CBG (Cannabigerol) reduces anxiety and stress, reveals clinical trial

Results from a new clinical trial show that CBG (Cannabigerol) was effective in reducing anxiety and stress, as well as improving verbal memory, compared to a placebo. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial by Ethan Russo, Carrie Cuttler, Amanda Stueber, and Ziva D. Cooper, the acute effects of CBG on anxiety, stress, and mood were examined. “This study is important because it is the first human clinical trial of CBG for a symptom, anxiety, and that it has reached statistical significance without evidence of impairment,” says Ethan Russo.

Speaking to CannaReporter®, the neurologist and psychopharmacologist responsible for the study, Ethan Russo, explained that this was “a randomized and controlled clinical trial, carried out via Zoom, with people taking 20 mg of cannabigerol (CBG) or placebo in their environment domestic while interacting with a researcher and performing online cognition/memory tasks and assessing anxiety and stress levels.”

CBG turned out to be a promising compound: “it had an anxiolytic effect at a dose of 5% of that required for pure cannabidiol (CBD). The fact that this effect was observed, without evidence of sedation, and with an actual statistically significant improvement in memory, is quite remarkable. CBG is proving to be a very useful addition to our formulation work due to its safety and versatility in treating many chronic symptoms,” said Ethan Russo, who led the study.

Furthermore, the team also investigated whether CBG produced side effects or motor and cognitive impairments, as is the case with other cannabinoids such as THC.

Clinical trial methodology

For the study, 34 healthy participants were recruited and administered a CBG tincture consisting of 20 mg/ml CBG, 0,89 mg/ml CBGA, 0,35 mg/ml β-caryophyllene (0. 51 mg/ml total terpenoids) with less than 0,001 mg.

Each participant completed two testing sessions, interspersed with a one-week break period, during which they assessed anxiety, stress, mood and the subjective effects of the oil before administration, in a series of standardized questionnaires.

After analyzing the results, researchers found that CBG oil had a “significant main effect” on subjective ratings of anxiety, representing a 26,5% reduction in anxiety levels, as well as a “significant effect” on subjective ratings. of stress.

Although the study did not demonstrate anti-depressant effects, according to the authors, CBG significantly improved verbal memory.

“We hypothesized that CBG would not impair memory, but we found that CBG significantly improved verbal memory, which was unexpected,” they say.

CBG does not reveal cognitive or motor impairments
According to the scores recorded by the Driving under the influence of drugs (DRUID) application, CBG did not cause cognitive or motor impairments and participants did not report intoxication effects.

“The results of this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial indicate that 20 mg of hemp-derived CBG reduces subjective ratings of anxiety and stress in healthy adults using cannabis, by the absence of motor or cognitive impairment, intoxication or other subjective effects of the substance”, state the authors.

Thus, “CBG may represent a new option for reducing stress and anxiety in healthy adults,” the researchers conclude.