CBDA and CBGA: What Did the 2022 Oregon Study Actually Find?

This article covers a 2022 laboratory study on CBDA, CBGA, and SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins. It does not constitute medical advice. CBDA and CBGA are not approved treatments or preventives for Covid-19 or any other condition. For Covid-19 guidance, follow the advice of public health authorities and your physician.

In January 2022, a study from Oregon State University attracted significant media attention. Published in the Journal of Natural Products by Van Breemen et al., it examined whether certain hemp-derived cannabinoid acids could bind to SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins in laboratory conditions. The findings were widely reported — and widely misreported.

Many news outlets and health websites described the study as showing that CBD or hemp compounds could prevent Covid-19 infection. That is not what the study showed. This article covers what the research actually found, what type of study it was, and why the gap between the findings and the headlines matters.

What Are CBDA and CBGA?

CBDA and CBGA are cannabinoid acids — the raw, unheated forms of CBD and CBG respectively. They occur naturally in fresh cannabis and hemp plants. When the plant material is heated — through smoking, vaping, or cooking — CBDA converts to CBD and CBGA converts to CBG through a process called decarboxylation. Most cannabinoid supplements contain the decarboxylated forms, CBD and CBG. Raw hemp juice, unheated hemp extracts, and some specific supplement formulations retain the acid forms.

CBGA is sometimes called the ‘mother cannabinoid’ because it is the precursor from which CBDA, THCA, and other cannabinoid acids form in the plant. Both CBDA and CBGA are non-intoxicating. Research interest in cannabinoid acids has grown as scientists examine whether they have distinct properties from their decarboxylated counterparts.

What Did the Oregon Study Actually Do?

The Van Breemen et al. study used a technique called affinity selection mass spectrometry to screen hemp extract compounds for their ability to bind to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Spike proteins are the structures the virus uses to attach to and enter human cells — they are the target of most Covid-19 vaccines.

From this screening, two cannabinoid acids stood out: CBDA and CBGA. Both showed binding affinity for the spike protein’s receptor binding domain — the specific part the virus uses to attach to the ACE2 receptor on human cells. The researchers then tested whether this binding prevented the spike protein from attaching to ACE2 in a cell culture model. They found that both CBDA and CBGA reduced spike protein entry into the cell cultures.

The study also tested whether CBDA and CBGA showed activity against the Alpha and Beta variants of SARS-CoV-2, which were the variants of concern at the time of the study. The researchers found similar binding activity against these variants.

What Type of Study Was This — and Why Does That Matter?

This is the most important question for understanding what the study actually means. The Oregon study was an in vitro study. In vitro means ‘in glass’ — it refers to experiments conducted outside of a living organism, in laboratory containers. The cells used were cell cultures in a dish, not cells inside a living human body.

In vitro findings are an important and legitimate first step in research. They allow scientists to observe whether a compound interacts with a target in controlled conditions. However, they do not establish that the same effect occurs in a living organism. The gap between ‘this compound binds to a spike protein in a cell culture’ and ‘this compound prevents Covid-19 infection in humans’ is enormous — and requires animal studies and multiple phases of human clinical trials to bridge.

The Oregon study authors were explicit about this. They noted that their findings represented early-stage research and called for further studies, including animal models and eventually human trials. No such trials have been completed. Consequently, the jump from this study to ‘CBD prevents Covid’ that many media outlets made was not supported by the research.

What the Study Did Not Show

To be specific about what the Oregon study does not establish:

• Taking CBD, CBDA, or CBGA does not prevent Covid-19 infection in humans
• Hemp supplements do not reduce your risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2
• There is no established dose of any cannabinoid that protects against Covid-19
• The study did not examine CBD — it examined CBDA and CBGA, which are different compounds
• CBDA and CBGA are not present in most CBD supplements, which contain decarboxylated CBD
• No regulatory authority has approved any cannabinoid as a Covid-19 preventive or treatment
• The study findings have not been replicated in animal models or human trials

Why Is the Study Still Scientifically Interesting?

Correcting the misreporting does not make the study uninteresting. It is a well-designed early-stage study that uses a sophisticated screening method and identifies a plausible binding mechanism. Several things make it noteworthy.

First, the affinity selection mass spectrometry approach is a legitimate drug discovery technique. Identifying compounds with binding affinity for a viral target is exactly how early antiviral research works. CBDA and CBGA were not the only compounds screened — they stood out from a broader set of hemp-derived molecules.

Second, the spike protein receptor binding domain is a validated antiviral target. Several approved Covid-19 therapeutics work by blocking spike protein interaction with ACE2. The fact that CBDA and CBGA show activity at this target in vitro is a scientifically meaningful observation — it provides a rationale for further research.

Third, the study adds to a broader body of research examining cannabinoid acids as distinct research compounds. CBDA and CBGA have attracted separate research interest in anti-inflammatory and antiemetic contexts. The Oregon study contributes to understanding these compounds independently from their decarboxylated forms.

What Happened to This Research After 2022?

As of the time of writing, no published human clinical trials have followed up on the Van Breemen et al. findings with CBDA or CBGA as Covid-19 preventives. The study generated significant interest but the research pipeline for cannabinoid acids as antivirals remains at the preclinical stage. This is not unusual — the vast majority of promising in vitro findings do not lead to approved therapies. The Covid-19 therapeutic landscape also shifted significantly with the development and approval of specific antivirals and updated vaccines.

Conclusion

The 2022 Oregon State University study by Van Breemen et al. is a legitimate piece of early-stage cannabinoid research. It found that CBDA and CBGA bind to SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins and reduce viral entry in cell cultures. This is an interesting in vitro finding with a plausible mechanism.

However, it does not show that CBD, CBDA, or CBGA prevents Covid-19 in humans. No human trials have tested this. No cannabinoid is approved as a Covid-19 preventive or treatment. The study is worth knowing about accurately — and the difference between what it found and how it was reported is itself a useful lesson in how to read cannabinoid research headlines.

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