The hemp plant contains over 100 unique chemical compounds known as cannabinoids. Recently, the cannabinoid known as “cannabigerol” or “CBG” has been gaining serious attention in the industry. However, scientific research on CBG is still in its infancy and the medical community is just beginning to understand potential applications for this new cannabinoid.

Since the cannabinoid CBD has gained so much popularity over the past 5 years, hemp growers, processors, and retailers have been looking for the next big thing. With such a massive market demand for CBD, it only makes sense to expand on the current cannabinoid marketplace. Yet, before the CBG space can realize its potential, there must be a good deal of cannabigerol research conducted.

One of the big challenges that might be slowing down cannabigerol research is that industrial plants typically yield only minute amounts of CBG (about 1% or less). That, however, is changing with the introduction of specialized hemp strains bred to produce more CBG. Strains like High Grade Hemp Seed’s Matterhorn CBG can produce up to 15% CBG, which may help give this under-studied cannabinoid the boost it needs.

Farmers who are considering planting hemp for CBG may wonder, “What are the benefits of CBG?” Though CBG research is still in its infancy, some scientific results have been very promising. High Grade Hemp Seed wanted to walk you through current CBD research and its potential uses for wellness.

CBG and the Endocannabinoid System

In order to understand how CBG might affect the human body, you must first understand the endocannabinoid system (ECS). The ECS is a newly-discovered neural network within the human body. Scientists theorize that the ECS functions to maintain the body’s systems in homeostasis, or a state of balance.

In discovering the ECS, researchers also discovered that the human body produces its own cannabinoids known as “endocannabinoids.” Scientists also realized that endocannabinoid deficiencies can develop into several medical problems. It is precisely this lack of endocannabinoids that can be rectified with the help of cannabinoids from the hemp plant – such as CBG and CBD.

Importantly, the ECS is thought to run throughout the human body, including the nervous system, digestive system, and immune system. The ECS is believed to help regulate:

  • Mood
  • Sleep
  • Appetite
  • Digestion
  • Pain
  • Memory
  • Immune function
  • Pleasure and reward system

The ESC extends throughout the body and so it follows that the effects of cannabinoids would vary according to the location of the receptors. There are two types of receptors: CB1 (in the brain and nervous system) and CB2 ( in the immune system). While other cannabinoids interact with one or the other, CBG appears to bind with both, potentially giving it the power to affect homeostasis in multiple systems.

If studies on the ECS are correct, imbalances in the endocannabinoid system can wreak havoc on your overall wellness. To this end, current CBG health research also implies that the cannabinoid could be extremely helpful in curbing many forms of endocannabinoid deficiencies.

 

1. CBG and Glaucoma

According to the Glaucoma Research Foundation, over three million Americans have glaucoma, a condition in which high ocular pressure damages the optic nerve. Left untreated, glaucoma can cause vision problems and, eventually, blindness.

The human eye is known to host many endocannabinoid receptors. A study published in 2008 found that cannabinoids, including CBG, may help to relieve pressure inside of the eye. This could make CBG an effective treatment for glaucoma. It will be interesting to see where cannabigerol research goes with glaucoma in the coming years.

2. CBG and Cancer

Early-stage research has already shown that CBD can inhibit the spread of breast, prostate, colon, and lung cancer cells. Though these studies were conducted on animals and in test tubes, the potential for CBD as a cancer treatment is exciting to say the least.

What about CBG and cancer? Unsurprisingly, little research has looked at how CBG may help fight cancer. One study published in the journal Carcinogenesis, however, did find that CBG might reduce the growth of cancer cells in rats with colon cancer. This early-stage research is promising and should be continued. CBG proponents would love to see institutions put more money into researching the cancer-fighting properties of CBG.

3. CBG and MRSA

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has become the bane of hospitals, health clinics, and nursing homes. This dangerous bacterial infection is infamous for its ability to resist most antibiotic treatments. In 2017, nearly 120,000 people in the U.S. contracted MRSA, and almost 20,000 died. The hunt is on for an effective MRSA treatment.

Medical researchers are currently looking at CBG as an antibiotic treatment for MRSA. To illustrate, McMaster University conducted a study on the effectiveness of CBD on MRSA. They concluded, “CBG had antibacterial activity against drug-resistant MRSA. It prevented the ability of that bacteria to form biofilms, which are communities of microorganisms that attach to each other and to surfaces.”

