Think of the endocannabinoid system, or ECS, as a system that lies over or interfaces with all of the other systems throughout your entire body. All mammals have it to regulate both physical functions, such as movement, pain sensation, and immune responses, and cognitive or mental functions, like perception, mood and memory.
The ECS modulates different systems in your body, including the release of hormones related to stress as well as reproductive functions such as fertility. Scientists who are studying the ECS consider this system to be the most important because of how omnipresent it is.
TLDR: A well-functioning ECS works to bring all of your systems into balance. The technical term for this is homeostasis. It comes into play when we do anything – when we eat, sleep, relax, exercise, have sex, during pregnancy, and even when nursing a baby.
The human body makes its own cannabinoids, aka endocannabinoids
Our body creates endocannabinoids and they are present throughout the body. They are essentially our body’s internal cannabis molecules without having to actually consume cannabis. And the ECS is signaling and interacting with them continuously. Therefore, when phytocannabinoids are introduced to your body when you consume cannabis, they swiftly bind to your body’s receptor’s to stimulate, supplement and nourish your ECS, promoting balance, improving health and managing conditions.
You can think of CB1 and CB2 receptors as keys to the entire system.
These receptors control the signals that are firing away throughout your entire body.
- CB1 receptors are found mostly in the brain and central nervous system, connective tissues, glands and organs.
- CB2 receptors are found mostly in your immune system and peripheral nervous system.
Does endocannabinoid mean I have cannabis in my body?
No cannabis is actually a part of this system.
If we break down the word “endocannabinoid” we get:
- Endogenous = something produced naturally inside of the human body
- Cannabinoid = alludes to cannabis only because these molecules were discovered in the 1990s during cannabis research
What’s the significance of the ECS?
Some scientists think that many human ailments and diseases – including pain, inflammation, multiple sclerosis, neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, Tourette’s and Alzheimer’s as well as epilepsy, glaucoma, osteoporosis and cancer – stem from an imbalance or weakness in the ECS.
Therefore, phytocannabinoids, aka plant cannabinoids like the cannabinoids found in cannabis, can successfully treat these conditions. When they enter our body, they are able to easily connect with our ECS to provide the various effects we have familiar experiencing.
Keep in mind that CBD and THC are only two out of over 100 identified cannabinoids in the cannabis plant. That’s more than any other plant in nature. This singular plant has boundless potential to work with our bodies to enhance our health and wellbeing. We are only beginning to understand how and why cannabis works for us.
