CBG, aka “the mother cannabinoid”, shows great promise for potential medical uses as researchers take a closer under- the –microscope look at prospective clinical applications. Since CBG works by turning on and off important brain/body receptors (see Part 1 of this blog), it has enormous versatility as a helper-agent for many common conditions which we’ll explore here.
Cancer and Chemotherapy Patients
CBG shows promise in lowering cancer cell growth in animal studies by blocking the receptors that cause growth. In a study using mice, for instance, CBG was shown to inhibit growth of colorectal cells, in turn slowing colon cancer growth.
Like THC, CBG can be used to treat appetite loss commonly seen in patients undergoing chemotherapy. In research using rodents, rats who were given CBG ate more frequently than those without the CBG dosing. If a similar effect is found for humans, it would be a boon for patients on chemotherapy who have a very hard time tolerating food due to nausea. And the task is accomplished without imposing an unwanted THC-induced psychoactive effect.
Packing a Power Punch to Pain
CBG is considered a powerful pain reliever – mostly because of its ability to push and pull on the alpha-2 and 5HT1A receptors that we discussed in part one of this blog. When CBG stimulates alpha-2 and inhibits 5HT1A, it creates a synergistic effect that yields both physical and emotional effects. Ask anyone who has suffered with chronic pain and they will tell you that it hurts both physically and, worse, psychologically especially with a long-term affliction. I think of CBG as a double-whammy attacker for pain.
Curbing Depression Without a Prescription
CBG works in a similar fashion (stimulating alpha-2 receptors and blocking 5-HT1A receptors) on depression. In fact, the lab tests involving rodents likened CBG to an old-school antidepressant called imipramine. Known as Tofranil, imipramine is a” tricyclic” pharmaceutical antidepressant, mainly used in the treatment of major depression and enuresis (bed-wetting). The problem is (no surprise here!) Tofranil has a boatload of potential side effects including weight gain, vomiting, weakness, appetite loss and impotence. By the way, those are only a few of the common, “less serious” side effects.
So Much More
I’ve only scratched the surface of the potential health benefits that CBG has been suggested for in the infancy of its research days. The list includes intraocular pressure (glaucoma), muscle spasms, and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). It’s supposed to have anti-bacterial and antifungal properties, help stimulate bone growth and serve as a neuroprotectant.
I could go on until the cows come home about CBG’s outstanding safety profile, its non-toxicity, lack of psychoactive effects, no withdrawal nor addiction to worry about. At this point, the research on this compound is scant in comparison with the dominant cannabis compounds, THC and CBD. But with what we’ve seen so far, other cannabinoids may need to share the limelight with their quiet but powerful working mother.