CBD vs. CBG - Choosing the Right Cannabinoid for Your Health Needs | Unabis
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CBD vs. CBG – Choosing the Right Cannabinoid for Your Health Needs

By Jerry HuntMay 23, 2021February 10th, 2022CBD Blog
CBD vs CBG

Getting lost in the world of CBD is quite easy, especially if you are a novice user but choosing the best hemp-powered product for your well-being is still essential. In this article, we are going to draw a clear line between CBD and CBG, explaining their essence, possible benefits, and effective use cases. 

CBD, CBG, And Their Definitions

The hemp plant is very rich in its compound. It hosts more than 100 cannabinoids each of which has its specific features and properties. CBD and CBG are among them so let’s take a deeper look at the essence of both these substances.

What Is CBD?

CBD is cannabidiol. This is the most popular and well-researched hemp most cannabis plants component that powers most of the cannabis-derived products available on the modern organic wellness market. CBD is a low-toxic and non-addictive hemp ingredient with a wide range of potential benefits. 

According to the research available to date, CBD might be helpful with mental health disorders, severe and chronic pain, and some specific diseases. 

Do you need a more comprehensive look at the essence of CBD and the benefits it may promise? Jump to our CBD 101 guide to find out more specific details. 

What Is CBG?

CBG in turn, stands for cannabigerol. It is also one more hemp component, however, it is not that popular as CBD mainly because of the lack of research. But there are still some studies that allow for talking about CBG’s potential effects, mechanism of action, and the effects the users might expect. To date, CBG is believed to be low-toxic and non-addictive as well and proliferation of some cancer cells .

The Difference Between CBD and CBG

Let’s analyze the following parameters to find out how CBG is different from CBD

  • Molecular structure. Since CBD and CBG are different hemp components, they have different molecular structures which also determine how each of them affects the human’s body after intake. 
  • Mechanism of action. Perhaps you know that the mechanism of action of any cannabinoid is explained by the Endocannabinoid system. This is a part of the nervous system which contains receptors called cannabinoids as well. While pure CBD affects these receptors indirectly, CBG in contrast affects  CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors in the brain, so one may suggest that the effect from CBG comes faster as well. 
  • Needed dosage. Since CBG affects brain receptors directly, you may need a lower dosage to make it work, compared to CBD. But this is not the reason to believe that CBG products are more budget-friendly compared to CBD. While the needed dosage may be lower, the price for CBG is higher. So, if you compare the price for CBG vs CBD, and the time needed to consume each of the bottles, it will be as broad as it’s long. 
  • Cost to obtain. The content of CBD in the hemp plant compound is nearly 40% while the content of CBG is only 1% of the plant is mature enough. That’s why obtaining a large amount of CBG is difficult and costly. To do it, the manufacturers have to either change the genetic code of the plant which is quite undesirable, or harvest the plant before they are matured and still contain higher amounts of CBG, or grow huge hemp plantations in order to get more СBG, and process the remains in another way. Everything is much simpler in the process of CBD processing so this hemp ingredient is more popular and affordable. 
  • The availability of research. The significant differences in the process of obtaining CBD and CBG are also the reason why the latter is less researched, and the scientist, as well as users still have more questions than answers. 
  • Some of the possible effects. However, medical science managed to reveal some insights into CBG effects compared to CBD, and some of the possible benefits of these ingredients are just the opposite. For example, it is believed that CBD reduces appetite while CBG, on the contrary, boosts it, according to a study on rats.

Comparing CBD vs CBG, it would be wrong to miss their common features. Below is the list of things both these hemp ingredients have in common. These are also the common benefits of CBG vs CBD. 

  • They are low-toxic. Non-psychotropic cannabinoids are considered to be low-toxic. The World Health Organisation supports this opinion as well. 
  • They are non-addictive. Since both CBD and CBG products are lacking high amounts of THC in their compounds, they are believed to be non-addictive and unable to change your mental state, suppress the speed of reactions, and distort the perception of reality.
  • They are mostly legal. CBD is legal in 47 out of 50 US states, while there are no legal rules for CBG to this date (as for May 2021). 
  • They come in the same forms for users’ intake. CBD and CBG are delivered to the market in the form of an oil (tincture), gummies or capsules. Oils are one of the most popular options for convenient CBD intake, so the only difference between CBG oil vs CBD oil is the main ingredient. 

