Is CBG the new CBD?

For the past few years, it seemed like everyone has been talking about CBD, or cannabidiol, which is a non-intoxicating element in the cannabis plant that has many medical applications.

Medical conditions that respond well to CBD include epilepsy, anxiety, depression, muscle aches, migraines and sleeplessness. CBD may be consumed in many ways including smoking, vaping, applying via a topical lotion or salve, taken orally as a tincture or lozenge, in a nasal spray or transdermal patch, and as an edible.

Many consumers feel comfortable taking CBD because it does not get them high and can replace a number of over-the-counter medications with limited side effects.

Now, it looks like we may start talking about CBG – or cannabigerol – in a similar manner. Cannabigerolic acid (CBGa) is the precursor to all other cannabinoids. This means that when a plant is young, it develops CBG that will then turn into THC, CBD, CBC, and many other cannabinoids.

Usually, trace amounts of CBG will remain in most plants. Both CBG and CBD are non-intoxicating and provide medical benefits.

In terms of research, there have been more CBD than CBG studies. And while CBD interacts with the endocannabinoid system indirectly, CBG apparently interacts directly with cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2.

But what has many consumers excited are studies showing that CBG rapidly reduces inflammation, another study showed reduced growth rates of cancer cells in rats and overall, it has a relaxing effect.

One of the biggest challenges facing CBG researchers and cannabis companies that want to create CBG products is the minor amount of CBG present in the plant. While some cultivators have been able to develop high-potency CBD strains that may contain 20% CBD, CBG strains in the past have normally only had 1 to 2 % CBG. This means the amount of plant material needed to create products is immense. It does help to harvest early in the plant’s life to get more CBG, but again, these amounts are usually modest.

One company that entered the CBG arena in 2018 is Goodekind. Goodekind is run by Flip Croft-Caderoe, a Filipino marketing executive and his sister-in-law Kayla Croft, a former nurse and music executive. This unlikely duo set out to create a company that would create hemp-based wellness products and would, as Croft-Caderoe says, “give back to the cannabis world.”

In addition to a line of CBD topicals and tincture, Goodekind offers CBG topical isolate lotion and smokable flower that boasts an impressive amount of CBG at 14% CBGa. One factor that drove Goodekind’s interest in CBG was Croft’s personal use, which helped her heal a skin issue and proved to be a calming product she could use during the day.

In addition to offering an innovative line of CBD and CBG products, Goodekind is committed to sourcing their products from women and minority-owned companies. They also give one-eighth of their profits to human rights causes.

Now they are partnering with Dig Deep, a program designed to secure clean drinking water for all Americans with an ongoing project for the Navajo Nation in Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico. Croft and Croft-Caderoe see this as a way to advocate for long lasting, sustainable change. To read more about Dig Deep’s mission, please visit www.digdeep.org.

Not to rest on their laurels, as Goodekind looks to the future they have plans to introduce Delta8 vapes (Delta8 is a “new” cannabinoid and shares characteristics of both THC and CBD) and CBG pre-rolls.

With a cutting-edge collection of CBD and CBG products, a commitment to minority and woman-owned companies and a willingness to partner with human rights organizations, Goodekind lives up to their company name being both good at what they do and being kind while doing it.