Hearst Newspapers participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may earn a commission when you purchase products featured in this content or purchase from vendors featured here. Our professional curators independently research and recommend products and services, with no newsroom involvement. Merchants can pay for a sponsored listing and may choose to rewrite their summary. When that happens, we label the listing as “Sponsored” and highlight it in grey to differentiate the merchant-provided content from our writing.
CBD vs CBG — it’s a confusing debate.
If you keep hearing about all of these different cannabinoids but have no idea what sets them apart, then you’ve come to the right place. Today, we’ll take a look at two of the most commonly talked about cannabinoids out there: CBD and CBG.
Both cannabinoids are known to have a variety of potential benefits, some of which are similar and some of which are different. What makes CBD and CBG alike and distinct is exactly what we are here to figure out today.
We’re going to talk about how these cannabinoids make you feel, what potential benefits they have, their pros and cons, and much more. By the end of today’s article, you should be a total expert on both CBD and CBG and what sets them apart from each other.
Key Takeaways
- CBD, or cannabidiol, is a cannabinoid that we all know and love due to the wide variety of potential benefits it may offer.
- CBG, or cannabigerol, is a minor cannabinoid that is quickly gaining popularity in the hemp and cannabis communities. It likely won’t get you high, but it also has a wide variety of potential benefits.
- The bottom line in the CBD vs CBG debate is they are more alike than different
What is CBD?
CBD stands for cannabidiol, and this is one of the two major cannabinoids found in cannabis, with the other one being THC. It’s known as a major cannabinoid because it can be present in fairly substantial quantities.
CBD is not overtly intoxicating, and for most people, it will not induce a high. However, it does have a variety of potential medical benefits that we are about and take a look at. CBD may interact with both the CB1 and CB2 receptors in the human body’s endocannabinoid system, therefore producing a wide variety of effects.
“}” data-sheets-userformat=”{“2″:513,”3”:{“1″:0},”12”:0}”>
How Does CBD Make You Feel?
Generally speaking, if you take CBD, it should help you feel a bit calmer and more mellow. You will also tend to feel more comfortable in general and potentially experience less pain as well.
It’s not something that will produce overwhelming psychoactive effects, but it should help you feel a bit mellower in general.
As you’ll see below, CBD may be able to help release pain, anxiety, stress, and more. These benefits come together to allow you to live a much more comfortable and pain-free life.
Does CBD Get You High?
No, usually, CBD does not get you high. This is not an overtly intoxicating or psychoactive compound. However, the effects of CBD do boil down to the tolerance of the person consuming it. For people with extremely low tolerances, CBD can indeed induce a very mild high. It will not alter your state of mind significantly, impair your cognitive skills, or impair your motor skills. But it will still be there. It may have a variety of medical benefits both for the mind and body, but it’s not going to get you high like THC does.
Benefits of CBD
CBD does have a variety of potential benefits, so let’s take a quick look at what these might be.
CBD for Stress and Anxiety
CBD is well known for being a potential reliever of both anxiety and stress. CBD may be able to affect hormone levels in the brain, specifically serotonin and dopamine, which are known to relieve feelings of anxiety.
These are the same chemicals that are released when you exercise, therefore producing the so-called runners high.
These brain chemicals produce sensations of elation and euphoria, or in other words, they just make you feel a whole lot better. CBD may also be able to help reduce cortisol levels in the brain, which indirectly relates to lowered stress levels.
CBD for Sleep
CBD may be able to help calm you down, regulate your mood, and make you feel a bit mellower. All of this combined may also be able to help you get a good night’s sleep. While CBD is not a sedative in nature, it can produce a beneficial mental state that will allow you to get good sleep.
CBD for Pain
Another common use of CBD is for pain, specifically as far as being an analgesic painkiller and an anti-inflammatory agent is concerned. CBD can potentially help to block pain signals from reaching your brain, and it may be able to help reduce inflammation in your body.
CBD vs CBG Common Uses
What is interesting about both CBG and CBD is that they do share some common benefits or uses, mainly in the reduction of anxiety, as a sleep aid, and as a pain reliever. Both may also be anti-inflammatory in nature.
However, one common difference here is that CBD generally reduces appetite, whereas CBG typically increases appetite.
