CBG (Cannabigerol): What the Research Actually Shows

CBG is having its moment. In a 2023 national survey, about one in twenty U.S. adults said they had used a CBG product in the past year.^[1] Shelves and websites now carry CBG oils, gummies and capsules sold for anxiety, pain, sleep, focus and gut health, and some of the people who use them swear by them.

The evidence behind those claims is thin. Almost everything known about CBG still comes from cells and animals. Human research now includes population and user surveys, studies of how CBG is absorbed, one trial of a multi-ingredient formulation, and three small controlled studies of CBG itself. None has shown that CBG treats a medical condition. This article sets out what CBG is, what the plant does with it, what the lab studies show, and what the human studies have and have not found.

What Is CBG and Where Does It Come From?

CBG is one of the many cannabinoids found in cannabis. Like THC and CBD, it starts life in the plant as an acid.

• CBGA comes first. The plant builds cannabigerolic acid (CBGA), then enzymes called synthases convert it into the acids of the better-known cannabinoids: THCA, CBDA and CBCA.^[2] That is why CBG is sometimes called the “mother cannabinoid.” Strictly speaking, the mother is CBGA.
• CBG is the decarboxylated form. Heat strips a carboxyl group from CBGA and turns it into CBG, just as heat turns THCA into THC.

CBG is generally considered non-intoxicating. In one controlled trial, a 20 mg dose produced no detectable intoxication or impairment.^[3]

New to the vocabulary? Our explainer on how cannabinoids differ from terpenes covers the basics.

How Much CBG Is in Cannabis, and Why So Little?

In most plants, very little. CBG is “normally found in very low quantities,” according to a 2021 review.^[4] The reason is competition: the synthases keep converting CBGA into THCA, CBDA or CBCA, so little is left over by harvest.^[2]

Some CBG-rich plants carry a nonfunctional cannabinoid-synthase gene. Without a working enzyme, CBGA is not converted efficiently, so it builds up.^[2] In one breeding study, CBGA dominance was inherited as a single recessive trait linked to a nonfunctional form of the THCA synthase gene, and a DNA marker for it could help breeders select CBG-rich plants.^[5] Our article on chemovars with high “minor” cannabinoids looks at these plants in more detail.

What Does CBG Do in the Body?

CBG acts on several targets, including parts of the endocannabinoid system. All of the findings below come from lab studies using cells, cell membranes or animal tissue. They show what CBG can bind to, not what a dose does in a person.

• CB1 and CB2 receptors (cell studies): CBG binds both cannabinoid receptors weakly. It acts as a partial agonist at CB2, and its effect on CB1 is less clear.^[6,4]
• Alpha-2 adrenergic receptors (mouse tissue): CBG was a highly potent agonist, meaning it switched these receptors on. This is one of its strongest known actions.^[7]
• Serotonin 5-HT1A receptors (mouse tissue): CBG acted as a moderately potent antagonist, meaning it blocked the receptor.^[7]
• TRP channels (cell studies): CBG activated several of these temperature- and pain-sensing channels and blocked one, TRPM8.^[8,4]

What Do Users Report?

The fullest picture of why people take CBG, and what they think it does, comes from a 2022 survey led by Dr. Ethan Russo. It asked 127 U.S. adults who had used a product containing more than 50% CBG about their experience.^[9]

• Why they used it: anxiety (51%), chronic pain (41%), depression (33%) and insomnia (31%).
• What they thought of it: most of those who compared it rated CBG as better than their conventional medicine for that condition.
• Side effects: 44% reported none. The most common were dry mouth (17%), sleepiness (15%), increased appetite (12%) and dry eyes (9%).
• Stopping: 84% reported no withdrawal symptoms after stopping.

These are real reports, but they cannot show that CBG works. People who answer a CBG survey are likely to be people CBG seemed to help. There was no placebo group, doses were unknown, and 29% of the products also contained THC. The authors said so themselves: firm conclusions about CBG’s effects in humans cannot yet be drawn.^[9] For Russo’s wider view of where cannabinoid medicine is heading, read our interview with Dr. Ethan Russo.