It will be interesting to see how CBG health research evolves in the future with treating MRSA.

4. CBG and Huntington’s Disease

Huntington’s disease is a rare and cruel genetic disorder that progressively breaks down nerve cells in the brain. Individuals with the disorder usually start to exhibit symptoms in their 30s or 40s and face a long, slow mental and physical decline.

While there is no current cure for Huntington’s disease, a fascinating study on mice with Huntington’s found that CBG was “extremely active as a neuroprotectant.” CBG’s neuroprotective properties could make it a potential treatment for a variety of neurodegenerative disorders besides just Huntington’s disease.

5. CBG and Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Endocannabinoid receptors are active in the digestive system, so perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising that cannabigerol benefits could extend to certain diseases linked to the gut. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is actually a group of diseases that attack the colon and small intestine. The most well-known IBDs are Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

In a study on mice, CBG seemed to reduce the inflammation that is a hallmark of IBD, which could go a long way toward helping alleviate the unpleasant symptoms of IBD. The authors of the study suggest that CBG be considered for clinical experimentation in IBD patients.

6. CBG as an Appetite Stimulant

A study on rats in the journal Psychopharmacology found that CBG was a reliable appetite stimulant. The rats in the study gobbled up more than twice their normal food intake and ate extra meals when taking CBG. The appetite-boosting properties of CBG could be helpful for patients struggling to eat and maintain weight, such as individuals with cancer or HIV.

Appetite stimulation has long been a popular medical application of cannabinoids. The most widely known cannabinoid “tetrahydrocannabinol” (THC) was originally used to help with appetite stimulation for both cancer and AIDS patients. One might argue that THC is so effective in this application that it led to the eventual legalization of medical cannabis in states like California and Colorado.

7. CBG and Bladder Dysfunction

Involuntary bladder contractions are a condition no one wants to experience. A mouse trial of five different cannabinoids found that CBG showed the greatest impact on reducing bladder contractions. The authors of the study also found that CBG reduced bladder contractions in the human bladder.

More CBG Health Research is Needed

While the CBG benefits highlighted in this article are highly promising, it’s important to reiterate that these are all early-stage studies. It should not be assumed that just because CBG showed a certain impact on animals or cell cultures that it will have the same health properties in humans. Even more, we want to stress the fact that CBG products should only be purchased from highly reputable sources.

There is no doubt that CBG holds great promise for the medical community. However, to realize the latent potential of CBG, doctors and researchers must conduct well-funded human trials. As the CBG industry continues to gain momentum, we hope that the medical community will give this little-known cannabinoid the attention it requires.

As the cannabis and hemp industries continue to gain acceptance in the mainstream, there has been an increased interest in cannabinoids. With a surge in popularity for both CBD and THC, cannabis and hemp have become big business. Looking specifically at the hemp-derived CBD space, national legalization has attracted the attention of major players in the retail business, as well as health and wellness. Today, you can find CBD products on the shelves of major retail stores such as Kroeger, CVS, and Neiman Marcus.

With such a massive interest in CBD products, horticulturists, scientists, and business people alike have been on the hunt for the “next big cannabinoid.” All eyes are now turning to another non-psychoactive cannabinoid known as “cannabigerol” or CBG.

As a leader in seed production, High Grade Hemp Seed always keeps a close eye on new developments in the industry. As such, we wanted to give you an overview of the new cannabinoid CBG and help you understand how it is different from CBD.

Here’s what you need to know.

The CBG Cannabinoid Explained

Hemp contains hundreds of cannabinoids. The two most well-known compounds are tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). As research on cannabinoids has expanded, many researchers and health industry experts have begun looking into CBG.

CBG has been referred to as “the mother cannabinoid.” When a hemp plant is young, it produces cannabigerolic acid (CBGA). This compound then breaks down into cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) and tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA) as the plant matures. Without digging too deep into the science, the CBDA and THCA are then converted into CBD and THC, which can be extracted from the buds and resin of the hemp plant after harvest. The leftover amount of CBGA is also converted into CBG.

Understanding the basics of this process is important for farmers because it helps to explain why CBG cannabinoid is more difficult (but also potentially more lucrative) to cultivate. As leaders in CBG hemp breeding, High Grade Hemp Seed is in a unique position to offer this advice.

