THE ENDOCANNABINOID SYSTEM AT ONE GLANCE

The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is a biochemical communication system in the human body that regulates our physiology, emotions, and daily experiences.
Cannabis has been at the center of one of the most fascinating and underreported scientific breakthroughs in recent history. Research on the effects of marijuana led directly to the discovery of a previously undiscovered biochemical communication mechanism in the human body, the Endocannabinoid System, which regulates our physiology, mood, and daily experience.

The discovery of brain receptors that respond pharmacologically to cannabis, followed by the identification of endogenous cannabinoid chemicals that bind to these receptors, has considerably increased our knowledge of human biology, health, and illness.

Cannabinoids and other components of cannabis can affect numerous physiological systems in the human brain and body, as confirmed by science. Cannabinoids are chemical substances that stimulate cannabinoid receptors (and other receptors). Over one hundred cannabinoids have been found in the cannabis plant. The greatest research has been conducted on tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) among these cannabis compounds. In addition to cannabinoids produced by the cannabis plant, there are other endogenous cannabinoids (such as anandamide and 2AG) that exist naturally in the brain and body of mammals, as well as synthetic cannabinoids developed by pharmaceutical researchers.

Extensive preclinical research about the endocannabinoid system, majority of which was funded by the United States government, suggests that CBD possesses potent anti-tumor, antioxidant, anti-spasmodic, anti-psychotic, anti-convulsant, and neuroprotective characteristics. CBD stimulates serotonin receptors directly, resulting in an anti-anxiety effect.

In recent years, scientists affiliated with the International Cannabinoid Research Society (ICRS) have identified several biochemical routes through which CBD exerts its medicinal effects. For instance, a preclinical study conducted by Dr. Sean McAllister and his colleagues at the California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco demonstrates how CBD destroys breast cancer cells by downregulating the ID-1 gene, which has been linked to multiple aggressive cancers. Thus, silencing the ID-1 gene is a potential cancer therapeutic method.

McAllister states that cannabidiol gives hope for a non-toxic medication that could treat aggressive kinds of cancer without the severe side effects of chemotherapy.

THE ENDOCANNABINOID SYSTEM: CBD & THC interaction

The best outcomes were produced, according to McAllister’s lab, when CBD was administered alongside THC. Multiple studies demonstrate the therapeutic benefits of combining CBD and THC, especially for the treatment of peripheral neuropathy, a painful condition associated with cancer, multiple sclerosis (MS), diabetes, arthritis, and other neurological diseases. Additionally, clinical research undertaken by the British company GW Pharmaceuticals has demonstrated that CBD is most effective as an analgesic when combined with whole-plant THC.

We hope you got a quick look at the endocannabinoid system and that the topic is clearer to you now.