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Table of Contents
- What is CBG?
- What is CBD?
- CBG vs CBD: Effects and Benefits Compared
- Which One Is Right for You?
- Does Full-Spectrum CBD Contain CBG?
- How to Choose a CBG or CBD Product
Ever heard of cannabigerol? Maybe you know it by its acronym, CBG, or its awesome nickname, “the mother of all cannabinoids.” But if you aren’t familiar, you aren’t alone. CBG is a lot like CBD, its more famous cousin (er, child?)—both cannabinoids are non-psychoactive, so they don’t make you feel high.
So what does CBG do? And lack of intoxication aside, how does it compare CBD? In this CBG vs CBD explainer, we have all the answers.
What is CBG?
CBG is a phytocannabinoid produced naturally in the cannabis plant. It’s a minor cannabinoid, meaning it’s not found as abundantly as CBD (cannabidiol) or THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), and the fact that it doesn’t cause intoxication makes it appealing in clinical settings. In fact, CBG has been described as a “promising therapeutic agent with a diverse range of potential applications” (1). Interestingly, CBG was first isolated in 1964 and we’re only just now diving into preclinical research.
Like all cannabinoids, CBG begins in an acidic form known as cannabigerol acid, or CBGa. It’s the first cannabinoid hemp flowers produce. Then, thanks to a “cascade reaction,” (2), CBGA turns into other cannabinoid acids: THCA, CBDA, and CBCA. These are the precursors to the more familiar cannabinoids: THC, CBD, and CBG, among others. The transformation happens in a chemical process called decarboxylation, which usually involves the application of heat. That can happen naturally as a plant ages.
What is CBD?
Even if you’ve never used it, most people are familiar with CBD. It’s the second most abundant cannabinoid in cannabis, right behind THC. Like CBG, it won’t make you high and research into its potential wellness properties began in the 1970s. But things really ramped up following the 2018 Farm Bill. That made hemp—defined as cannabis plants with less than 0.3% THC—legal under federal law (3).
And so began the CBD wellness market. Brands, including yours truly, brought CBD products to the masses. Here at Cornbread Hemp, we’ve only ever used USDA organic hemp grown right here in Kentucky, with a flower-only extraction process. That means what ends up in our products is closer to what’s actually in the plant—minor cannabinoids and all.
Today, hemp products are available around the country and many can be shipped right to your door. Just remember that federal legality is entirely separate from state legality. So always check local laws first.
CBG vs CBD: Effects and Benefits Compared
CBG and CBD both interact with the body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS), a wildly complex network of receptors that works to maintain balance in the body. It regulates things like mood, appetite, pain, and sleep. But they don’t make it happen in the same way, and that’s one of the key differences between CBG and CBD (and why they’ve been studied for different things).
CBG interacts with the ECS by binding to CB1 and CB2 receptors, but it’s considered a “partial agonist.” That’s a fancy technical way of saying it activates these receptors, but only to a limited degree compared to THC—which is part of why CBG doesn’t produce intoxicating effects.
CBD is a little different. Instead of binding to receptors at all, it’s kind of like a master regulator that changes how receptors respond to other compounds (including other cannabinoids). That affects how the ECS regulates mood, pain, and inflammation. CBD has been studied for therapeutic roles, including:
- Stress and anxiety. CBD is the most researched cannabinoid for calming effects.
- Recovery and discomfort. It’s commonly used to help ease everyday aches and pains.
- Sleep support. Some people use CBD to unwind at night.
CBG isn’t as well-studied as CBD, but early research points to potential benefits like:
- Appetite support. Studies show CBG can stimulate appetite and reduce appetite loss caused by chemotherapy drugs (4).
- Antibacterial activity. Lab studies have found that CBG is effective against drug-resistant bacteria, including MRSA, so it could be included in future antibiotic research (4).
- Gut and skin comfort. It has anti-inflammatory properties, and some research shows that it could help regulate the skin cell activity involved in acne (4).
- Eye pressure health. Some studies suggest CBG can increase fluid drainage around the eye, which may help reduce the kind of pressure that causes glaucoma.
Keep in mind that a lot of this research is still preclinical or based on small human studies and consumer surveys. Before we can make any definitive claims, we need more large-scale human trials.
CBG vs CBD at a Glance
|
CBG |
CBD |
|
|
Abundance in hemp |
Minor cannabinoid, small amounts |
Second most abundant cannabinoid |
|
Psychoactive? |
No |
No |
|
Receptor interaction |
Partial agonist at CB1 and CB2 |
Doesn't bind strongly to CB1 or CB2; works indirectly |
|
Best-studied for |
Appetite, eye pressure, antibacterial activity, gut/skin comfort |
Stress, discomfort, sleep support |
|
Research base |
Smaller, mostly preclinical |
Decades of research, including one FDA-approved medication |
|
Legal status |
Federally legal when derived from hemp (under 0.3% THC) |
Federally legal when derived from hemp (under 0.3% THC) |
|
Where to find it |
Naturally occurring in full-spectrum products; sold as isolate |
Available as full-spectrum, broad-spectrum, or isolate |
Which one is right for you?
That’s the thing about cannabis as a whole—it’s really personal. Choosing between CBG and CBD comes down to what you’re trying to do. CBD has the longer track record and more studies behind it, so it can feel like a safer starting point for more people. Early research into CBG suggests it could play a role in appetite, eye health, and skin support if that’s something you’re trying to target. Just be aware that CBG isolates aren’t always easy to find.
Then again, why choose just one? A full-spectrum product from Cornbread Hemp means you benefit from both compounds at once.
If you’re weighing other minor cannabinoids too, it’s worth checking out how CBN compares to CBD if sleep is your priority, or how HHC compares to THC if you're curious about psychoactive cannabinoids instead.
Does full-spectrum CBD contain CBG?
Definitely. Full-spectrum CBD products contain, well, the full spectrum of cannabinoids from the hemp plant, and that includes federally legal amounts of THC and all the minor cannabinoids—CBG included. The entourage effect is a theory that cannabinoids work better together than in isolation by actively enhancing efficacy, and Cornbread Hemp is out and proud about our full-spectrum hemp extract.
One more thing: our hemp plants are grown from a proprietary strain that was bred for a well-rounded minor cannabinoid profile, including CBG. Of course, each and every batch is third-party lab tested and you can find a complete list of cannabinoids in our certificates of analysis for every product, right here on our website.
How to choose a CBG or CBD product
When you’re shopping for CBD, CBG, or any kind of hemp product, the same rules apply:
- Check for third-party lab testing. Then scan the COA and look for the cannabinoid content, including CBG, and confirm that the product passed the contaminants screening.
- Consider the extraction method. We’re fans of whole-flower extraction, which preserves the plant’s minor cannabinoid profile so you benefit from the entourage effect.
- Think long and hard about organic certification. Hemp is a bioaccumulator, so it sucks up all of the compounds in the soil around it. With conventional hemp, that includes pesticides and fertilizers. If you want to avoid these kinds of contaminants, organic is the way to go.
Remember the golden rule: start low and go slow. Even though CBD and CBG aren’t intoxicating, it’s best to begin with a low dose and allow time for effects to unfold before increasing your dose.
Our full-spectrum products are whole-flower extracted from USDA organic hemp, which means every CBD Oil, gummy, or topical naturally includes CBG and other minor cannabinoids at their source ratios—no isolate, no shortcuts.
