For most of history, the effects of cannabis and hemp on the human body were barely understood – even today our understanding is limited.
For the last 100+ years, THC has been the “hero” cannabinoid, but for many years it was not fully understood how it works in our bodies.
In the 1990’s, scientists discovered endocannabinoids, the natural cannabis-like molecules produced by the human body. They’re actually present in all vertebrates – mammals, reptiles, birds, fish, amphibians, fish, etc. Hemp is the only plant in the world that shares the same system as our bodies (ECS).
As our genetics improve along with equipment and technology, we’ve been able to bring lesser known cannabinoids like CBG, CBC and CBN to the market and the response from consumers has been phenomenal.
For the last 5 years, cannabidiol (CBD) products have taken the spotlight, but CBG has become very popular as a minor cannabinoid recently. Unfortunately, it’s much harder to source than CBD. Does that mean CBG products are likely to provide the wrong amount of CBG?
Leafreport.com, the CBD industry’s peer-reviewed watchdog website, recently shared the results from a comprehensive review of hemp-derived cannabigerol (CBG) products to answer this very question.
Aimed at understanding if CBG products provide the advertised amount of CBG, the findings showcased that over half (52.6%) of the products sent for testing contained the wrong amount of CBG. These products were off from the labeled CBG strength by anywhere from 10.4% to 64.7%.
According to Lital Shafir, Head of Product at Leafreport, the Tel Aviv-based website set out to see if companies were providing what they advertised, the findings from this report were quite astounding.
Among the findings, Leafreport discovered that out of 24 products advertised to carry a specific amount of CBG and CBD, only 4 (17%) matched both the CBD and CBG labels. In addition, seven products (29%) were accurate for CBG but not CBD, 8 (33%) were accurate for CBD but not CBG, and 5 (21%) were inaccurate for both. All 15 of the products advertised to contain broad or full-spectrum CBD had the right type of extract, a first in the Company’s report.
“Reports like this shed light on CBG products, educate consumers, and hopefully encourage companies to be more diligent about their testing standards,” said Sharfir.
The report also showed that products from leading brands performed better than those made by small companies. Additionally, topicals were the least accurate product category.
For the report, Leafrepprt purchased 38 CBG products and sent them to SC Labs, a reputable cannabis testing lab, for third-party testing. Leafreport’s experts compared the test results to the amount of CBG and other cannabinoids listed on the product label and description.
Leafreport has conducted similar studies for products for a variety of products in the CBD space, and have found that many products do not meet the advertising claims being put out to consumers.
“Leafreport’s mission is to help promote transparency across the CBD industry and educate consumers so they can access products that are safe and offer the contents being advertised,” said Sharfir.
While CBG, CBD and other similar products might continue to be popular among consumers, there is much work to be done as far as meeting their standards and providing what is expected.
Thankfully, there are companies that are seeking to bring transparency to the industry and educate consumers. Simultaneously, it is our job as consumers to do our due diligence to research what we are buying and seek out products that actually give us what we need.
