CBG and Anxiety: What the First Human Trial Found

A look at early clinical evidence for a lesser-known cannabinoid.

Cannabigerol, or CBG, is a lesser-known cannabinoid that's been growing in popularity, often promoted for calming, anxiety-easing effects. Until recently, though, those claims rested almost entirely on preclinical (laboratory and animal) research, with little direct evidence in people. A 2024 study set out to change that — and it's notable for being described as the first human clinical trial of CBG for anxiety and stress.

How the Study Worked

The trial, published in the journal Scientific Reports, was led by researchers at Washington State University with colleagues at UCLA. It used a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover design — a rigorous setup in which each of the 34 healthy adult participants (all cannabis users) tried both CBG and a placebo, in two sessions a week apart, without knowing which was which on a given day.

It was also a “field trial,” meaning participants took part remotely from home over video call rather than in a lab. In each session, they rated their anxiety, stress, and mood, then took either 20 mg of hemp-derived CBG or a placebo tincture. They re-rated those measures at several points afterward — including after a deliberately stressful task (the Trier Social Stress Test, which involves giving a speech and doing surprise mental math) and after a verbal memory test and a cognitive-and-motor impairment assessment.

What They Found

Compared with the placebo, CBG produced a significant overall reduction in anxiety, along with reduced stress. Perhaps the most surprising result — the researchers themselves called it unexpected — was that CBG also enhanced verbal memory: participants recalled more words after CBG than after placebo. That's a striking contrast with THC, which is well known to impair short-term memory.

Just as importantly, CBG did this cleanly. There was no evidence of intoxication or other subjective drug effects, and no sign of cognitive or motor impairment. In other words, participants felt calmer without feeling “high” or impaired — which is much of CBG's appeal as a potential alternative to THC-containing products.

What to Keep in Mind

These are encouraging, well-designed results — but it's a first study, and the researchers are clear about its limits. The sample was small (34 people) and made up of healthy cannabis users, not people diagnosed with anxiety disorders, so the findings can't simply be assumed to extend to a clinical population. It tested only a single 20 mg dose, and it relied on self-reported ratings without physiological stress measures like heart rate or cortisol. The authors call for larger trials, varied doses, and more comprehensive measurement to confirm and build on what they found. (For transparency: one author has disclosed past consulting and material support from cannabis companies, though the trial itself was an independent university study.)

With those caveats in view, the takeaway is genuinely positive: this is the first human evidence that CBG may reduce anxiety and stress without intoxication or impairment — a meaningful step that turns a popular claim into something researchers can now test more rigorously.

Reference: Acute effects of cannabigerol on anxiety, stress, and mood: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover, field trial. Scientific Reports, 2024. Washington State University and UCLA.

This article is for general information only and is not medical advice. The study described is early-stage research in healthy adults. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional before using CBG, particularly if you experience anxiety or take other medications.