 

CBG vs. CBD Hemp

How do CBD and CBG compare to each other? First, let’s look at some of the similarities between CBD and CBG. For starters, both CBG and CBD are non-intoxicating, unlike THC. This makes both CBD and CBG popular compounds for those who want the health benefits cannabinoids can offer without the psychoactive side effects of THC.

Early research also seems to indicate that CBG and CBD may possess some overlapping health benefits as well as unique benefits. Both cannabinoids interact with the body’s endocannabinoid system, which plays a role in regulating:

  • Mood
  • Memory
  • Sleep
  • Reproduction
  • Appetite

In a nutshell, the endocannabinoid system works to stabilize the body’s internal environment, which could be the reason research shows that CBD affects so many different parts of the body and impacts a variety of conditions. While we know that both CBD and CBG influence the endocannabinoid system, there has been far more research into CBD. As such, a big reason why CBG remains so obscure is an overall lack of research. This notion is particularly true for human subjects.

Recently, scientists have turned their attention to CBG. While these studies are still in their infancy, they have yielded some interesting results. For example, research has shown CBG to have “analgesic and anti-inflammatory” properties. As such, CBG could prove to be an effective pain medicine and alternative to addictive prescription drugs. We still have a long way to go, but these positive results surely mean that advanced studies on CBG effects are in the works.

Growing and Producing CBG Hemp

Why is CBD so much more popular than CBG? Why is there so much more research on CBD and so many more CBD products? The answer is simple: CBG has historically been very difficult and expensive to farm.

Remember how we told you that CBG is “the mother cannabinoid” and that CBGA breaks down into THCA and CBDA as a hemp plant matures? The more that CBGA turns into other cannabinoids, the less CBG remains. Hemp farmers who want to cultivate CBG traditionally had to harvest their hemp crop early before the plants could mature very much. This meant that farmers gave up on the chance to cultivate CBD in order to grow CBG.

Until recent advancements in hemp breeding, plants have traditionally produced low amounts of CBG. To illustrate, early hemp strains only produced <1% of CBG within a plant. This statistic stands in stark contradiction to high-CBD strains, which contain as much as 10-16% of CBD.

If that weren’t bad enough, levels of CBG were so low in hemp plants that many farmers were forced to invest in specialized production equipment to isolate and purify CBG extract. Otherwise, they paid higher prices for third-party extraction.

As CBG is such a novel cannabinoid, most hemp farmers are not yet focusing on CBG production. Therefore, CBG fetches a far higher price tag in the open market. A 2020 study suggests that while CBD earns $2,000 per kilogram, the same amount of CBG can bring around $30,000. That’s over five times the value of CBD.

Even with the promise of such a big potential payday, farmers may still be hesitant to take the risk of trying to cultivate CBG. Fortunately, hemp genetics is advancing at a breakneck pace, and several strains of CBG hemp have recently hit the market.

All About CBG Hemp Strains

Hemp breeders like High Grade Hemp Seed, are working hard to develop hemp plants that produce more CBG. To illustrate, our customers love our Matterhorn CBG strain. Remember how traditional hemp plants could only produce 1% CBG concentrate? With Matterhorn, we have upped CBG concentrations to an astounding 15% potential. This amazing new strain gives hemp farmers the ability to generate serious profit by growing specifically for CBG.

Farmers who are considering cultivating CBG strains need to do their homework. Many of the CBG hemp seeds coming to market are brand new strains, and there are always disreputable companies that make big promises their seeds can’t keep. Do your research on a seed company before making a sizable investment. Work with a hemp seed company that has been around for several years and that has a good reputation for their other hemp seed strains.

It’s also a good idea to invest in feminized CBG seeds. You’ll pay a little more upfront, but you will save time and heartache by planting 100% female hemp plants. Even more, you can avoid the extra labor expenses of removing male plants from your crop.

If you haven’t planted hemp before, or if you don’t have a greenhouse infrastructure on your property, you should consider choosing CBG seed starts. By starting with seedling plants, eliminate the extra work and materials needed to sprout seeds. At High Grade Hemp Seed, our seed starts also come with a strong taproot that will help your plants stay healthy throughout your growing season.

Should I Grow CBG Hemp?

Is cultivating CBG worth the extra investment, work, and risk? A different way to think about these questions is by considering the value of diversifying your crop. CBD is a hot commodity now, but an increasing number of farmers are cultivating CBD flowers.

