactive compound, meaning it won’t make you feel high after consumption. Due to limited studies about CBG, there are only a few products available in the market offered by more advanced companies.
If you’re planning to buy CBG oil, you might want to think twice and research thoroughly about how it’s different from the acclaimed CBD oil. CBG differs from CBD in terms of:
Effects On The Endocannabinoid System
Generally, cannabinoids pertain to substances which interact with a specific network in the human body known as the endocannabinoid system (ECS). The two main cannabinoid receptors distributed throughout the body are CB1 and CB2 receptors, which are respectively associated with the nervous system and inflammatory responses.
CBD has been proven to have different effects on the ECS, but in indirect yet effective ways. CBG molecules bind directly with CB1 and CB2 receptors to deliver medical benefits to the body, which will be discussed later on.
While both CBD and CBG have no psychotropic effects, they have a way of altering your mind that can result in relief from anxiety and depression. Thus, it’s better to describe them as non-intoxicating because they won’t make you as high as THC.
Concentration In Cannabis Strains
Compared to CBD, CBG is usually present in low levels (not more than 1%) in common cannabis strains. Given that CBG is a major cannabinoid, its concentration compared to CBD is relatively lower.
In order to derive higher CBG yields, experts have to experiment with cross-breeding and genetic manipulation of plants. Also, they can use budding plants during their optimum extraction time to obtain higher levels of CBG, estimated to be from 6 to 8 weeks of the flowering cycle.
When consuming CBD oils with traces of THC, the presence of CBG in extremely small amounts can counteract the intoxicating and psychoactive effects of THC. It activates the CB1 receptors and decreases psychoactivation.
So, if you consume cannabis products with high CBD and CBG levels, or even a CBG isolate and cannabis, you can possibly counterbalance the intoxication or euphoric sensation delivered to you upon consumption.
Ease of Production
CBD compounds are usually concentrated in the aerial parts of both Cannabis sativa and Cannabis indica plants, which are the stems, flowers, leaves, and buds (or female hemp flowers). Because it’s increasingly common to incorporate them in medical products, there are numerous extraction methods that experts have developed over the years.
Usually, CBD is extracted through solvent-based methods. The most advanced method up to date doesn’t involve solvent extraction that’s known as the Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE) process. In short, imagine how easy and convenient the extraction processes of CBD are.
On the other hand, CBG is one of the most expensive cannabinoids to extract and produce, as it requires thousands of biomass pounds to create a minute amount of CBG isolate. This is because, as mentioned above, CBG is present in low levels in a cannabis plant.
If we do the math, let us say that a usual cannabis crop contains about 20% CBD and 1% CBG. This means that you need to extract 20 times the amount of biomass to produce the same CBG content as CBD.
Moreover, harvesting CBG at the right time is difficult for cultivators. When the cannabis plant gets past its maturity period, there are higher chances that CBG and CBGA present in the cannabis strain will be converted into other forms of cannabinoids.
Potential Health Benefits
CBD is renowned for its stellar range of medical and therapeutic benefits, that’s why it’s considered as treatment and prevention for many patients. Naturally, CBG wouldn’t be manufactured as oils and other products if it didn’t have amazing benefits as well.
CBG overlaps with CBD in terms of some health benefits, such as pain and inflammation relief, anti-anxiety and antidepressant, neuroprotective effects, psoriasis management, and anti-tumor properties, among others. However, here are some benefits that you won’t find in CBD that CBG specifically has:
- Reduces intraocular pressure in the eye which assists treatment of glaucoma
- Inhibits growth of colorectal cancer cells to slow down colon cancer
- Acts as a non-psychotropic therapeutic treatment for cachexia
- Inhibits bladder muscle contractions which soothes inflammatory bowel disease
Conclusion
Although CBG has newly arrived in the medical industry, it demonstrates a huge potential that can match the abilities of CBD. Before incorporating CBG oils into your routine, it’s essential to know about them first and see how they differ from CBD oils with the help of this discussion. Lastly, don’t forget to have a medical consultation first before taking CBG oils for your health condition, to see if it’s suitable for your medical needs.
