What is our endocannabinoid system?
The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is a recently discovered network within the human body. Scientists studying THC first identified the ECS in the 1990s. The system is named for cannabinoids. The prefix endo- means “within” or “inside.”
Think of it like your body’s air traffic controller. The ECS makes sure that important messages are delivered from the brain to cells and back again – with no traffic jams or detours.
The ECS includes neurotransmitters (chemical signals) and cannabinoid receptors in the brain and all over the body. Those receptors regulate immunity, sleep, mood, learning and memory, appetite and digestion, metabolism, bone and muscle formation, skin and nerve function and motor control. As you can imagine, the ECS plays a significant role in overall health.
How does the ECS work? Your body is always looking for balance, or homeostasis. The ECS helps with that goal, by increasing or decreasing the activity of different systems in the body as needed. The ECS exists (and is active) in your body even if you don’t consume cannabinoids – but those compounds stimulate your body’s receptors. That’s how they influence things like pain, inflammation, sleep, etc.
WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE ECS?
The ECS is made up of two types of cannabinoid receptors, internal neurotransmitters (endocannabinoids) and cannabinoid receptor proteins expressed throughout the central nervous system and peripheral nervous system. The ECS actively regulates functions involved in physiological and cognitive processes. It also contributes to homeostasis by modulating the immune, cardiovascular and reproductive systems.
The endocannabinoids of the ECS are AEA (the predominant player, also known as anandamide and N-arachidonoylethanolamine) and 2-AG (2-arachidonoylglycerol), and the enzymes that break those endocannabinoids down are FAAH (fatty acid amide hydrolase) and MAG lipase (monoacylglycerol lipase).
The two types of cannabinoid receptors vary in both location and function:
CB1 Receptors: Found in the brain and central nervous system. These receptors manage the release of neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine and glutamate. When THC binds to CB1 receptors, it induces the high associated with cannabis by interrupting the release of neurotransmitters.
CB2 Receptors: Found in the peripheral nervous system, these receptors are most abundant in the immune system. They help regulate inflammation, cell survival and proliferation. Think of them as a switch that turns these intracellular processes off and on as needed. Binding to CB2 receptors does not cause any intoxication.
THC VS. CBD WITHIN THE ECS
THC binds to CB1 receptors and interrupts the release of neurotransmitters, which induces a high. THC also binds with CB2 receptors. CBD interacts differently within the ECS, and it does not induce a high. CBD mainly interacts with CB2 receptors in locations like the bloodstream, spleen and liver. (There are some CB2 receptors in the brain, but the CB1 receptors far outnumber them.) It’s important to note that while THC binds to receptors, CBD interacts with them.
When THC is present, CBD antagonizes CB1 receptors to mitigate THC’s high – reducing the intoxicating effect of THC. This distinction is why CBD does not elicit a high and why full spectrum products with high CBD to THC ratios can create a vastly different experience than a high THC product with minimal CBD. However, by interacting with both types of receptors, CBD may boost your ECS’ efficiency, in turn streamlining and managing different bodily processes.