At High Grade Hemp Seed, we believe CBD hemp will always be worth planting and will still give farmers a great ROI. However, we also know it never hurts to diversify your income. CBG hemp can both complement and hedge against CBD prices and can also position you at the very forefront of the CBG market. Some of the latest cannabinoid studies have found that CBD and CBG create a stronger, positive health effect when taken together.

If CBG becomes as hot as CBD, farmers who are experienced in growing high-yield CBG strains, like Matterhorn CBG, will be in a great position to feed a growing demand, especially for a previously hard-to-produce product.

Contact us today to learn more about our Matterhorn CBG or any of our CBD hemp strains. Our knowledgeable representatives can tell you all about how to grow Matterhorn CBG and how CBG hemp differs from CBD hemp. We are happy to discuss your crop plans and answer any questions you might have.

Since the end of the eighty-year-long prohibition on industrial hemp, there has been a surge in market demand for hemp-derived products. The range of these products varies from topicals and tinctures to textiles and even construction-grade concrete (also known as ‘Hempcrete’). As a result, farmers have been racing to grow enough industrial hemp to meet the ever-growing demand. The introduction of the 2018 Farm Bill enabled hemp farmers to obtain that crop insurance and released farmers from many restrictions at the federal level. These advances led farmers across the country  to join this potentially lucrative supply chain. This article will walk you through the origin of the Matterhorn CBG Varietal, as well as the medical potential and the market potential that comes from farming this very revolutionary cannabinoid.

Medical Potential of CBG

Hemp-derived cannabinoids have made an impact in both the medical field and in consumer goods. The cannabinoid that is most commonly known is CBD, but there is no reason not to believe that CBG products won’t follow this billion dollar trend. CBG is a minor cannabinoid that is making major waves in the industry.

CBG (also known as Cannabigerol) stands out from the crowd of hemp-derived cannabinoids for one fascinating reason. It is known as the “Mother” or “OG” cannabinoids due to the fact that it is the precursor to all other cannabinoids such as CBD (Cannabidiol), CBN (Cannabinol) CBC (Cannabichromene) and THCA (Tetrahydrocannabinolic Acid).

Besides being the Mother of the other cannabinoids, CBG activates both CB1 and CB2 receptors in the Endocannabinoid System. This means that it could potentially hold the cumulative qualities of all the other cannabinoids put together.

Understanding the Potential Health Benefits of CBG

Understanding the endocannabinoid system makes it easy to see why CBG is such a game changer. Here are the basics:

  • The human body’s central nervous system is made up of nerve cells that release chemicals called neurotransmitters.
  • Neurotransmitters carry messages that regulate performance and activity of various body parts and systems.
  • Neurotransmitters are released and then in turn taken up, or reabsorbed, by the receiving cell terminal or receptor.
  • Nerve cells also secrete endocannabinoids, which are cannabinoids created by the human body, to regulate cellular function and maintain homeostasis.
  • The system of nerves cells that regulate cannabinoid secretion and reuptake is called the Endocannabinoid system, ECS.
  • When this system gets out of balance, plant-derived cannabinoids, or phytocannabinoids such as CBG and CBD, can be introduced to balance and alleviate various physical ailments.

The coming years of research will enlighten us all to the myriad uses of CBG and its ability to balance the ESC. Here are a few of the areas researchers are currently looking at in regard to the health benefits of CBG.

The CBG Market Potential

While the research is still in the early stages, scientists the world over have transitioned resources and focus on this powerful molecule and the downstream market is taking notice. Industrial hemp markets are poised to continue their upward growth. Projections are that the industrial hemp market will grow from 4.6 billion in 2019 to 26.6 billion by 2025.

According to Sean Williams of the Motley Fool the global cannabis market, which includes sales estimates for 22 counties, should grow from $17 billion in 2019 to $50 billion by 2029.

When viewed from the perspective of medical advances, and pharmaceutical breakthroughs, and consumer goods CBG hemp varietials are well-positioned to be in the forefront of this growing sector.

 

Is CBG Ready for the Big Leagues? 

CBG is poised to make a substantial impact in the medical and consumer goods pharmaceutical markets. In the past there was one factor limiting CBGs introduction into these markets on a large scale. This factor was the relatively low levels of CBG found in each plant.

Following the laws of supply and demand meant that the production costs were high, prohibitively so.  Because of the normally low levels of CBG in an industrial hemp plant, and it’s high potency for medical applications, CBG has been nicknamed the “Rolls Royce” of cannabinoids.

