The Ultimate Guide to CBG Flower: CBG Strains & Best Products

What Is CBG Flower? 

CBG flower is a hemp flower that contains higher concentrations of CBG. This is done through a combination of selective breeding and early harvesting.

The hemp flower contains the highest concentration of trichomes — hair-like resin glands that house the cannabinoids and terpenes. Hemp flower is then harvested and processed to remove large organic plant matter and create extracts.

Many people enjoy smoking CBG flowers like marijuana buds in a smoking device or rolled into a joint in their raw form. 

Additionally, you can vaporize raw CBG hemp flower in a dry herb vape — which is a device designed to heat the flower to the point of vaporization but avoids the combustion process. 

For crafty cannabis connoisseurs, purchasing hemp flowers opens up a wider world of versatility — you can cook with it, make topical products, or smoke it as a natural way to enjoy the holistic benefits of the hemp plant. 

Top CBG Strains

These CBG strains will give you a taste of what CBG offers. If you’re curious, try one of the following —  they tend to be favorites.

1. Green Dream (Industrial Hemp Farms)

Pinene is the prominent terpene note in Green Dream, giving it an earthy, forest flavor and a calm and uplifting effect. Many people enjoy smoking Green Dream to help with creative work as it’s known to boost energy and focus without overstimulating (in small doses). Some people will smoke larger amounts to fall asleep gently. 

You can purchase this strain in quantities as small as 1 g to 28 g at a fairly reasonable price for the quality and freshness of the buds. 

The best source of the Green Dream CBG strain is from Industrial Hemp Farms.

2. Jack Frost CBG (Industrial Hemp Farms)

Jack Frost is another popular CBG dominant hemp strain from the reliable Industrial Hemp Farms. For one of its newest strains, it’s quickly become a popular choice among customers. 

Jack Frost’s flower looks silver as it’s jam-packed with crystals, living up to its “frosty” name. This strain has the genetics of three famous strains: Northern Lights #5, White Widow, and Jack Herer. 

For those with a high sensitivity to THC, this hemp strain has 0% THC content and an exceptionally high CBG content of 13.1%. 

Pinene gives it an earthy pine aroma, but there’s a subtle hint of sweet citrus for a calm and uplifting mood and a subtle body high.

3. The Mother Cannabinoid Strain (The Brothers Apothecary) 

This strain has no THC detected but has up to 12.75% CBG, 2.32% CBD, and over ten terpenes. The most prominent terpenes in this strain are a-bisabolol, myrcene, limonene, and linalool. It has a sweet and delicate flavor with floral notes, citrus, grape, and spice. 

Compared to the two earlier mentioned strains from Industrial Hemp Farms, this has a much more relaxing and calming effect. However, it can still help with focus and productivity.

The best source for The Mother Cannabinoid Strain is The Brother’s Apothecary

4. CBG Hemp Flower (Plain Jane) 

Plain Jane’s CBG hemp flower does contain up to 0.3% THC, 4% CBD, and CBG levels between 14–18%. Plain Jane describes this flower as having a fresh flavor of pine needles, camomiles, and citrus. 

This flower is beneficial for stimulating the appetite, concentration, and creative tasks without becoming overstimulating or intoxicating, making it an excellent choice for a daytime smoke. 

5. White CBG (Blue Ridge Hemp) 

White CBG flower has no detected THC or CBD but has up to 13.8% CBG. It has a fruity grapefruit aroma with a subtly spiced rose aftertaste for a more focused, calming effect without putting you to sleep.

The best source for the White CBG strain is Blue Ridge Hemp

What Are the Benefits of Using CBG Flower?

CBG is a precursor molecule to the main cannabinoids THC and CBD, so we expect it to share some of the same potential health benefits through its interactions in the endocannabinoid system. 

However, its unique molecular shape has demonstrated other tricks up its sleeve that make it a more useful cannabinoid for certain situations. 

CBG acts on the CB1 and CB2 receptors — unlike CBD, which has a low affinity for binding at these receptor sites. 

Preliminary studies have found that CBG has the following potential health benefits [1,2,3]:

• Increase appetite
• Anti-inflammatory
• Anti-cancer
• Anti-glaucoma
• Anti-anxiety 
• Anti-depressant
• Neuroprotectant

CBG as a terpene can provide an array of therapeutic benefits, but why choose flowers over the other forms, like tinctures or vaping?

It all comes down to personal preference. Many people prefer flower because of their versatility, but it really comes down to the ritual of smoking or eating it. Some find it relaxing to smoke and take in the aroma, especially in a social setting. 

Others like using raw flowers because it’s a more traditional and holistic way of using cannabis than concentrated extracts and other processed products. 

If this isn’t your cup of tea and you want the benefits quickly and discreetly, no problem  — try CBG tinctures or CBG gummies instead.

Related: What Is CBG?

Is CBG Flower Legal? 

As long as the CBG flower comes from hemp plants with less than 0.3% THC and not marijuana plants, CBG flower is legal. CBG hemp flowers and their derivatives are regulated under the same laws as CBD and hemp plants.

Related: What are the legal differences between hemp & marijuana?

To ensure your CBG is legal, always check local laws and make sure you refer to the brand’s third-party lab tests. Third-party labs have no affiliation with the company and provide unbiased information on what the product contains. 

Make sure that your CBG flower contains less than 0.3% THC, and you’re good to go. 

How to Buy CBG Hemp Flower Like a Pro

To have the best experience, shop for high-quality flowers from reputable brands. One of the benefits of hemp flowers over oils, capsules, or concentrates is that you can enjoy the natural flavors of hemp. 

