An Endocannabinoid System Story

The use of Cannabis dates back many centuries ago, the oldest known use so far dates back to at least 5000 years ago – when cannabis was burned for its intoxicating fumes on a remote mountain plateau in Central Asia. The Cannabis plant has been revered by many different cultures, such as the ancient cultures throughout Asia like the Tao and Hinduism. As it’s spreading seeds to other parts of the world, other traditions of the reverence of Cannabis arose. Today, there are millions of people around the world who interact with her in all kinds of forms and with all kinds of different intentions. She is drawing more and more attention towards herself, as more people start to become aware of the healing she has to offer on a physical, emotional, mental and spiritual level.

Although Cannabis has been used for centuries by many cultures, it wasn’t until the 60’s that we discovered what the active compounds of this magical plant were. Dr. Raphael Mechoulam and his team isolated CBD (Cannabidiol) and THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) for the first time. But how do these chemicals interact with the human body? This led to the discovery of the ‘Endocannabinoid System’ and today we like to share with you the beauty of nature, of the human body and of the interaction of plants with our bodies.

What is the Endocannabinoid System?

The Endocannabinoid system can be seen as a biochemical communication system that interacts with different systems throughout your body. It promotes Homeostasis, which means ‘Stability of the Inner World’. This is a state in which your body is balanced and all the systems within your body work together harmoniously and communicate with one another. The state of your body influences your thoughts and emotions and vice versa do your thoughts and emotions influence the state of your body. So you can imagine that when the body is in Homeostasis, it supports the stability of all levels of your inner world: also your emotions and thoughts…

Cannabinoids

At another moment we will share a more in depth story with you about cannabinoids, but for the now it is enough to know that cannabinoids can be divided into two groups: Endocannabinoids and Phyto cannabinoids.
‘Endo-‘ means ‘within’ and endocannabinoids are produced by and found within the human body. The most common known endocannabinoids are Anandamide and 2-AG.
‘Phyto-‘ means ‘plant’. Phyto cannabinoids are a group of active compounds found within the cannabis plant, of which CBD and THC are the best known.

Receptors

The Endocannabinoid system responds to internal and external circumstances by balancing the body and strengthening its self-regulative ability. It does so by receptors, which are found throughout all of your body, to which cannabinoids can bind themselves. These cannabinoids are like keys (agonists) that fit into certain locks: the receptors. They unlock (activate) the receptor, which sparks off a biological chain reaction. In other words: the human body (and actually all mammals) have a system that is highly receptive to the cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant.

So far there have been discovered 7 different kinds of receptors in your body that respond to cannabinoids, of which the CB1 en the CB2 receptors are the two most known.

CB1 Receptors

CB1 receptors are mainly found within your brain and your central nervous system. They support memory, cognitive functioning and regulate appetite and pain management. It are the Phyto cannabinoids from the cannabis plant that bind to these receptors in the brain that causes the psychoactive effect of Cannabis.
These CB1 receptors interact with the amygdala in your brain. This is the part of your brain that is responsible for motivation and emotions, especially with your response to anxiety. This starts to gives us an understanding of how Cannabis can help us deal with depression, anxiety and other mood regulated disorders.

Your central nervous system responds to inner and outer influences, which can get your body aroused and activate the fight-flight response of your parasympathic nervous system (which is a part of your central nervous system and associated with our subconscious mind). You can learn how to relax your nervous system, which makes you more resilient to stressful situations and Cannabis holds valuable teachings for us how… 

In lesser amounts the CB1 receptors are found in other parts of your body as well: in organs and tissues like the endocrine glands, white blood cells, spleen and parts of the reproductive, urinary and gastrointestinal tract.

CB2 receptors

These were discovered after the discovery of the CB1 receptors. CB2 receptors are mainly found on immune cells and in your gastrointestinal system and spleen. When the CB2 receptors are activated, they stimulate a high anti-inflammatory effect within your body, boosting your immune system as inflammation is one of the primary causes for a variety of diseases and conditions. This anti-inflammatory effect reduces pain and minimize damage in the tissue area. Your CB2 receptors have the therapeutic potential to treat conditions that are cause by what we call ‘hyper-inflammation’, such as AIDS, multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease.

CB2 receptors are found within your gastrointestinal system, where they play an important role in the treatment of inflammation-related conditions such as IBS (Irregular Bowel Syndrome) and Crohn’s disease.

Dopamine is the chemical found within your body that influences an area in your brain called the ‘ventral tegmental’, which is responsible for your reward response and addiction. When the CB2 receptors are activated they help modulate brain dopamine related behaviours, offering a potential support in the treatment of addiction and addiction related behaviour.

Receptor GPR18, TRPV1, GPR55, TRPV2 & GPR119

These receptors have been less deeply studied than the CB1 and CB2 receptors. We know that GPR18, TRPV1 and GPR55 are all involved in pain regulation. GPR18 is also known to play a role in neurodegenerative diseases.
TRPV2 is involved in complex physiological processes such as immunity, the endocrine system, circulatory sytems and muscle function.
GPR119 is a receptor that is involved in appetite and regulating insulin and therefor scientist are interested in this receptor for its potential role in the treatment of obesity and diabetes.

The role of the Endocannabinoid system in our early development

The endocannabinoid system plays a vital role in our early development. It helps regulate the anandamide levels in the ovaries, which is essential for the successful transport of the pre-implantation embryo and a successful outcome in terms of an unimpaired pregnancy.

Endocannabinoids and the CB(1) receptor play an important role in the brain development of the fetus and can support the fetus dealing with stress.

High amounts of the endocannabinoid 2-AG are found within the maternal milk and it plays a critical role in milk suckling, as it activates the tongue muscles.

Although still little is known, these findings could support us in the perceptions we have about the use of cannabis during pregnancy, birth and postpartum time.

Summary

Your endocannabinoid system works as a well-being agent within your body. When it notices an imbalance within your body, it will communicate with the different systems within your body, stimulating them to operate as one unified whole to promote homeostasis within your body: stability of your inner worlds. As within, so without …