What Do the Main CBG-Only Trials Show?

Three placebo-controlled trials have given CBG on its own to people. Together they enrolled 109 participants. Other human studies have examined how CBG is absorbed^[10] or tested it inside a multi-ingredient formulation;^[11] because those studies cannot isolate CBG’s therapeutic effect, they are not included in this table.

Study	Design	What it found
Cuttler et al., 2024[3]	Crossover trial, 34 healthy adults, one 20 mg dose	Anxiety fell 0.95 points after CBG vs 0.66 after placebo on a 0–10 scale; stress lower only before the stress test. No high.
Emerson et al., 2025[12]	Veterans with sleep problems, 4 weeks; 63 randomized, 35 completed without major protocol deviations	Sleep improved in both groups; no clear advantage for CBG.
Wolinsky et al., 2026[13]	Dose study, 12 healthy adults, 25–200 mg	No drug-related adverse events; few noticeable effects.

The anxiety trial

In 2024, Washington State University researchers ran what their university called the first human clinical trial of CBG. Thirty-four healthy adults with cannabis experience took 20 mg of hemp-derived CBG in one session and a placebo in another, without knowing which was which.^[3]

• Anxiety: on the simple 0–10 scale, scores fell by 0.95 points after CBG and 0.66 after placebo. The STAI showed a condition-by-time interaction, but no significant CBG–placebo difference at any individual time point.
• Stress: lower only before the stress test, not during or after it.
• Mood: no significant change.
• Memory: people recalled slightly more words after CBG, a result the authors called surprising and in need of repeating.

The study was small, used one modest dose and did not correct for multiple comparisons, so some of the positive findings could be chance. It was funded by a company that works with CBG, and Russo, a co-author, is that company’s founder.^[3]

The sleep trial

A 2025 trial gave 63 veterans with sleep problems either CBG (25 mg a day, then 50 mg) or a placebo for four weeks. Sleep improved in both groups, with no significant difference between them. Attrition was substantial: only 35 of the 63 randomized participants completed the trial without major protocol deviations. The researchers said no firm conclusion about CBG and sleep could be drawn.^[12]

The dose study

In 2026, a team from Johns Hopkins and three other universities gave 12 healthy adults single oral doses of 25, 50, 100 and 200 mg, plus a placebo. No drug-related adverse events were reported, liver tests stayed normal, and CBG produced no strong or consistent effects. The highest dose increased appetite.^[13]

What’s Still Only Preclinical?

Most of the claims you will see about CBG come from animal or cell studies. These are worth knowing about, but preclinical is not clinical. None of them has been confirmed in people.

• Inflammatory bowel disease (mice): CBG reduced colon inflammation in a chemically induced model of colitis.^[14]
• Colon cancer (mice and cells): CBG reduced tumor formation in a mouse model of colorectal cancer.^[15]
• Huntington’s disease (mice): CBG reduced neurodegeneration in a toxin-induced model and produced smaller benefits in a genetic model.^[16]
• Antibiotic-resistant bacteria (lab and mice): CBG was among the most potent cannabinoids tested against drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus,^[17] and it was effective against a MRSA infection in mice.^[18]
• Glaucoma (cats): after repeated topical administration, CBG lowered eye pressure by about 4 to 7 mm Hg.^[19]
• Appetite (rats): high oral doses more than doubled food intake in rats that had already eaten.^[20]

Not every animal result is positive. In one mouse study, CBG did not reduce stress-induced anxiety at any dose tested.^[21]

Is CBG Safe?

The short-term data look reassuring, but they are limited.

