Our body has an Endo-what system??? Believe it or not, your body has its own physiological system that cannabis compounds, such as CBD and THC, interact with. Most people are mind blown when they first hear this! The fact is there is a large communication network in your body that is called the Endocannabinoid System. This system is made up of receptors (acting like antennas to receive a signal), endocannabinoids (molecules our body makes to interact with these receptors), and enzymes (break down the endocannabinoids). Not to get to sciency here but the prefix “Endo” means within the body and a cannabinoid is simply a cannabis.
What is even more crazy about this very little-known system is scientists did not discover this system existed until the early 1990’s. How did they discover this system you might ask? The Endocannabinoid System was discovered by a team of researchers studying different compounds of the cannabis plant including the most well know cannabinoid, THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). The reason why I think it is important for you to know that researchers only discovered this system about 30 years ago is important to keep in mind because that means a lot of the science of cannabis we are still learning and still have a lot to learn. Even though we still have a lot to learn about this fascinating system, it is very clear the Endocannabinoid System play a vital role in things like:
- Sleep
- Mood
- Appetite
- Memory
- Reproduction and Fertility
- Digestion
- Chronic Pain
- Inflammation
- Learning and Memory
- Motor Control
- Cardiovascular Function
- Muscle Function
- Bone Function
- Liver Function
- Stress
- Skin and Nerve Function
In general, the purpose of the Endocannabinoid System is to help regulate different types of stress and help your body maintain its internal balance/homeostasis. As a matter of fact, your body produces its own molecules during stress that are structurally similar to cannabis molecules such as CBD and THC. One of the key functions of these biological molecules Is to help calm your body down after a brief period of high stress. Think about this example for a second, you have to slam on your brakes to avoid a car accident. What is the first thing you will notice? Your heart rate increases, your breathing increases, and you may even begin to sweat among many other responses. This is where the Endocannabinoid system can come into play. The Endocannabinoid system will swiftly make key molecules (anandamide and 2-AG) which will help calm the body down and bring you back towards your balance point.
As far as the nitty gritty of how things like CBD and THC interact with the Endocannabinoid System I will keep this fairly brief. There are essentially two main, but many other, receptors on your cells that cannabinoids (CBD/THC) interact with. These two receptors are called Cannabinoid 1 (CB1) and Cannabinoid 2 (CB2). THC binds to both these receptors on their main docking site whereas CBD may interact with the receptors slightly different which is why they both can have different effects. As we all know, THC is responsible for the “high” or intoxicating feeling people associate cannabis with. On the other hand, CBD does not produce a ”high” or intoxicating effect. Although both CB1 and CB2 receptors are located all over the body, for the most part CB1 receptors are heavily concentrated in the brain and spinal cord whereas CB2 receptors are heavily concentrated on immune cells.
The previous example of slamming on the brakes to avoid a car accident is simply just one example of many demonstrating the importance and widespread magnitude of the Endocannabinoid System on our general health and during everyday life. As mentioned before, the Endocannabinoid System also plays a key role in the things like immune system, digestive system, metabolism, memory, sleep, temperature control, pain, inflammation, appetite control, energy levels and more. Seems like a pretty important system huh? The truth is many health professionals are not taught or don’t understand the importance of the Endocannabinoid System and how managing it can alleviate many symptoms people struggle with on a day-to-day basis including pain, inflammation, sleep disturbances, mood imbalances, migraines, epilepsy, PTSD, addiction and so much more.
This is where we as The Total Health Company steps in. Our mission is to truly help educate every client of ours to be able to navigate this tricky space of cannabis. We provide premium hemp-derived products that have been rigorously independent lab tested several times along the way from seed to shelf. All our products have a QR code for ease of viewing the actual lab reading for every batch of our products. It should be noted that finding a high-quality product is simply step one. Once you have a high-quality hemp product, now the next step is determining method of ingestion, timing, dosing, and how hemp fits within your overall wellness plan. Once again, that is why our company was born! We are here to provide education and a one stop location for high quality products in addition to high quality education around how you can best fit hem-derived products into your life!
Finally, there is a medical hypothesis known as Clinical Endocannabinoid Deficiency (CECD). Clinical Endocannabinoid Deficiency is a hypothesis suggesting that some conditions that seem to be extremely hard to treat with current medical practices may have a connection to the Endocannabinoid System in which it is functional sub optimally. The reason for this could be many things and is outside the scope of this blog. The main point is targeting the Endocannabinoid System using something like CBD or THC may be the missing piece of the puzzle for certain conditions that are hard to treat such as fibromyalgia, migraines, and irritable bowel syndrome.
*DISCLAIMER: The information presented in this post is for informational purposes ONLY and not intended to be taken as medical advice. Our products at The Total Health Company are NOT intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Please consult your healthcare team before using any cannabis based products.
