CBG: The mother of all Cannabinoids with broad antibacterial activity

CBG
© Michael Baker

Dr. Christian Löfke, researcher and product developer at BioBloom in Austria explains CBG (cannabigerol), a “new” cannabinoid with vast potential in cannabis research

Cannabis sativa accommodates over 400 potential pharmacological interesting compounds, including more than 120 cannabinoids and 200 terpenes. The most studied cannabinoids are cannabidiol (CBD) and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) but nowadays research focus moves more and more towards other cannabinoids. Interestingly, cannabigerolic acid (CBGa) which is the precursor of the decarboxylated cannabigerol (CBG) gives additionally rise to most of the other downstream synthesized cannabinoids (Abb1). Knowing it´s designation as a precursor of most of the known cannabinoids you could perceive CBGa as the “mother of all cannabinoids”. Even that CBGa is the mother of all cannabinoids is hardly detected in the plant biomass. Reason is that most of the CBGa is directly converted to CBDa and THCa, leaving no CBGa pool available to form CBG, leading to exceptionally low CBG levels in planta. A strategy to increase the CBG yield from hemp biomass is to harvest much earlier in the ripening phase of the plants before the other cannabinoids are formed and detract the CBGa from the cannabinoid pool.

CBG has many putative benefits ranging from anti-inflammatory action to pain relieve but the potential antibiotic resistance has been elusive. Recently it was shown in a peer-review publication that CBG has impressively strong antibacterial activities against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (Farha et al., 2020). Even in comparison to standard therapy with vancomycin CBG outcompetes classical approaches against MRSA. Additionally, CBG inhibits its ability to generate de novo and pre-formed biofilms and stationary phase cells. They could demonstrate that CBG in vivo effectively inhibit MRSA in a murine model. Farha and colleagues uncovered the mechanism of the broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity of CBG against Gram-negative bacteria targeting the cytoplasmic membrane and Gram-positive bacteria by permeabilizing the outer membrane. They speculated that Cannabis sativa may produce cannabinoids as a natural defence mechanism against pathogens and suggest cannabinoids as a new compound class serving as antibiotic drugs.

BioBloom has been convinced of the importance of all natural ingredients of the hemp plant for the positive effects of its organic CBD extracts since it was founded in 2016. The focus during the entire production process is therefore on the preservation of all the valuable ingredients of the hemp plants. As we know the potential of CBG, we currently put a great focus on this valuable cannabinoid in the development of new products,“ states BioBloom CEO Christoph Werdenich.

A specially developed cultivation technique guarantees that the hemp plants in the certified organic BioBloom fields develop high concentrations of CBD and other valuable cannabinoids as CBDa, CBG etc., terpenes and flavonoids. Careful harvesting, manual processing of the plants and particularly gentle certified CO2 extraction ensure that the ingredients are preserved all the way to the finished extracts. BioBloom absolutely refuses to use any additives and enrichment with CBD isolates.

Fig1. The biosynthetic pathway of the most common cannabinoids in Cannabis plants

Certified and Quality-Tested CBD Full Extracts

The 100% organic and natural CBD oils from BioBloom are available in natural CBD/CBDA concentrations of 1%, 4%, 6% and 8% and 10%.

Many physicians and pharmacists in Austria and Europe already rely on the pure natural hemp oils from BioBloom and use them in the treatment of their patients. The BioBloom certified organic hemp oils are available in pharmacies and selected shops in many European countries. In a comparison test of 46 European CBD products by the independent patient association ARGE CANNA, the BioBloom products were among the test winners and in recognition of their quality the patient association also awarded them the AC seal of quality.

Innovative Product Development

The product range at BioBloom also includes the unique hemp flower tea with hemp flowers from the BioBloom fields picked and processed exclusively by hand. In addition, the BioBloom brand also includes hemp food products such as organic hemp oil from peeled hemp seeds, hemp seeds and hemp proteine as well as a certified organic hemp cosmetic series with CBD. The cosmetic products are certified organic, vegan, cruelty and palm oil-free and GMP certified.

Five BioBloom nutritions (Sleeping capsules, a magnesium- and Vitamin B complex and Vitamin D drops, Astaxanthin with hemp oil) are the latest addition to the product range from BioBloom. The nutritions are 100% plant-based, vegan, lactose-, gluten- and fructose- and GMP-free.  The products were developed following the company philosophy focusing on improving people’s health and well-being as well as the careful handling of nature’s valuable resources.

 

Farha MA, El-Halfawy OM, Gale RT, MacNair CR, Carfrae LA, Zhang X, Jentsch NG, Magolan J, and Brown ED. Uncovering the Hidden Antibiotic Potential of Cannabis. ACS Infect Dis. 2020 ;6(3): 338-346. doi:10.1021/ acsinfecdis.9b00419.

Contributor Profile

Researcher and Product Developer
BioBloom GmbH
Phone: +43 660 76 17 707
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