Preliminary research suggests that cannabigerol (CBG) may be the best cannabinoid to utilize in the fight against antibiotic-resistant superbugs like MRSA.
Microbiologists from Hamilton, Ontario’s McMaster University compared CBG against THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol) to see which compound was most capable of killing bacteria such as MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). As it turns out, CBG won by a landslide.
Not only did CBG kill the MRSA microbes, but also the remaining “biofilm” that often form on patients’ skin and medical implants. The scientists in this study even went so far as to say CBG was on par with vancomycin, an antiobiotic that so far has the best results in treating drug-resistant bacteria. The study is currently under peer review by the ACS Infectious Diseases journal, but has yet to be certified or published.
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Mark Blaskovich, who studies antibiotic cannabis compounds at the University of Queensland and is reviewing the study, is optimistic about this new discovery. He noted that cannabis plants are particularly rich in antimicrobial compounds when compared to other botanicals such as tea tree, garlic, and turmeric.
“These are likely made as a defense mechanism to protect the plant from bacterial and fungal infections, but to date have not been very useful for human infections as they really only work outside the body,” he said. “That’s what makes this new report potentially exciting – evidence that cannabigerol is able to treat a systemic infection in mice.”
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However promising the results are though, it’s important to remember that we’re only the beginning stages of research. Lead study author Eric Brown noted that while cannabinoids are “clearly great drug-like compounds, far more research is necessary before the results can be tested on human patients or applied in medical settings.”
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