Previously available varietals of CBG contained low quantities of CBG making growing hemp for focused CBG production cost-prohibitive. According to Janelle Lassalle of Forbes magazine, “Either you give up your entire crop to process and produce pure CBG prior to the conversion into other cannabinoids, or you wait until it’s time to harvest the hemp plant”, says Floyd Landis, founder of the retail outlet Floyd’s of Leadville.”

The solution to this problem is pinpointed in a recent Forbes article, to summarize: the genetics of the plant is still the primary price factor. It follows that if you breed higher CBG hemp strains, the cost to extract the CBG goes way down because you need much less material to extract it. This problem has been solved and CBG is ready to join the big leagues of the green rush.

The Story of Matterhorn CBG Hemp Seed Genetics

One Italian geneticist has dedicated the last several years to unlocking the hemp seed genetics that would open up CBG production and its introduction into the wide market. This strain will make CBG a viable force in the hemp industry.

The story of Matterhorn CBG is a story of faith and perseverance. It begins in 2016, with an Italian breeder named Matthais Ghidossi who was working in Switzerland and in partnership with a company operating in medical THC production for the Swiss government. At that stage, the Swiss market was already showing some really promising results in terms of CBG genetics, but our breeder was searching for new material to work with by way of using real industrial hemp strains.

He decided to purchase some Carmagnola seeds. Carmagnola is a varietal that has been grown in Italy for more than 15 years and has a reputation of being consistently well within THC compliance levels. Matthias planted about 6000 of these seeds in Switzerland and started selecting anything that had an interesting terpene profile or flower structure.

Then it happened: the dream came to fruition. In a poeticized rendition, his eye was caught by a glint of white across a sun-drenched field of hemp. This particular plant had an intense white flower that made it stand out – even at a distance.

Matterhorn CBG Seed Genetics

 

Upon closer inspection, this flower had a very different terpene profile than usual Carmagnola. It was this plant, with its white flower, that became the original mother of Matterhorn. She contained about 5% CBG, which was causing the white color in the bud.

Matthias was obviously enthusiastic and started to believe he had discovered something very special. After 3 years and a lot of diligent work, Matterhorn CBG (known as Perugina in the EU) has finally made a name for itself in the marketplace.

The breakthrough that makes Matterhorn CBG stand out in its class is its consistently high levels of CBG, consistently testing at 12.46% and up to 15% CBG. These high levels are reached while maintaining compliance with THC regulations. Matterhorns THC levels test at 0.09%. These game changing results are the reason why Matterhorn derived its name from the tallest mountain in the Swiss Alps.

Farming for CBG is Now Possible with Matterhorn 

Matterhorn CBG has two years of field trials and has proven itself to be uniform, stable, and unique. Germination rates are at 95% and feminization rates are 98%, producing one male to every 4000 females. The high level of CBG and THC compliance make it a good option for farmers looking to get into the CBG market or to diversify.

Besides being an ideal candidate for CBG extraction, Matterhorn is also highly smokable. The breeder paid close attention to the terpene profile which is described as having effervescent notes of citrus with notes of lemon and lime.

Matterhorn CBG is the perfect example of why it’s important for farmers to use original genetics. Quality, compliance, and consistency vary from breeder to breeder, and that’s what makes this CBG varietal stand out from the rest.

Conclusion

The green rush following the signing of the 2018 Farm Bill has led farmers across the country to transition their operations to include fields or greenhouses of industrial hemp. While CBD has taken much of the seed genetic spotlight, the medical and market potentials are now illuminating CBG.

CBG has the potential to revolutionize the pharmaceutical and consumer goods markets of hemp-derived products. Big players are getting into the cannabinoid market and there is unlimited potential. Matterhorn CBG, with its high levels of CBG, can be the strain that breaks down the barriers of both the pharmaceutical and consumer goods markets.

High Grade Offers Matterhorn CBG 

We are unequivocally enthusiastic about Matterhorn CBG. Matterhorn is now available in the United States, and we encourage farmers to grow Matterhorn CBG for its enormous potential, compliance, and stability. Farmers know that good harvests come from good seed genetics and that is what you get from High Grade.

Our  collection also includes Berry Blossom, Cherry Wine, Merlot, Red Bordeaux, and Bueno. We offer Early Finishers, Auto Flower and Full-Term cultivars. This selection allows farmers the flexibility they need to maximize greenhouse space, acreage, and labor.