Need a top-notch CBD tincture option? Jump to the dedicated page to find it out! 

  • They are unlikely to show up on a drug test. Both CBD and CBG are unlikely to show up on a drug test since the positive result may be provoked by THC only. While THC can be totally removed or remained at the allowed level (up to 0,3%) in CBD and CBG products, there is no serious reason to worry about failing a drug test. 
  • They have some overlapping benefits and use cases. Both CBD and CBG may promote calmness, stress resistance, and better sleep, plus may have an anti-inflammatory effect and reduce pain. We will analyze these effects, benefits, and use cases in the following section. 

CBD vs CBG Benefits and Effects

Below we have compared CBD vs CBG benefits and use-cases backed up by the scientific research and users’ reviews. 

Use Case CBD CBG
Stress and anxiety According to numerous user reviews and scientific research, CBD is quite helpful for reducing the consequences of stress and coping with anxiety.  There is no research stating that CBG may be helpful with stress and anxiety. 
Depression Coping with depression is also quite a common CBD use case According to the research, CBG may boost serotonin production and help with a depressed state. 
Pain relief According to the research, CBD might be helpful for dealing with pain, including chronic pain and pain that is difficult to treat with painkillers.  Is CBG good for pain?The same research also dwells on the capabilities of CBG to reduce pain and decrease inflammation processes. 
Immunity boost Recent studies also suggest that CBD may have an immunomodulatory function.  There is a suggestion that CBG may boost the immune system, however, the authors of the research agree that this question requires further investigation. 
Energy and concentration According to the research. CBD may promote wakefulness in some people. However, most CBD users agree that their better ability to stay energized, focused, and concentrated is one more beneficial consequence of getting enough high-quality sleep and staying calm with the help of CBD.  According to users’ reviews, CBG can be effective for improving focus and concentration. Most of them note that it has a caffeine-like effect. 
Weight loss Studies in rats revealed CBD potential for reducing appetite. One more study suggests CBD may improve the process of fats breakdown.  Studies in rats found that CBD may boost appetite so this option seems to be more suitable for weight gain. 
Better sleep CBD may also have the ability to improve sleep and deal with various sleep disorders, like REM, nightmares, and insomnia.  There is no clear research stating that CBG may be helpful with sleep violations bladder dysfunctions. 

Is CBG Better Than CBD – Top Use-Cases Comparison

Coping with stress, improving sleep, and getting rid of pain are the top use cases for CBD. Let’s try to find out which one – CBD or CBG – may be more effective with these health challenges. 

CBG vs CBD For Stress

Since CBG is still not fully understood, there is no clear evidence that it can be useful for stress management. In this case, we can only rely on the natural potential of hemp for promoting calmness but there is no reason to definitely state that CBG can be a good anti-stress option. 

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How Much CBD Should I Take for Stress?

CBD, in turn, can be a more competitive option for dealing with stress consequences. Its potential for decreasing stress symptoms is researched and backed up by the users’ reviews. What’s more, CBD gummies are the option to take with you wherever you go and feel protected from stress all working day long. 

Ready to give CBD gummies a try? Find them here. P.S. They are very cute and mood-enhancing – isn’t it what you need to feel much better? 

CBG vs CBD For Sleep

A lot of users choose CBD to deal with their sleep disturbances. There are a lot of studies dwelling on the CBD potential for coping with insomnia, rapid eye movement sleep disorder, nightmares provoked by Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, and other sleep pattern disturbances. CBG in turn lacks the scientific data on this matter, plus some users agree that it promotes a feeling of wakefulness and vim for experimental inflammatory bowel disease.

As for the best CBD products for sleep, most users also agree that CBD oil is one of the most convenient options in this case. You may add it to your evening meal or just drip a few drops under the tongue. How much CBD oil should you take in this case? 

