Pullman, WA: The consumption of the cannabinoid cannabigerol (CBG) is associated with reduced feelings of stress and anxiety, according to placebo-controlled data published in the journal Nature: Scientific Reports.
Researchers with Washington State University and the University of California, Los Angeles, assessed the use of a hemp-derived 20 mg CBG tincture versus placebo in 34 health volunteers. Most of the study’s participants had no prior experience with CBG.
Investigators reported that CBG, but not the placebo, was associated with significant enhancements in participants’ verbal memory as well as decreases in their feelings of stress and anxiety. CBG was not associated with either intoxicating or performance-impairing effects.
The study’s authors concluded: “The present study represents the first human clinical trial to examine the acute effects of CBG on anxiety, stress, and mood. Results of this double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over field trial indicate that 20 mg of hemp-derived CBG reduces subjective ratings of anxiety and stress in healthy cannabis-using adults in the absence of motor or cognitive impairment, intoxication, or other subjective drug effects (e.g., heart palpitations, dry mouth). Additional research is needed to corroborate these novel findings as well as to extend them to a clinical population of patients with anxiety disorders.”
In preclinical models, CBG has been shown to possess analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and blood pressure-reducing properties. Survey data published in 2021 reports that consumers who prefer CBG-dominant varieties of cannabis perceive it to be effective at managing anxiety, chronic pain, depression, and insomnia.
Full text of the study, “Acute effects of cannabigerol on anxiety, stress, and mood: A double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover, field trial,” appears in Nature: Scientific Reports.