First, some background: Cannabinoids are the active compounds in marijuana. The most popular cannabinoids— THC, CBD, CBN etc.— derive exclusively from cannabis sativa. These are called phytocannabinoids.( The fun ones.) Those cannabinoids produced by the body itself are called endocannabinoids. As you read this, your body is converting essential fatty acids into its own cannabinoids. We’ re not alone; virtually every animal on the planet is doing the exact same thing.
Discovered in the 1980s, the endocanabbinoid system refers to the assorted cannabinoid receptors scattered throughout our bodies. These specially shaped receptors trigger a host of correcting measures within the body and can only be activated by similarly shaped molecules. These molecules we call cannabinoids, and both phyto- and endocannabinoids alike stimulate cannabinoid receptors, which is why some scientists insist on calling it“ the cannabinoid system.” Cannabinoid receptors are most heavily concentrated inside our brain, reproductive organs and immune system, especially the spleen. Researchers have distinguished at least two different kinds of receptors, which they’ ve dubbed CB1( generally those regulating the brain and nervous system) and CB2( generally those regulating the immune system).
How it all works, using a real worldish example …
Say a swarm of DEA agent storms through your door and during the raid decides to rough you up a bit. Nanoseconds after the first agent’ s nightstick crashes into your cranium, endocannabinoids flood the affected area to prevent further oxidation( brain damage) outright and also send feedback to. Anandamide— the town crier of endocannabinoids— calls for reinforcements. Droves of microglia— effectively the white blood cells of the central nervous system— arrive on the scene soon thereafter to provide structural support to damaged nerve cells and join with cannabinoids in protecting surrounding healthy cells. If that description seems a bit simplistic, that’ s because the details remain murky even to those doing first-hand research. Anandamide’ s relationship to microglia was first noted in 2010 by neurobiologists of the Spanish Research Council, but even they admitted,“ Little is known about the mechanisms by which [ anandamide ] exerts these effects.”
We do know that it’ s not only injuries and trauma that arouse the endocannabinoid system’ s assistance. Its main function is evidently to maintain homeostasis i. e. making sure the body’ s cells, tissue and organs are doing their jobs and doing them well. Put simply, that no function or system is out-of-whack. Numerous studies conducted over the past two decades— many available for viewing at PubMed— establish that the endocannabinoid system plays roles in regulating our metabolism, appetite, immune systems, reproductive systems and sleep cycles. If the human body were a grow room, the endocannabinoid system would be the atmosphere controller. So even in the traumatic months and years following your raid and arrest at the hands of federal authorities, your endocannabinoid system remains vigilantly at work, neutralizing the ample stress-induced free
radicals wreaking havoc on your body, all while keeping your immune system abreast of the situation and two-steps ahead of the curve.
A healthy endocannabinoid system— especially one bolstered by phytocannabinoid supplementation— plays a critical role in preventing virtually every age-related illness presently plaguing Western man and woman. This includes Alzheimer’ s disease and most forms of cancer. And not just prevention in the latter’ s case. A sufficiently stimulated endocannabinoid system is up to the task of clearing the body of established cancers. The anti-tumor effects of cannabinoids have been corroborated by researchers from Harvard( 2007 study) to Madrid. In 2009, Spanish researchers at Complutense University discovered that by mediating autophagy, cannabinoids are able to induce“ tumor cell death” i. e. cure cancer.“ The uncovering of this pathway, which we believe is novel, for promoting tumor cell death may have therapeutic implications in the treatment of cancer,” concluded the team to the sound of crickets.( Such a pathway would also help explain the mounds of existing empirical data and anecdotal evidence pointing to high potency hash oil as a literal cure for most kinds of cancer).
You don’ t need to smoke or otherwise consume copious amounts of cannabis to maintain a healthy endocannabinoid system … although it helps. Turns out, both anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol are eicosanoids, meaning they’ re derived from Omega-3s or Omega-6s. Omega-3s provide the main raw material for endocannabinoid production, so three cheers for fish oil. So vital to the endocannabinoid System are Omega-3s, that in 2011 a French research team found that depriving lab rats of Omega-3s“ abolish [ ed ] endocannabinoid-mediated neuronal functions,” degraded their overall health, and shortened lifespans. Among their conclusions:“ These findings identify a plausible synaptic substrate for the behavioral alterations caused by the n-3 PUFAs [ Omega-3s ] deficiency that is often observed in Western diets.” Translation: We’ ve always suspected Westerners’ tendency to avoid fish makes them sick and unhappy; now we think we know why.
The already vast body of research regarding cannabinoid receptors and the endocannabinoid system continues to expand rapidly. The above summary is by no means an allinclusive list of cannabinoids’ biological roles and potential. But the best available research overwhelmingly shows that a fully stimulated endocannabinoid system is critical to achieving optimum health. This entails not only eating your fruits but also smoking your vegetables, or juicing them.
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