How to beat insomnia - CBD Unabis
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CBD Dosage for Sleep – Looking for the Right Strategy

The right strategy will depend on the severity of your sleep disturbance, your previous experience with CBD, the specifics of your metabolism, and the two cannabinoids strength you choose for yourself. Our users’ experience suggests that a few drops of a full-spectrum CBD oil (1000 mg of CBD per bottle) should be enough to get your sleeping pattern back on the right track. We also kindly recommend getting started with the lowest CBD dosage and increasing it gradually, until you achieve the desired effect. Don’t forget to talk to your healthcare professional as well. 

CBG vs CBD For Pain Relief

In such a case, CBG for pain may be an option. Some researchers state it may have pain-relieving properties. Also, the ability of CBG to affect brain receptors directly contributes to a more pronounced and faster effect which is essential when it comes to severe pain. 

How Long Does It Take for CBD Oil to Work for Joint Pain
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How Long Does It Take for CBD Oil to Work for Joint Pain – And Does It Actually Work?

In this case, CBG oil for pain may promise more instant benefits, however, CBD can also be quite a powerful tool for pain management. So, when making your choice between CBD vs CBG for pain, consider additional health benefits you may get from both of the substances and choose the one that better fits your current needs.

You are also welcome to compare CBD vs CBG gummies for pain – the first option is instantly available in our shop

Finally, What Should You Choose For Your Health? 

Both CBD and CBG can be quite promising natural ingredients for dealing with various health disturbances. Their benefits and use cases are slightly overlapping, however, there are several important things that CBG mostly lacks. These are scientific data, legal regulations, and customer reviews. 

So, is CBG safe? Making a choice between CBD and CBG from this perspective, CBD seems to be a safer and more reliable option. What’s more, not all CBD brands have CBG products in their range so getting in touch with a trusted company may be quite a challenge as well.

Buying safe, legal, and tested CBD products would be easier, and you are already in the right place to do it. Our full-spectrum CBD tinctures and gummies are produced from US-grown hemp in strict compliance with legal requirements. They are carefully tested by the third-party laboratory with other cannabinoids, plus will be shipped to your location for free.

Life-enriching CBD products are waiting for you right here!

Jerry

I am a cannabis and CBD advocate, researcher, and author with over 7 years of experience in consulting CBD producers and sellers on various industry matters. I graduated from OSU, majoring in biology. I live in Seattle with my dog Han and my cat Leia.

F.A.Q.

Is CBG better than CBD?

It is difficult to say which of the options is better. The undeniable advantage of CBG over CBD is that it affects brain receptors directly, however, this is the only statement that can be safely made in regard to CBG.

CBD in turn is a better-researched component. It is already tested by numerous users worldwide, and you can find tons of real-life reviews on CBD benefits and use cases. CBG can’t boast of such popularity and “user testing results”, plus there is a clear lack of clinical research.  Also, there are no legal regulations in regard to CBG. Considering all these reasons, CBD seems to be a more trusted option for getting started with hemp-powered supplements.

Is CBD or CBG better for anxiety?

While there are no direct research results suggesting that CBG might be helpful for anxiety, CBD, in contrast, may be a more competitive option. Different researches and numerous users confirm its potential for dealing with anxiety, stress, PTSD, and depression.

What are the benefits of CBG?

CBG is quite an exclusive hemp ingredient. Its amount reaches only 1% of all the cannabinoid content of a mature cannabis plant. One more benefit of CBG is its ability to directly influence brain receptors. As for CBG use cases, most of them overlap with the ones of CBD  – CBG products may be used for pain relief, immunity support, concentration boost, and possibly, coping with depression.

What are the side effects of CBG and CBD?

Unlike CBG, CBD is quite a researched hemp component. Its side effects refer to tiredness, diarrhea, and changes in appetite, however, they are quite rare and unlikely to happen. As for CBG side effects, they may be either the same since both of the substances are found in hemp, or it is better to state that there are no scientific suggestions on this issue.

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