CBG and High Blood Pressure: A New Study Reveals Surprising Cardiovascular Effects

Cannabigerol (CBG), a lesser-known compound in cannabis, may influence blood pressure, blood vessel function, and blood clot formation. A new scientific study suggests that this non-psychoactive cannabinoid may have several cardiovascular effects, although its potential medical applications have yet to be proven in humans.

Published on October 6, 2026, in the scientific journal Molecules, this study was conducted by researchers at the Medical University of Białystok in Poland. Their findings shed new light on the relationship between cannabinoids and cardiovascular health, particularly in the context of hypertension.

CBG significantly lowers blood pressure in hypertensive rats

Researchers examined the effects of the cannabigerol (CBG) on blood pressure by comparing two groups of rats: animals that naturally have high blood pressure and others with normal blood pressure.

To measure the effect of the cannabinoid, they administered three doses of CBG intravenously (1, 3, and 10 mg/kg). The results show a a decrease in blood pressure and heart rate proportional to the administered dose, with particularly pronounced effects at the highest concentration.

In hypertensive rats, a dose of 10 mg/kg resulted in an average decrease of 27 mmHg of systolic blood pressure (the pressure exerted when the heart contracts) and 29 mmHg diastolic pressure (measured when the heart relaxes). Their heart rate also slowed by about 23 beats per minute.

Rats with normal blood pressure also responded to CBG, but with a smaller decrease in systolic pressure: 11 mmHg, compared with 22 mmHg for diastolic pressure. The effect of CBG on systolic blood pressure thus appears to be more pronounced in hypertensive animals, which is one of the study’s key findings.

However, this blood-pressure-lowering effect is essentially transient. In rats with normal blood pressure, blood pressure returned to its initial levels within a few minutes. In contrast, in hypertensive animals that received the highest dose, The mean blood pressure remained approximately 6% lower than its initial level after ten minutes, suggesting a slightly longer-lasting effect in patients with hypertension.

How Cannabigerol Affects Blood Vessels

In addition to its effect on blood pressure, the cannabigerol (CBG) also appears to act directly on blood vessels, promoting their relaxation. A phenomenon known as vascular relaxation, which helps reduce resistance to blood flow.

To study this mechanism, the researchers analyzed segments of the aorta and small mesenteric arteries taken from hypertensive and normotensive rats. These arteries play a particularly important role in regulating blood pressure, since they partially control the resistance to blood flow.

The results show that CBG causes vasodilation proportional to its concentration, with a more pronounced effect in small arteries than in the aorta. In the mesenteric arteries, maximum relaxation reached nearly 98 % in normotensive rats, compared with 73 % in hypertensive rats.

This difference could be explained by changes in the blood vessel walls and dysfunction of the endothelium—the layer of cells that lines their inner surface—which are frequently associated with hypertension. In other words, The condition of the vascular system could influence the effectiveness of CBG.

Scientists have also sought to understand the origin of this blood-pressure-lowering effect. Their experiments suggest that CBG may act through two complementary pathways: by influencing the regulatory mechanisms of the central nervous system, but also by carrying out a direct action on blood vessels, regardless of this nervous regulation.

However, the molecular mechanisms responsible for this vasorelaxation have yet to be clarified. In particular, the researchers point out that their experiments do not yet allow them to clearly distinguish the role of the endothelium from that of the muscle cells that make up the arterial wall.

CBG and CBD may influence blood clot formation

The study also examined the effects of the cannabigerol (CBG) on platelet aggregation, a mechanism by which blood platelets clump together to form a clot. While this process is essential for stopping bleeding, excessive platelet activation can promote the formation of thrombus, which can block blood vessels and cause cardiovascular complications.

To explore this line of inquiry, the researchers conducted experiments in vitro using human blood samples, while studying the effects of CBG, from cannabidiol (CBD) and their association.

The results show that both cannabinoids are capable of inhibit platelet aggregation and the release of substances that promote platelet activation, when these are stimulated by collagen. This inhibitory effect was found to be more pronounced when CBG and CBD were combined, suggesting that the two molecules have complementary effects.

The scientists then recreated conditions in the laboratory that closely resembled those of arterial circulation. Once again, CBG demonstrated a antiplatelet activity, by limiting platelet adhesion to collagen-coated surfaces, platelet activation, and thrombus formation. It also reduced their procoagulant response—that is, their ability to promote reactions leading to blood clotting.

More specifically, at certain concentrations, the CBG-CBD combination produced inhibitory effects comparable to—or even greater than—those of aspirin, a drug commonly used to prevent certain cardiovascular events.

This comparison remains, however, strictly experimental. The concentrations used in the laboratory do not necessarily correspond to those that can be reached in the body after consuming cannabinoids. These observations therefore do not demonstrate that the CBG or CBD could replace existing antiplatelet therapies, but open up a new avenue of research into their interactions with coagulation mechanisms.

Promising results, but clinical evidence remains limited

While these results provide new insights into the Cardiovascular effects of cannabigerol (CBG), they should nevertheless be interpreted with caution. The study is based primarily on experimental models, which do not, at this stage, allow for the direct application of these observations to humans.

The effects on blood pressure were, in fact, measured in anesthetized rats that were administered CBG intravenously. The experiments involving platelet aggregation and blood clot formation were, for their part, carried out in vitro, based on human blood samples analyzed in the laboratory.

These conditions differ significantly depending on whether CBG is taken orally or inhaled, particularly in terms of absorption, blood concentrations achieved, and duration of action. There is therefore no evidence to suggest that CBG would have the same effects on blood pressure or blood clotting in humans.

Furthermore, the researchers focused on the immediate effects of the cannabinoid, without assessing the consequences of prolonged exposure, its clinical tolerance, or its potential Interactions with antihypertensive and anticoagulant medications.

Further studies, followed by clinical trials, will be needed to determine whether these properties could one day be of interest in the management of hypertension or prevention of thrombotic complications.

In the meantime, this research is helping to improve our understanding of how Cannabinoids and the Cardiovascular System. They open up new avenues of research on CBG, though they do not demonstrate its efficacy or safety as a treatment in humans.