CBG (Cannabigerol) is unlike any other cannabinoid in that It’s the first to grow present in the cannabis plant. It can be considered the “mother” or “stem cell”, because every other cannabinoid present is synthesized by CBG. Though it might sound like a prominent part of the cannabis plant, it hadn’t been extracted or researched until recently, due to the fact that it’s barely even present in most strains. Cannabis plants in their early stages usually have an abundance of CBG, but as the plant matures, that CBG transforms itself into other cannabinoids, leaving less than one percent of raw CBG.
This leaves farmers having to make the choice of weather to pull the crop early (which eliminates their ability to harness CBD, THC and other valuable cannabinoids), or to wait and have a fully usable harvest of full spectrum hemp, but lose out on that abundance of CBG. With a fully grown plant, thousands of pounds is needed to make a small batch of CBG Isolate. There is simply not enough hemp to supply user demand when it comes to CBG. That is why genetic manipulation and crossbreeding for higher CBG levels is currently taking place. If one day we’re able to grow hemp with a one to one ratio of CBD and CBG, the prices will drop dramatically, and the need will be fulfilled.
James Rowland, CEO of Steve’s Goods, a Colorado based brand that specializes in producing CBG goods tells Forbes – “We have personally administered CBG to thousands of people at over 50 events. It’s the most requested product on our website and we provide education to thousands of receptive people both in person and online every month.” There are four major hemp companies working on the development of CBG strains including Hemptown USA who is currently working on a plant that contains 10% CBG at full maturity. Innovations like this are what allows for more research, testing, and experimentation to be done on this incredible compound. If progresses continues at this rate, we should see the gap between CBD and CBG prices start to narrow within the next couple years.