Cannabigerol, or CBG, is a cannabinoid that functions a lot like CBD, but it is far less abundant in hemp. CBG’s scarcity makes it harder to extract and thus more difficult (and more expensive) for consumers to find, but it’s becoming more well-known.
With nicknames like “the mother cannabinoid” and “the stem cell of cannabinoids,” CBG occupies a special place among its kindred compounds. Young hemp maintains higher concentrations of CBGa. As the plant matures, CBGa converts to THCa, CBDa, CBCa, and other cannabinoids with molecular carbon tails.
Because of this conversion, hemp extractors seeking CBG must find the perfect window before CBG shapeshifts into other cannabinoids. Advanced extraction methods and experimenting with high-CBG hemp genetics made cannabigerol oil more obtainable. But because of these inherent difficulties, CBG is more common as an isolate than a whole-plant extract. In fact, many leading brands add CBG isolate to a full spectrum CBD oil, which is anything but a full spectrum CBG oil.