By Maxim Mikheev, CEO and Founder of BIOMEDICAN
The global cannabis market is booming: it’s set to reach $146 billion by 2025. There is a rapidly growing demand for cannabinoids, the compounds found in the cannabis plant. The most well-known cannabinoids are CBD and THC, but there are actually over one hundred known cannabinoids, including rare ones like CBG. And these rare cannabinoids will soon dominate the cannabis market.
While not as famous as CBD, rare cannabinoids are significantly stronger. Their powerful health benefits make them highly sought after by a variety of industries, such as food and beverage, cosmetics, health and wellness, pharmaceuticals, and more. What are the most prominent of these rare cannabinoids, and what are the characteristics that make them so highly desired?
CBG and CBGA
Of all the rare cannabinoids that exist, CBG is the most highly in demand. CBG is known as "The Mother of Cannabinoids" because its acidic form, CBGA, is the precursor to cannabinoids like THC, CBD, CBC, and CBG, which break down further to form even more cannabinoids. So CBG and CBGA are vital to the production of all different types of cannabinoids.
The pharmaceutical industry is one vertical that CBG will disrupt. In less than ten years, the global market for cannabinoid-based pharmaceuticals is predicted to be worth $50 billion, with cannabinoids treating health conditions including pain, respiratory conditions, autoimmune conditions, and more. And CBG is one of the standouts, with its versatile medical properties.
CBG is most notable for its neuroprotective benefits, such as slowing degenerative brain conditions like Huntington’s disease and even helping to regrow new brain cells. Other medical benefits of CBG include inhibiting cancer growth, treating glaucoma, killing drug-resistant bacteria, treating bladder dysfunction, stimulating appetite, and more.
The food and beverage industry will also benefit from CBG. With the CBD market becoming rapidly oversaturated, food and beverage brands are searching for the next big thing. As CBG becomes less expensive and more widely available, it’ll replace CBD as the marquee supplement to our favorite snacks and drinks.
CBG is an incredibly versatile ingredient: it can be added without modification to all types of foods and beverages, including chocolate, protein bars, cakes, cookies, and even cereal. In just two years, the global market for infused edibles and beverages is estimated to be worth $32 billion, and CBG will play a significant role in that growth.
Other rare cannabinoids
CBG isn’t the only rare cannabinoid that’ll supplant CBD with its versatile health benefits. Each of the many rare cannabinoids out there has distinct medical properties that’ll help consumers lead healthier lives.
For example, THCA contains health properties that treat a variety of ailments, including arthritis, lupus, nausea, appetite loss, and prostate cancer. Although THCA is the acidic form of THC (the key psychoactive compound in cannabis), THCA contains none of the intoxicating effects of its non-acidic counterpart.
CBN is another rare cannabinoid with a multitude of medical applications: it aids in sleep, regulates the immune system, and treats pain and inflammation; this rare cannabinoid’s anticonvulsant properties make it especially helpful for patients who have epilepsy and other seizure disorders.
A third popular rare cannabinoid is THCV, which has its own set of medical functions, such as suppressing appetite and controlling panic attacks; but where THCV really stands out is its ability to prevent bone degeneration and even regrow bone cells, which makes it an ideal treatment for osteoporosis and other bone-related conditions.
These rare cannabinoids represent a quantum leap forward in medicine. Not only do these rare cannabinoids treat a wide variety of medical conditions, but they also come without the harmful side effects of traditional medicine.
The Future of Rare Cannabinoids
Soon, CBD will become an afterthought as more potent cannabinoids replace it in medicine, beauty products, food and beverages, and more. Rare cannabinoids like CBG, THCA, CBN, THCV, and more will all contribute to this shift, with CBG being the most highly desired for its versatile applications in both the pharmaceutical and food/beverage industries.
Together, these rare cannabinoids will be the new frontier that makes the global cannabis market worth hundreds of billions of dollars. And CBG will be at the forefront of this rare cannabinoid boom.
Maxim Mikheev is CEO and Founder of BIOMEDICAN, a biotech startup designing patented low-cost methods of growing high-value compounds at scale with proprietary yeasts.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.