• In the dose study, single doses up to 200 mg caused no drug-related adverse events.^[13]
• In the anxiety trial, side effects such as dry mouth, dry eyes and sleepiness were no more common with CBG than with placebo.^[3]
• In the survey, 44% reported no side effects. The most common were dry mouth (17%), sleepiness (15%), increased appetite (12%) and dry eyes (9%).^[9]

There are open questions. Because CBG strongly activates alpha-2 receptors in lab studies, reviewers have raised the possibility of low blood pressure, slow heart rate and dry mouth, as well as interactions with other medicines.^[4] In the anxiety trial, five people screened for the study said they had previously had a severe reaction to CBG.^[3] The longest CBG-only controlled trial lasted four weeks, so the safety of long-term daily use remains unknown. If you take prescription medicines, ask your doctor or pharmacist before trying CBG.

Will CBG Show Up on a Drug Test?

CBG itself is not what standard tests look for. Federally regulated workplace urine tests, such as those required by the Department of Transportation, screen for a THC metabolite.^[22] The risk comes from THC in the product. Many CBG products are not pure, and trace THC can add up with regular use.

Specialized labs can measure CBG. In one study, CBG in the blood was a highly specific, though not very sensitive, sign that someone had recently smoked cannabis.^[23] For more, see does CBG show up on blood tests?

How Is CBG Sold?

Most CBG products in the U.S. are sold as hemp products. They include oils, capsules, gummies and topicals, made with either CBG isolate (purified CBG) or extracts of CBG-rich hemp. CBG can also be made outside the plant, for example by engineered microbes. Our article on synthesized minor cannabinoids explains how.

No CBG medicine is FDA-approved. The FDA has approved one cannabis-derived drug, Epidiolex, and three synthetic cannabis-related drugs: Marinol, Syndros and Cesamet.^[24]

The rules are scheduled to change. Under the federal hemp redefinition scheduled to take effect on December 11, 2026, final hemp-derived cannabinoid products will be limited to 0.4 milligrams of total THC per container, and cannabinoids manufactured or synthesized outside the plant will be excluded from the definition of hemp. The date and the limit are current as of October 2026, but bills to delay or revise the provision are pending in Congress. CBG extracted from hemp is naturally produced; CBG made by synthesis or fermentation may fall outside the new definition. Our guide to the 2026 hemp redefinition explains what changes.

Whatever the source, a product’s label is only a claim. A recent, batch-specific certificate of analysis from an independent accredited lab can provide evidence of how much CBG and THC it contains, although it is only as reliable as the sampling and testing behind it.

What’s the Bottom Line?

CBG is a real and interesting molecule. In the lab, it acts on several targets, including alpha-2 and serotonin receptors. In people, it appears well tolerated and does not cause a high. But the controlled evidence so far comes from three small trials, and none has shown that CBG treats a medical condition. Treat health claims about CBG as promising ideas, not proven benefits.

References

1. Wilson-Poe AR, Smith T, Elliott MR, Kruger DJ, Boehnke KF. Past-year use prevalence of cannabidiol, cannabigerol, cannabinol, and Δ8-tetrahydrocannabinol among US adults. JAMA Network Open. 2023;6(12):e2347373.
2. Zagožen M, Čerenak A, Kreft S. Cannabigerol and cannabichromene in Cannabis sativa L.. Acta Pharmaceutica. 2021;71(3):355–364.
3. Cuttler C, Stueber A, Cooper ZD, Russo E. Acute effects of cannabigerol on anxiety, stress, and mood: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover, field trial. Scientific Reports. 2024;14:16163.
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22. U.S. Department of Transportation. 49 CFR § 40.85: What are the cutoff concentrations for urine drug tests?.
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24. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FDA and cannabis: research and drug approval process.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published on May 4, 2018, by Bethan Jenkins. In October 2026 the editors rewrote it around the first human studies of CBG, and labeled each preclinical finding by the model used. This article is for information only and is not medical advice.

reviewed by Chana Frenkel, PhD.

Last updated October 2026 · Originally published May 4, 2018.