If you accidentally purchase poor-quality hemp flowers, you could be missing out on beneficial terpenes, exceptional flavors, or worse, smoke contaminants such as pesticides, mold, or heavy metals. 

1. Check the Certificate of Analysis

A certificate of analysis (COA) is a document that tests the hemp for its cannabinoid and terpene profile and the presence of contaminants from the farming and production process. 

Unfortunately, this isn’t a mandatory practice in the industry, but — and this is crucial  — reliable cannabis brands will opt for this testing to offer transparency in their safety and quality standards. 

You want to make sure the COA is recent, contains no more than 0.3% THC, and has zero traces of contaminants. 

2. Shop With Trusted Brands 

New cannabis companies are popping up in the market every day, and not all of them have their customers’ best interests at heart. To save yourself from a bad shopping experience, look to third-party review sites and forums for expert recommendations on brands. 

Make sure you do some preliminary research online before shopping; it’s an excellent way to assess the type of experience and products you can expect from the company. 

3. Look & Smell the Flower

If you’re lucky enough to have access to CBG flowers at a local store, smell the flower. The aroma will tell you a lot about the quality and effect profile of the strain. Hemp strains that have a potent aroma will also have a high terpene content and more substantial effects. 

The hemp flower shouldn’t have a moldy or overly grassy smell. It should smell fragrant like a flower with notes like herbal teas, spices, and fruits.

Next, look at the quality of the buds, specifically the crystals. These are the bud’s trichomes, which store the cannabinoids and terpenes. Densely crystalized hemp flowers are a good indicator that the product has been handled with care and is fresh. Additional processing and age will cause the trichomes to degrade. 

How to Use CBG Hemp Flower 

CBG flowers are essentially hemp buds with higher levels of CBG. You can use CBG flower in the same way — roll it into joints, vape it, or smoke it in a bong. 

Our favorite way to enjoy hemp flowers is through a dry herb vaporizer, as it’s much easier on the lungs, and you can taste the delicate terpene flavors. 

Vaporizers don’t burn the buds to the point of combustion or produce heavy smoke that irritates the lungs. Vaporizers only get hot enough to evaporate the cannabinoid and terpenes on the flower so they can be inhaled.  

How to Store CBG Flower

Properly storing your hemp flower will help prolong its freshness. 

You want to make sure you store the flowers in an airtight container away from direct sunlight. This prevents it from drying out and keeps the UV rays from degrading the cannabinoids and terpenes. 

Top-Rated CBG Flower Vendors

There’s an ever-increasing range of CBG flower strains hitting the market these days. It seems like every month an entirely new strain hits the market. 

While we’ve already listed our favorite strains so far, this could change as cannabis breeders continue developing new high-CBG strains. 

Here are some of the best vendors and cannabis breeders that carry CBG-flower strains to check out. 

1. Industrial Hemp Farms

Industrial Hemp Farms is one of the largest hemp and processing companies in the United States, offering a wide variety of premium hemp flower strains, tinctures, concentrates, and vape products. 

It’s no surprise this company has the largest selection of CBG flowers on the market today. 

2. The Brother’s Apothecary

The Brothers Apothecary is an Oregan-based company specializing in fine teas and remedies starring locally sourced hemp plants. 

This brand specializes in holistic cannabinoid products and raw hemp flowers. They carry two CBG flower strains at the time of writing. 

3. Plain Jane

Plain Jane has quickly become a household name in the CBD industry for its affordable and accessible CBD products made from hemp grown in Oregon. This company makes all categories of cannabinoid products but is especially known for its specialty hemp flower products (including CBG flower). 

4. Blue Ridge

Blue Ridge Hemp is a North Carolina CBD brand known for its top-notch products at affordable prices for creams, tinctures, flowers, pet products, and chocolates. 

Over the past year, this company has released no less than three unique strains of CBD-rich hemp flower. 

The Takeaway: What is CBG Flower?

The most natural way to enjoy CBG is in the form of hemp flowers. We need more research surrounding the benefits of CBG, but that doesn’t have to stop you from enjoying CBG-rich hemp strains with their relaxing and uplifting effects that might even boost productivity. 

With hemp flowers, you get the benefits of other minor cannabinoids and terpenes to leverage the entourage effect for a more potent and well-rounded effect over CBG concentrates and oils.

You also get a lot more versatility with CBG hemp flower over other products — roll it into a joint, dry flower vape it, or get creative with cooking and baking recipes or topical creams. 

There are plenty of dependable hemp farms in the United States to shop with that provide fresh flowers, certified lab tests, and fair prices. If you’re looking for a hemp flower that lends more use for daytime productivity and mildly stimulating effects without intoxication, CBG flower might be worth a try.  

References

1. Gugliandolo, A., Pollastro, F., Grassi, G., Bramanti, P., & Mazzon, E. (2018). In vitro model of neuroinflammation: Efficacy of cannabigerol, a non-psychoactive cannabinoid. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 19(7), 1992.
2. Nachnani, R., Raup-Konsavage, W. M., & Vrana, K. E. (2021). The Pharmacological Case for Cannabigerol. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 376(2), 204-212.
3. Russo, E. B., Cuttler, C., Cooper, Z. D., Stueber, A., Whiteley, V. L., & Sexton, M. (2021). Survey of Patients Employing Cannabigerol-Predominant Cannabis Preparations: Perceived Medical Effects, Adverse Events, and Withdrawal Symptoms. Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research.