CBGV (cannabigerivarin, also spelled cannabigerovarin) is a minor, non-intoxicating cannabinoid in cannabis: the "varin" form of CBG, with a three-carbon side chain instead of five. The plant makes it as the acid CBGVA, which is also the precursor of other varin cannabinoids such as THCV. Research on CBGV is limited to laboratory studies, so its effects in people are unknown.
Key facts
- What it is
- A phytocannabinoid with the formula C₁₉H₂₈O₂ (288.4 g/mol), the propyl homologue of CBG
- First described
- 1975, by Japanese researchers, under the name cannabigerovarin
- Precursor
- CBGVA (cannabigerovarinic acid), formed from divarinolic acid and geranyl pyrophosphate
- Intoxicating?
- Classed as non-psychotropic; it has not been tested in people
- Research (as of October 2026)
- Cell and receptor studies only; we found no published human studies
- In Formula Swiss oils
- Not measured on our certificates of analysis, which list CBG, CBDV and THCV among other cannabinoids
What is CBGV?
CBGV belongs to the varin cannabinoids, which have a propyl side chain of three carbon atoms where the better-known cannabinoids have a pentyl chain of five. Apart from that chain, CBGV has the same structure as CBG: an aromatic ring with two hydroxyl groups and an open geranyl chain. Its formula is C₁₉H₂₈O₂ (PubChem). Japanese researchers described it in 1975 as "cannabigerovarin", together with cannabichromevarin (Shoyama et al., 1975), which is why both spellings are used today.
Like other minor cannabinoids, CBGV usually occurs only in small amounts. Higher levels of the varins THCV and CBDV have been reported mainly in plants of the indica gene pool (Hillig and Mahlberg, 2004), which includes drug landraces from southern Asia and Africa (Hillig, 2005).
How does the plant make CBGV?
Most cannabinoids start from CBGA, which the plant makes by joining olivetolic acid to geranyl pyrophosphate. The varins branch off one step earlier: when divarinolic acid is used instead of olivetolic acid, the product is cannabigerovarinic acid (CBGVA), the precursor of varin cannabinoids such as THCV (Shaw et al., 2022). The acid itself was first isolated from Thai cannabis in 1977 (Shoyama et al., 1977). CBGVA that is not converted further becomes CBGV when heat removes its acid group, the same decarboxylation that turns CBGA into CBG.
CBGV vs CBG: what's the difference?
| CBGV | CBG | |
|---|---|---|
| Side chain | Propyl (3 carbons) | Pentyl (5 carbons) |
| Formula | C₁₉H₂₈O₂ | C₂₁H₃₂O₂ |
| Acid precursor | CBGVA | CBGA |
| Role of the acid in the plant | Precursor of varin cannabinoids such as THCV | Precursor of the acid forms of THC, CBD and CBC |
| Effect on skin-cell lipid production (lab) | Increased it | Increased it |
| Studied in people | No published studies found | A few small studies |
| In Formula Swiss oils (April 2026 certificates) | Not measured | 0.53% to 7.28% in six oils |
The CBG figures come from our CBG guide and the CBG vs CBD comparison, which list the certificate values for each oil.
What are CBGV's effects?
Everything known so far comes from cells and receptor assays, which don't show what happens in the body.
| Target | Type of study | What was reported |
|---|---|---|
| CB1 and CB2 receptors | Lab: cells expressing human receptors | Agonist-like behaviour, with enhanced potency in many functional tests; results depended on the assay and reference ligand (Navarro et al., 2020) |
| TRPV1 channel | Lab: cells expressing human TRPV1 | CBGV stimulated and then desensitised the channel, as CBD, CBG and THCV did (De Petrocellis et al., 2011) |
| Skin oil cells (sebocytes) | Lab: human SZ95 sebocytes | CBGV, like CBG, increased basal lipid production (Oláh et al., 2016) |
Searches for "CBGV effects" often turn up claims about appetite, metabolism or pain. We found no human studies behind those claims. For how the receptors themselves work, see our guide to the endocannabinoid system.
Is CBGV psychoactive?
