Opinion by Jake Crossman
Cannabigerol, commonly known as CBG, has incredible healing capabilities and scientists are discovering more about what this extract can do for people every single day – this is why CBG for multiple sclerosis has the opportunity to change the way certain diseases like this are treated. The use of hemp to treat illness is not a new concept – In fact, the earliest recordings of using hemp extracts such as CBG date back to ancient China where these cannabinoids were used to treat things like digestive disorders, pain, and inflammation.
Specifically, CBG is a cannabinoid that is extracted from hemp plants. It is considered to be one of the most powerful natural remedies in the world. CBG is very closely related to CBD and is considered “the mother of all cannabinoids” because of its incredible potency and complex chemical structure. In recent years CBG has been shown to reduce anxiety, relieve pain from chronic inflammation, and is used as a treatment for seizures in medicine that was approved by the FDA.
Recently, there has been research done on the effects that CBG might have on long-term, degenerative illnesses, such as Huntington’s Disease and Multiple Sclerosis. More specifically, this blog will be looking at CBG for multiple sclerosis and how it can help those suffering from this paralyzing disease.
Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple Sclerosis or MS is a disease in which your body is fighting itself. Your immune system starts to attack the myelin sheath which is what covers nerve endings in your spinal cord. While your immune system is doing this your brain and nervous system have difficulty communicating effectively with one another because of the deterioration that is happening. This causes the body to experience severe and permanent nerve damage over time disabling the entire body.
A lot of people who suffer from MS slowly start to lose more and more control of their bodies as the nerves deteriorate and become inactive. This can debilitate people to the point of not being able to walk or stand on their own. It can also cause blindness, double vision, dizziness, and trouble with bowel movements.
Unfortunately, there is no cure for MS. However, there are treatments and ways to prolong the nerve damage from happening, as well as ways to prevent MS attacks from being triggered. CBG is one of the newer treatment options that doctors and scientists are researching as an alternative to treating MS with modern western medicine. With the powerful anti-inflammatory and immune support properties that CBG has, this could be a potentially huge breakthrough in MS research, saving the lives of those afflicted.
How CBG For Multiple Sclerosis Works
Once the CBG is introduced to the bloodstream it interacts innately with the endocannabinoid or ECS system in your body, specifically with the CB1 and CB2 receptors. These receptors are in charge of the body’s response to the CBG such as increased energy, inflammation relief, etc.
One of the biggest uses for CBG and for CBD is increased joint mobility by relieving the pain caused by chronic inflammation. This adversely can help patients struggling with MS since joint mobility due to nerve damage is very painful. Research points to the increased mobility experienced by MS patients when using these phytocannabinoid extracts.
“Based on the following considerations, it is our opinion that {CBG} supplementation maybe advisable for PwMS to reduce fatigue, pain, spasticity, and ultimately improve mobility (NCBI).”
This is extremely promising for patients that have MS because lack of total mobility is one of the largest late-stage issues that is dealt with in the disease. Increasing mobility through the use of CBG would mean an increase in muscle growth due to stimulation and movement, leading to a better overall quality of life.
A large problem that patients with neurodegenerative diseases face is an increase in rapid aging. As the body starts to deteriorate so do youthful looks. There are several studies that have been done on CBG and in a lot of them, scientists were impressed with the neuroprotective effects that CBG has on the body, additionally the positive interactions it has with the PPAR receptors which are involved in hormone control and homeostasis. This, in the future, could play a crucial role in reversing neurodegeneration, as well as replacing current medicines that deal with this and have harmful side effects.
CBG has also been looked at as something to combine with other drug cocktails to help those who struggle with executive brain functions and chronic diseases. For instance, it could be paired with clonidine and guanfacine, both of which interact with the a-2 receptors in the brain and act on the prefrontal cortex part of the brain which is responsible for these kinds of executive actions, such as movement and motor skills (jpet).
There is also growing research on the effects that cannabis might have on patients with MS, but as of right now the use of marijuana for medical purposes on only legal in 29 states and not federally regulated. Scientists are arguing for this to be made federally legal because of something called The Entourage Effect which would pair CBG with other cannabinoids to make it extremely effective when interacting with the ECS, therefore enabling users to take control over several areas of their health.
“The entourage effect means that the compounds in cannabis work more sufficient together than if the compounds are isolated. Therefore, CBD products may contain more cannabis compounds, including THC, to increase the effectiveness of the product (NCBI).”
Research on CBG and the effects that it has on Multiple Sclerosis is primarily only showing positive results. There are no known interactions with CBG and other medicines that might be used concurrently to treat MS, and other broad-spectrum hemp extracts may also be used to reduce pain and increase mobility in patients with MS.
CBG For Multiple Sclerosis Final Thoughts
While there is no cure for the awful disease that is MS, there are some solutions to prolong this disease from taking over your body – CBG is now one of those solutions. The amount of evidence that CBG can be used to treat diseases like this is mounting more and more every day.
USA Medical wants to provide transparency to all of those who use our products which is why we will stay committed to bringing you groundbreaking new research on these incredible hemp extracts.
Works Cited
“Multiple Sclerosis.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 7 Jan. 2022, https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/multiple-sclerosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20350269.
“376 (2).” Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 1 Feb. 2021, https://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/376/2.
“Home – PMC – NCBI.” National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/.