Is CBG Good for Nerve Pain?

Are you suffering from neurodegenerative disorders? Are you under severe pain and have been advised to take CBG to relieve it? This article explains CBG and how well an individual can use CBG for treating nerve pain.

After the popularity of CBD and THC peaked in the cannabis market, there is yet another compound that has attracted many people's interest – cannabigerol. This cannabis compound has attracted attention in the past few years thanks to its neuroprotective abilities as it contains anti-inflammatory effects. The combination is also said to have numerous therapeutic benefits, although all the studies about it are not yet sufficient to prove them. There are many reasons, one of them being that CBG is scarce. In a typical hemp plant, the amount of CBG amounted to less than five percent, and the difference is visible compared to CBG, which is more than 20 percent. This article reports the synthesis of CBG and its ability to combat nerve pain caused by inflammation.

What is CBG

CBG is one of the numerous cannabis sativa compounds discovered by Mechoulam and Gaoni in 1964. They found this compound while studying THC; hence it is considered a missing link. Chandra et al. (2020) explained that the synthesis of CBG in cannabis plants starts with the reaction of geranyl pyrophosphate and olivetolic acid to form its acidic form, CBGA. This acidic form acts as the primary substrate for synthesizing THC and CBD. Therefore, CBG is sometimes referred to as the mother of all cannabinoids. When CBGA undergoes decarboxylation, it forms THC, CBD, and its respective cannabinoid CBG. The scarcity of CBG in hemp is caused by its use in the formation of THC and CBD, the main compounds found in cannabis. The abundance of THC and CBD compared to CBG has led to scientists' neglect. It features distinctive features from CBD and THC, thus spiking the interests of other scientists.

How Does CBG Treat Nerve Pain

Nerve pain, also known as neuropathic pain or neuralgia, is a condition that affects the nervous system that carries perception to the brain. Nerve pain is different from all the other types of pain. Nerve pain can be either of the following.

• Post-herpetic pain is caused by shingles and has the same effects as shingle rash.
• Occipital which is pain at the skull's base and can spread to all the other parts of the head
• Trigeminal which is a pain in the jaws or cheekbone
• Pudendal, which is a pain in the areas between the legs.

Nerve pain is a stabbing, sharp, or burning sensation. Sometimes the pain can be quick and sudden, like an electric shock. The condition can be acute or chronic, depending on the level of infection. People affected by this condition are sensitive to strenuous and changes in temperature. It interferes with everyday life, such as sleep, exercise, work, and sex. Nerve pain comes with mental state disorders such as depression and anxiety.

What Causes Nerve Pain

Neuralgia can be caused by problems in the central or peripheral nervous system. Injuries or diseases may cause it. Other causes are:

• Spine, brain, or nervous injury
• Pain after amputation
• Certain medications
• Heavy liquor
• Mineral deficiency such as thiamine
• Poor blood circulation to the blood
• Underlying health conditions such as multiple sclerosis, stroke, diabetes, cancer, and their treatments include chemotherapy, surgery, radiation, carpal tunnel syndrome, shingles, or HIV/AIDS.

Other Complicated Health Conditions That May Cause Nerve Pain

Fibromyalgia

This chronic pain infection is typically caused by burning and aching pain in several body parts. The cause can be emotional distress, genetic factors, and poor sleep. The actual reason is not apparent.

Sciatica

Wang et al. (2018) explained that nerves are under high pressure, thus leading to back pain that spreads back to the legs. The pain features needles or pins sensations, numbness, or legs weakness.

Peripheral Neuropathy 

It occurs when the peripheral nerves (nerves reaching out to all Boyd parts) are damaged due to infections such as diabetes and conditions like autoimmune infections.

Treatment

It is not easy to treat nerve pain. Over-the-counter medicine causes the symptoms to subside, but the pain fares after some time. Moreover, these opioid drugs have severe side effects such as anxiety and depression hence doing more damage than good. Hyson (2020) explained that CBG features anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties, making it a better choice for treating nerve pain. Moreover, CBG is proven to treat most of the causes of nerve pain mentioned above. Therefore, it may prevent the reoccurrence of the condition. CBG treats these conditions safely without letting the victim vulnerable to intoxicating effects such as addiction and other therapeutic needs.

CBG has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties used in animals and human patients during clinical experiments. Marwarwa (2020) explained that CBG activates α2-adrenoreceptor and interacts with the receptors, thus blocking the effects of inflammation. It is essential in reducing nerve pain. Moreover, its interaction with CB1 and CB2 receptors is proven to have mediative effects, thus allowing the body to relax and operate at optimal conditions.

Conclusion

CBG is one of the numerous cannabis sativa compounds discovered by Mechoulam and Gaoni in 1964. They found this compound while studying THC; hence it is considered a missing link. Synthesis of CBG in the cannabis plant starts with the reaction of geranyl pyrophosphate and olivetolic acid to form its acidic form, CBGA. This acidic form acts as the primary substrate for synthesizing THC and CBD. Therefore, CBG is sometimes referred to as the mother of all cannabinoids. When CBGA undergoes decarboxylation, it forms THC, CBD, and its respective cannabinoid CBG. The scarcity of CBG in hemp is caused by its use in the formation of THC and CBD, the main compounds found in cannabis.

References

Chandra, S., Lata, H., & ElSohly, M. A. (2020). Propagation of cannabis for clinical research: an approach towards a modern herbal medicinal products development. Frontiers in Plant Science, 11, 958.

Hyson, P. (2022). Best CBD Oil for Cats: Top 7 Brands Reviewed. ORDER, 1, 00.

Marwarwa, S. Z. (2020). Investigating cannabinoids and endocannabinoid receptors as drug targets for pain and inflammation.

Wang, T., Mužić, T., Jackson, A. D., & Heimburg, T. (2018). The free energy of biomembrane and nerve excitation and the role of anesthetics. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA)-Biomembranes, 1860(10), 2145-2153.