This means that CBG generally makes people hungry, whereas CBD does not. CBG is also commonly used to help reduce inflammation in the gut and to allow for better gastrointestinal health in general.
CBD vs CBG Comparing Side Effects
CBD may occasionally cause mild side effects such as reduced appetite, diarrhea, dry mouth, and, in very rare conditions, fatigue and drowsiness. CBD may also interact negatively with other medications. CBG has fairly similar side effects, including dry mouth, dry eyes, hunger, and sleepiness.
The Effects of CBD
Overall, CBD may have some very beneficial effects on the human mind and body. It may be able to help relieve pain and inflammation, relieve stress, anxiety, and more, and it may be able to help you get a good night’s sleep.
It may even be able to help reduce nausea and vomiting due to its interaction with the serotonin receptors in your brain. There are also other potential benefits it may have. That said, it won’t have any psychoactive or intoxicating effects for most people, so there’s a good chance you’re not going to get high.
Pros & Cons of CBD
Just like anything out there, CBD does have its own pros and cons, so let’s take a quick look.
Pros
- CBD may help regulate your mood and make you feel better mentally.
- CBD may be able to help reduce stress.
- CBD could help you get a good night’s sleep.
- CBD may help reduce nausea and vomiting.
- CBD may act as a painkiller and an anti-inflammatory agent.
- You can potentially get all of these benefits from CBD without getting overly high.
- CBD is totally legal at a federal level as long as it is hemp-derived.
- The side effects of CBD tend to be fairly minor.
Cons
- CBD may have a negative interaction with other medications.
- CBD may have some very mild side effects, mainly dry mouth, diarrhea, and reduced appetite.
Can You Smoke CBD?
One of the best ways to get your fix of CBD is by smoking it. There are plenty of CBD flowers out there for you to choose from, so let’s take a look at a few good options.
Botany Farms Blueberry Kush
This Blueberry Kush from Botany Farms has a really nice flavor, with a profile including pine, grape, and blueberry. It’s a really smooth smoke with a pleasant taste all around. It features well over 14% CBD, which is fairly potent, So you’ll definitely be able to reap some benefits from it. It has bright orange hairs and frosty white trichomes that look really attractive.
Dad Grass Rolls & Bowls Flower Dad Stash
If you’re interested in keeping your fondness for CBD discreet, this is probably the best CBD flower you can buy. Dad Grass Rolls and Bowls is a CBD hemp flower that is hidden inside a tin of dog biscuits. It’s just a really cool way to stash the empty flower. It’s all about mailing you out without causing any paranoia.
Botany Farms Strawberry Banana Kush Pre-Roll
If you like some really fruity hemp strains but you don’t want to roll your own joints, these Strawberry Banana Kush Pre-Rolls from Botany Farms might be right for you. They contain a whole lot of CBD, so they have many potential benefits, but they won’t actually get you super high. Between the beneficial effects and the smooth flavor, you can’t go wrong.
Can You Eat CBD?
Yes, CBD can be ingested orally as well. Although it may take a bit longer to work, it should also last a lot longer. There are plenty of awesome CBD edibles and gummies out there, so let’s take a quick look at what these might be.
Batch CBD Gummies
“}” data-sheets-userformat=”{“2″:513,”3”:{“1″:0},”12”:0}”>
Here we have some really nice CBD gummies from a trusted brand name. Batch CBD is one of the most highly trusted brand names in the industry. Their gummies come with 30 pieces per package, each of which has 25 milligrams of CBD, for a total of 750 milligrams per package.
They have quite an enjoyable flavor and should definitely help mellow you out. They are made without any genetically modified organisms, and they’re made out of 100% organic Wisconsin-grown hemp. They’ve also been third-party tested.
Botany Farms Blue Raspberry CBD Gummies
If you want a whole lot of CBD and you like the flavor of blue raspberry, then these hemp gummies from Botany Farms might be right for you. Here you got a total of 12 gummies, each with 25 milligrams of CBD, for a total of 300 milligrams in the package.
Most people really love the sour blue raspberry flavor. Keep in mind that these gummies are dairy-free, gluten-free, and 100% vegan, and they don’t even contain any high-fructose corn syrup either. All products have been third-party tested to ensure that they fall within all legal limits.
Green Roads CBD Gummy Bears