Endocannabinoid System: How Does It Work?

It doesn’t matter if you’ve ever tried marijuana or hemp products before. You still have an Endocannabinoid System (ECS). The ECS is an integral part of our body and plays a vital role in helping to maintain overall health and wellness.

In the following article, we will take a closer look at the ECS, what it is, how it works, and the role that cannabinoids play in the ECS.

There have been various studies into the Endocannabinoid System, all looking to uncover more about how this system works and how we can better influence it to alleviate different conditions and illnesses.

Key Takeaways:

• The Endocannabinoid System (ECS) plays a crucial role in maintaining bodily balance and homeostasis.
• Its key components include endocannabinoids, cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2), and enzymes.
• Cannabinoids like CBD and THC interact with the ECS, helping regulate functions such as sleep, immunity, and mood.
• ECS dysfunction may result in various health issues like discomfort, migraines, or immune irregularities.
• Enhancing ECS function through plant-based cannabinoids, omega-3-rich diets, and stress management promotes overall wellness.

What Is the Endocannabinoid System?

The Endocannabinoid System (ECS) plays a key role in maintaining harmony within the body. Through receptors (CB1 and CB2) and naturally occurring molecules called endocannabinoids, the ECS influences functions like sleep, stress, immunity, digestion, and pain regulation. Cannabinoids from hemp and cannabis like CBD and THC interact with this system to boost its efficiency, offering potential relief for various health conditions. Scientists continue to study its broader impacts.

What Is the Endocannabinoid System Made Of?

The Endocannabinoid System consists of three key components: endocannabinoids (natural compounds), cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2), and enzymes that break down endocannabinoids after use, all working together to maintain balance within the body.

When and How Was The ECS Discovered?

Believe it or not, Scientists did not discover the Endocannabinoid System first. Before scientists discovered the Endocannabinoid System, the CB1 and CB2 receptors.
In 1988, a study funded by the United States government identified receptors (cannabinoid receptors) in the brain that responded to cannabinoids.

After the discovery of the CB1 and CB2 receptors, scientists uncovered naturally occurring neurotransmitters known as endocannabinoids. Dr. Lumir Hanus, together with American researcher Dr. William Devane, discovered the endocannabinoid anandamide.

Later, the same team discovered another major endocannabinoid, 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), and some lesser-known endocannabinoids, noladin ether (2-AGE), homo-gamma-lineleoul ethanolamide, and docosatetraenoul ethanolamide (DEA).

In their journey to learn more about endocannabinoids and phytocannabinoids (cannabinoids that come from plants), they discovered an unknown molecular signaling system involved with regulating a broad range of biological functions. This system was the Endocannabinoid System (ECS).

What Role Does the ECS Play?

The ECS performs various tasks for us, but its goal is to maintain a balanced and stable environment within our body regardless of any external influences. The ECS is responsible for creating and maintaining homeostasis within our body.

When our body notices that something isn’t right, it synthesizes endocannabinoids, interacting with the cannabinoid receptors. This interaction triggers a chemical response that is designed to bring the whole system back into homeostasis.

However, sometimes our body doesn’t produce enough endocannabinoids, and the system breaks down. This condition is known as Clinical Endocannabinoid Deficiency. Many Chiropractors selling CBD know about this condition.

There are a variety of different reasons why this could happen, including our body not producing enough endocannabinoids, not enough cannabinoid receptors

Outside medications could also impact the number of endocannabinoids that our body produces or too many enzymes that are responsible for breaking down the endocannabinoids that our body produces.

Scientists have learned that phytocannabinoids found in hemp or marijuana, such as cannabidiol (CBD) or tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), could be used to boost our deficiency, providing relief to a variety of different conditions or illnesses.

The ECS is extremely complicated, and scientists haven’t yet fully determined how it works or all of the different roles that it plays, but they believe the ECS is linked to the following processes:

• appetite and digestion
• metabolism
• pain management
• immune system responses
• mood
• learning and memory
• motor control
• sleep
• cardiovascular system function
• muscle formation
• bone and liver health
• reproductive system
• stress
• skin and nerve function

How Do Endocannabinoids and Phytocannabinoids Interact With Each Other and The ECS?

There are over one hundred different cannabinoids that can be found in both the hemp and marijuana plants. While both plants belong to the same plant family, cannabis sativa, look and smell remarkably similar, they are both, in fact, vastly different. Hemp is high in CBD and low in THC, while marijuana is high in THC and low in CBD.

How does THC interact with the endocannabinoid system?

Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is one of the main cannabinoids found in marijuana and is responsible for the ‘euphoric high’ that many people experience when using marijuana products. When you consume marijuana, THC binds with receptors in the ECS. THC is powerful because it can bind with both the CB1 and CB2 receptors. Because of the way it binds with receptors, THC can produce beneficial and not-so-beneficial results.

How does CBD interact with the endocannabinoid system?

Cannabidiol (CBD), unlike THC, doesn’t get you high at all. Not only won’t it get you high, but CBD also has very little in the way of unwanted or negative side effects. Experts are a little stumped with how CBD interacts with the ECS because, unlike THC, it doesn’t bind with either the CB1 or CB2 receptors. Many experts believe that CBD Isolate Powder works by preventing endocannabinoids from being broken down by the body quickly, giving them more time to perform their role in the ECS. Others believe that CBD could potentially bind with a receptor that we haven’t even discovered yet. Either way, CBD bioavailability is an important component of the ECS interaction.

Recognizing Endocannabinoid System Dysfunction

The ECS plays a vital role in maintaining balance in the body. Indicators of dysfunction include sleep disturbances, mood swings, discomfort, or immune irregularities. More complex health issues like migraines or IBS may also signal ECS imbalances. Factors such as reduced cannabinoid receptor activity and lower endocannabinoid levels are commonly associated with clinical endocannabinoid deficiency, necessitating possible therapeutic intervention.

Are There Ways to Enhance the ECS?

Enhancing the ECS involves natural methods such as consuming plant-based cannabinoids, adopting an omega-3-rich diet to boost endocannabinoid production, and engaging in physical activity that supports ECS function. Stress management, through yoga or mindfulness, also plays a key role. These steps ensure improved ECS function, promoting overall health, balance, and homeostasis within the body.

The Bottom Line

As you can see, scientists have uncovered quite a lot about the ECS in a relatively short period of time, but we still have a long way to go before we fully understand how the ECS works and the role of cannabinoids such as CBD and THC play in it.

As the legalization of cannabis continues in various countries, scientists are getting more of an opportunity to study cannabis and how it interacts with the body, including the endocannabinoid system.

If you have any comments or questions about the ECS or would like to learn more, please don’t hesitate to comment or check out any of the links below.

References

• The Endocannabinoid System as an Emerging Target of Pharmacotherapy – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2241751/
• What Is Homeostasis – https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-is-homeostasis/