Cannabigerol shows promise in reducing anxiety and stress, study finds

In a recent study published in Scientific reportsResearchers conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial to determine whether the phytocannabinoid cannabigerol impacts mood, stress, and anxiety and causes associated adverse effects of cognitive or motor impairment.

Study: Acute effects of cannabigerol on anxiety, stress, and mood: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial. Image credit: Dmytro Tyshchenko/Shutterstock.com

Background

With the legalization of cannabis in various countries, cannabis producers are trying to diversify their production to meet the growing interest of cannabis consumers.

While delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, continues to be the primary molecule of interest among cannabis users for its intoxicating effects, there is also growing interest in some of the other non-intoxicating compounds in cannabis for their medicinal and analgesic effects.

However, this has also led to the unregulated isolation and commercialization of various terpenes and phytocannabinoids as therapeutic compounds, although their therapeutic value remains unsubstantiated. While cannabidiol is the primary non-intoxicating compound isolated from cannabis, cannabigerol is becoming increasingly popular.

The acid form of cannabigerol, cannabigerolic acid, is the precursor to various phytocannabinoids, including cannabidiol and THC.

Studies in animal models have shown that cannabigerol has broad-spectrum therapeutic properties, such as antifungal and antibiotic activity, as well as analgesic and antihypertensive properties. It has also demonstrated antidepressant properties in studies in rodent models.

About the study

In the current study, researchers conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled field study to determine whether cannabigerol positively alleviated stress and anxiety and improved mood.

The study also looked at potential adverse effects of cannabigerol use, such as drug taste, intoxication, dry mouth and eyes, drowsiness, heart palpitations, appetite changes, and cognitive and motor impairment.

In a previous survey-based study, researchers observed that nearly half of the study population reported positive results when cannabigerol was used to manage anxiety. In contrast, over 40% reported improvement in chronic pain with the use of cannabigerol.

More than 30% of participants also reported improvements in insomnia and depression. However, these findings were not supported by clinical trial results.

The study recruited participants aged over 21 years with access to a smartphone and a computer with internet access and a webcam, as the trial was conducted via Zoom to improve recruitment and feasibility. People with neurological disorders, head injuries, bipolar disorder, autism spectrum disorder and psychotic disorders, as well as illicit drug use, were excluded.

The cannabigerol tincture was prepared with ethanol at 20 mg of cannabigerol. At the same time, the placebo was Chartreuse liqueur diluted to match the taste and color of the cannabigerol tincture. The vials were sent to the participants by mail with the instructions for ingestion.

A set of online questionnaires was used to collect information on demographic characteristics, frequency, quantity, and age of onset of cannabis use. The cannabis use questionnaire explored aspects such as forms of cannabis use, methods of administration, and purpose of cannabis use.

An anxiety questionnaire was used to obtain data on state anxiety and trait anxiety, which corresponded to how participants felt at the time and how they felt in general, respectively.

A self-report inventory questionnaire was also used to collect information on levels of stress, anxiety, and depression.

Participants also completed a social stress test, a verbal learning test, and a mobile app-based drug-driving test to measure motor and cognitive impairments.

Results

The study found that, compared to placebo, cannabigerol led to significant improvements in stress and anxiety levels without cognitive or motor impairment or drug effects. Compared to placebo, cannabigerol also led to improvements in verbal memory.

Cannabigerol use also resulted in a 26.5% decrease in anxiety levels, which was greater than the 22.5% decrease seen with placebo.

Researchers believe that the anxiolytic effects of cannabigerol may be due to its impact on the serotonin 1A receptor or gamma-aminobutyric acid.

Although cannabigerol has been shown to significantly reduce stress levels, researchers believe that higher doses and larger sample sizes are needed to adequately capture the medium-sized effects of cannabigerol on stress.

Additionally, the current field trial did not allow them to observe clinical measures of stress, such as alpha-amylase and cortisol levels, but the team plans a laboratory study as a follow-up to investigate the impact of cannabigerol on stress using clinical measures.

Conclusions

To summarize, the study involved a double-blind, placebo-controlled field trial to determine whether the minor phytocannabinoid cannabigerol had a positive impact on anxiety, depression, and stress.

The results showed that a 20 mg dose of cannabigerol reduced subjective ratings of stress and anxiety in healthy adults, and showed no adverse effects on motor function or cognition, nor any drug effects such as intoxication or increased risk of dependence. Further research is needed to observe the clinical effects of cannabigerol.