Know Your Cannabinoids – CBGA

by Brittney Graham

  Welcome back to getting to know your cannabinoids! This month we are going to be learning about Cannabigerolic Acid or CBGA. To start, it is important to note that the Cannabis plant does not produce THC directly. Yes, I know that seems weird right? Instead, the plant synthesizes several cannabinoid acids.

These cannabinoid acids must be “activated” (decarboxylated, we talked about this in the first segment of this series), to yield the popular compounds THC and CBD. Obviously these two cannabinoids are stars in the Medical Marijuana Community and are heavily abundant within the Cannabis Plant. But let’s focus on the acids; THCA, CBDA, and CBCA, or more specifically for the moment, CBGA.

Although it is only present within less than 1% of the plant, CBGA is the starting compound that enzymes in the plant use to make the other three above mentioned acids.  Although Cannabinoid acids are not known to produce intoxicating effects like its THC byproduct, they do have antibiotic and insecticidal properties. If we think about it though, this makes sense because the plant would produce this compound to heal and protect itself.

In most strains, CBGA is quickly converted into either THCA or CBDA. This means that the more THC there is the less CBG.  To obtain higher yields of CBG, breeders are experimenting with genetic manipulation and crossbreeding of plants. So, what are the benefits of CBG itself before it is turned into THC, CBD or put through decarboxylation and turned into Cannabigerol?

The medical benefits of CBG are of course in their primary stages of research and development but here are some important notes thus far;

• In animal experiments involving mice, CBG was found to be effective in decreasing the inflammation characteristic of inflammatory bowel disease.
• CBG is thought to be particularly effective in treating glaucoma because it reduces the intraocular pressure. It is a powerful vasodilator and has neuroprotective effects on top of it!
• In European research there has been evidence that CBG is an effective antibacterial agent, particularly against methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) microbial strains resistant to several classes of drugs.
• In a study that looked at the effects of five different cannabinoids on bladder contractions, CBG tested best at inhibiting muscle contractions. So, it may be a future tool in preventing bladder dysfunction disorders. 

With all this exciting research and results coming from CBG, there is no wonder why it is important to learn more about it. I mean, CBD and THC start out as CBG and that in itself was worth the look into!