WHY IT MATTERS: Patients who have not found adequate relief from CBD or THC-based products may soon have access to better-studied CBG formulations targeting anxiety and cognitive symptoms, but those conversations with a clinician should happen before swapping or adding products. CLINICAL OVERVIEW: Cannabigerol (CBG) and its acidic precursor cannabigerolic acid (CBGA) are gaining serious scientific attention as researchers examine their potential roles in anxiety reduction, memory enhancement, and anti-cancer activity. CBGA is often called the “mother of cannabinoids” because it serves as the biosynthetic precursor from which THC, CBD, and CBC are all derived, making it a foundational compound in the cannabis plant’s chemistry.
Wageningen Scientists ‘Resurrect’ Ancient Cannabis Enzymes with Medical Promise
Scientists have unlocked ancient cannabis enzymes that could make it far easier to produce CBC, a promising anti-inflammatory cannabinoid that today’s plants can’t make in large quantities. Researchers at Wageningen University reconstructed extinct cannabinoid-producing enzymes that were active millions of years ago. These ancestral enzymes are ‘generalists’—capable of producing THC, CBD, and CBC simultaneously, unlike modern specialized enzymes.