CBGV has not been tested for intoxicating effects in people. Researchers class it with the non-psychotropic phytocannabinoids, alongside CBG, CBC, CBDV and THCV (Oláh et al., 2016), and in a trial of its relative CBG, a single 20 mg dose produced no subjective drug effects or impairment (Cuttler et al., 2024). For the cannabinoids that do cause a high, see which cannabinoids are psychoactive.
Is CBGV in Formula Swiss oils?
We don't know, because CBGV is not one of the cannabinoids our certificates of analysis measure. They do measure its relative CBG, as well as the varins CBDV and THCV; the April 2026 certificates found CBDV at 0.05% in two oils and THCV in none. You can check every result on our test results page. All our oils are in the CBD oil collection.
Frequently asked questions
What is CBGV?
CBGV, or cannabigerivarin (also spelled cannabigerovarin), is a minor cannabinoid from cannabis. It has the same structure as CBG except for a shorter, three-carbon side chain.
How is CBGV different from CBG?
CBGV has a propyl (three-carbon) side chain and CBG a pentyl (five-carbon) one. CBGV comes from the acid CBGVA, CBG from CBGA, and CBG is far better studied.
What are the effects of CBGV?
Only laboratory effects are known: CBGV acted on CB1 and CB2 receptors in cell assays, stimulated the TRPV1 channel and increased lipid production in skin oil cells. No human studies have been published.
Is CBGV psychoactive?
It is classed as non-psychotropic, but it has not been tested in people. Its relative CBG produced no subjective drug effects or impairment in a human trial.
What is CBGVA?
CBGVA, or cannabigerovarinic acid, is the acid form of CBGV and the precursor of varin cannabinoids such as THCV. Heat converts CBGVA into CBGV.
Related guides
This article summarises published research. It is not medical advice. Formula Swiss oils are cosmetics for use on the skin, and our pet oils are for external use. See our full disclaimer.
Last reviewed:
Sources
- Shoyama Y, Hirano H, Oda M, Somehara T, Nishioka I. Cannabichromevarin and cannabigerovarin, two new propyl homologues of cannabichromene and cannabigerol. Chem Pharm Bull 1975;23(8):1894–1895. doi:10.1248/cpb.23.1894
- Shoyama Y, Hirano H, Makino H et al. Cannabis. X. The isolation and structures of four new propyl cannabinoid acids … from Thai cannabis, 'Meao variant'. Chem Pharm Bull 1977;25(9):2306–2311. doi:10.1248/cpb.25.2306
- Shaw WM, Zhang Y, Lu X et al. Screening microbially produced Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol using a yeast biosensor workflow. Nat Commun 2022;13:5509. doi:10.1038/s41467-022-33207-x
- Navarro G, Varani K, Lillo A et al. Pharmacological data of cannabidiol- and cannabigerol-type phytocannabinoids acting on cannabinoid CB1, CB2 and CB1/CB2 heteromer receptors. Pharmacol Res 2020;159:104940. doi:10.1016/j.phrs.2020.104940
- De Petrocellis L, Ligresti A, Moriello AS et al. Effects of cannabinoids and cannabinoid-enriched Cannabis extracts on TRP channels and endocannabinoid metabolic enzymes. Br J Pharmacol 2011;163(7):1479–1494. doi:10.1111/j.1476-5381.2010.01166.x
- Oláh A, Markovics A, Szabó-Papp J et al. Differential effectiveness of selected non-psychotropic phytocannabinoids on human sebocyte functions. Exp Dermatol 2016;25(9):701–707. doi:10.1111/exd.13042
- Cuttler C, Stueber A, Cooper ZD, Russo E. Acute effects of cannabigerol on anxiety, stress, and mood: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover, field trial. Sci Rep 2024;14:16163. doi:10.1038/s41598-024-66879-0
- Hillig KW. Genetic evidence for speciation in Cannabis (Cannabaceae). Genet Resour Crop Evol 2005;52:161–180. doi:10.1007/s10722-003-4452-y
- Hillig KW, Mahlberg PG. A chemotaxonomic analysis of cannabinoid variation in Cannabis (Cannabaceae). Am J Bot 2004;91(6):966–975. doi:10.3732/ajb.91.6.966
- PubChem. Cannabigerivarin (CID 59444407). National Library of Medicine.
- Formula Swiss. Certificates of analysis, report 260410_A01 (analysed 8 April 2026).
