Yes, CBG (cannabigerol) can make you hungry. In the most rigorous animal study to date, CBG more than doubled total food intake in rats that had already eaten, making it one of the few non-psychoactive cannabinoids shown to stimulate appetite. Whether this translates cleanly to humans is still being studied, but increased appetite is consistently reported as a side effect by people who take CBG supplements.
What the Research Shows
The strongest evidence comes from a 2016 study published in Psychopharmacology that tested CBG on rats that had recently been fed to fullness. At doses of 120 and 240 mg/kg, CBG more than doubled the amount of food the animals ate compared to a placebo group. The rats didn’t just eat bigger meals. They ate more frequently, consuming about twice as many meals as untreated animals. At the highest dose, the rats also started eating roughly 30 minutes sooner than they otherwise would have.
Importantly, the researchers found no negative neuromotor side effects at any dose tested, meaning CBG didn’t cause sedation, impaired coordination, or any observable behavioral problems. Lower doses (30 and 60 mg/kg) didn’t produce a significant change in eating behavior, suggesting there’s a threshold CBG needs to cross before it noticeably affects appetite.
How CBG Affects Appetite
The way CBG influences hunger is still being worked out, and the picture is surprisingly complicated. CBG interacts with the same endocannabinoid system that THC does, but it appears to work through different pathways. One review in the journal Molecules noted that CBG can actually block CB1 receptors, the same receptors THC activates to produce the classic “munchies.” In theory, blocking CB1 should reduce appetite, not increase it.
Yet the feeding studies clearly show CBG stimulates eating. This suggests CBG likely drives hunger through a different mechanism altogether, possibly by affecting other receptor systems or signaling molecules involved in satiety and metabolism. The fact that CBG increased meal frequency and reduced the delay before eating, rather than making individual meals larger, points to an effect on hunger signaling rather than on how satisfying food feels once you start eating.
CBG vs. THC for Appetite
THC is the cannabinoid most people associate with increased appetite. It binds directly to CB1 receptors in the brain and produces both the high and the hunger that come with cannabis use. CBG does not produce any intoxication. You won’t feel “stoned” or experience altered perception, which makes CBG a fundamentally different experience even if both compounds increase how much you eat.
The animal data suggests CBG’s appetite-stimulating effect is real but works through a distinct biological route. For people who want appetite support without psychoactive effects, that distinction matters. CBG won’t impair your ability to drive, work, or think clearly the way THC can.
Why This Matters for Medical Use
One of the most promising applications for CBG’s appetite effects is in people undergoing chemotherapy. Cancer treatment commonly causes appetite loss, changes in how food tastes, and a feeling of fullness after eating very little. Over time, this can lead to cachexia, a dangerous form of muscle and weight loss that worsens treatment outcomes. Research published in the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle found that CBG may help counteract chemotherapy-induced cachexia, with potential benefits for appetite, inflammation, and metabolic function. The authors called CBG-based treatments a “novel therapeutic option” worth further investigation.
This is particularly significant because current appetite stimulants for cancer patients are limited. THC-based medications exist but come with psychoactive side effects that many patients find unpleasant or disorienting. A non-intoxicating alternative that reliably boosts appetite could fill a real gap in care.
What We Don’t Know Yet
Nearly all of the controlled appetite data on CBG comes from animal studies. Translating rat doses directly to human doses isn’t straightforward, and what doubles food intake in a rodent may produce a subtler effect in a person. A clinical trial currently recruiting at ClinicalTrials.gov (enrolling an estimated 100 participants) is specifically tracking increased appetite as a potential side effect of CBG in humans. That study measures appetite changes at multiple time points after a single dose, which should provide the first rigorous human data on how reliably CBG triggers hunger.
Until those results are published, the honest answer is that CBG very likely increases appetite based on strong animal evidence and widespread anecdotal reports, but we don’t yet have controlled human data confirming exactly how pronounced the effect is or what dose reliably triggers it. If you’re taking CBG for another reason, like stress or discomfort, and notice you’re snacking more than usual, the research suggests that’s a real pharmacological effect rather than coincidence.