Gorilla Glue #4 (GG4): Cultivar Profile With Sources, Lineage Claims and Lab Data Limits

Identity

Gorilla Glue #4, shortened to GG4, is a retail cultivar name (often called a strain). Leafly now lists it as "Original Glue", with the aliases "GG4" and "Glue", and a related listing says "f.k.a. Gorilla Glue 4". [1][2] Seed-listing pages use still other spellings such as "Gorilla GG4" and "GG #4". [3][4] The reason for the rename is not stated in the sources read, so it is not verified. If you see any of these names, you cannot tell from the name alone whether the plant comes from the same source.

Breeder attribution is reported: Leafly credits GG Strains LLC and names its founders, while a seed-company page spells one founder's name differently. [1][2][4] Reported lineage, with confidence marked reported:

• Leafly: a cross of Chem's Sister, Sour Dubb and Chocolate Diesel. [1]
• A seed-listing description names the same three lines. [3]
• A seed-company origin story says a Chem Sis plant produced seeds after pollen reached a Sour Dubb plant, and a friend kept some seeds. This is folklore from a seller, not a documented record. [4]

No genetic study of the cultivar's parentage was found. See lineage claims and breeder attribution.

Classification

The common retail label is hybrid. Leafly gives it as 63% indica and 37% sativa, and calls it indica-dominant on a related page. [1][2] That split comes from a listing, not a chemical measurement. A 2019 genetic study of 30 retail strain names found no clear genetic support for the sativa, indica and hybrid categories in online databases. [5] Cannabinoid dominance is not documented in a readable source for this cultivar beyond THC being the measured analyte below, so dominance is recorded as unknown. See why labels do not predict effects.

Appearance

Leafly describes chunky, resin-covered buds. [1] This is a reported description from a commercial site.

Aroma and constituents

Leafly reports pungent, earthy and sour aromas and names caryophyllene as the dominant terpene. [1] No readable batch-level terpene result for GG4 was found, so that is an attributed claim, not a measurement, and no terpene percentages are given. See terpene testing and profiles.

Potency

Verified composition is limited to one retail sample. A 2023 peer-reviewed study bought cannabis flower from licensed Colorado dispensaries and had a third-party laboratory measure total THC by HPLC (a lab method that separates and measures compounds). [6]

[6]

These are the paper's reported values, not recalculated. The label showed a range, and the measured value was below both ends. This is one sample from one dispensary and one lab. It does not describe other GG4. Across all 23 samples in the study, about 70% measured more than 15% below the label. [6] Seed and breeder listings state higher, differing figures; these are marketing claims, not independent lab results, and are not repeated here. See THC vs THCA on a label.

Reported experiences

These are anecdotes, not research. Leafly says customers report feeling relaxed, sleepy and hungry, and that some patients choose it for stress, anxiety and pain. [1] Those statements describe what people said, not what the cultivar does.

Research

Evidence label: insufficient evidence for the cultivar itself. No controlled human trial of GG4 was found. The Europe PMC search I ran for the name returned mostly plant-science and chemistry papers, and I found none testing GG4 as a treatment. Findings for THC do not validate any named cultivar. Evidence labels on this page: insufficient evidence means studies exist but are too few or too weak to judge; preclinical means cells or animals only; "Proper evidence not found" means I looked and found nothing usable.

Safety

The risks of THC-containing cannabis are covered on impairment and driving and adverse effects and use disorder. Because labels can differ from lab results, a number on a label is a poor guide to strength. In the US, Poison Help is 1-800-222-1222; call 911 for emergencies. This is education, not medical or legal advice.