We're lucky to live in a world that is always evolving.
Advances in science continue to gather apace, and with that, new discoveries about ways we can improve our health and wellness constantly emerge. One such discovery, decades in the making, has emphasized the important link between the endocannabinoid system and cannabis.
The great news is that this link is profound, and, more importantly for us, we can leverage it to improve our health and quality of life naturally.
The Endocannabinoid System and Cannabis
The endogenous cannabinoid system was named for the plant that led to its discovery. It's one of the most important systems we have in our bodies. By understanding this system, we can see a truly incredible connection between brain activity and our overall health.
Endocannabinoids act as an important bridge between mind and body and they help us maintain optimal balance in our body. They are like chemical messengers and they're found in the brain, the organs, the glands, the immune cells and connective tissues.
So, what's the connection between the endocannabinoid system and cannabis?
Through the endocannabinoid system, our body naturally produce endogenous cannabinoids. These chemicals are found in the cannabis plant.
If the endocannabinoid system and cannabis work together, the potential health benefits are compelling.
We're talking about the awesome potential to cure disease, treat symptoms, and, incredibly, prevent diseases from taking hold of the body in the first place.
The endocannabinoid system and cannabis can produce a natural cure.
Interested to find out more?
Great! Let's jump right in.
What exactly is the Endocannabinoid System?
First identified in the 1980s, the endocannabinoid system is the name for a series of cell receptors that respond to chemical molecules or agonists. There are two primary cell receptors:
- Cannabinoid Receptor 1 (CB1) – Located in the nervous system, connective tissues, gonads, glands, and organs
- Cannabinoid Receptor 2 (CB2) – Found in the immune system, lymph cells, endocrine glands, reproductive organs, gastrointestinal tract, peripheral nervous system, kidneys, heart, liver, spleen, kidneys, bones, and blood vessels
Cannabinoid receptors are believed to be more numerous than any other receptor system. When they are stimulated, different physiologic processes are produced.
Sometimes these receptors are stimulated by compounds that are produced naturally in the body. This comes in the form of endocannabinoids.
The primary endocannabinoid that has received most research to date is THC. THC is the chemical that allows for most of marijuana's psychological effects.
The link between the endocannabinoid system and cannabis is so strong because one has informed the other. Cannabinoids were discovered in plants first.
The Endocannabinoid System and Illness
Because cannabinoid receptors are found naturally throughout the body, they have a variety of functions.
They help regulate the following:
- Digestion
- Hunger/Appetite
- Sleep
- Fertility
- Mood
- Temperature
- Memory
- Pleasure and reward
- Pain
Endocannabinoids are always trying to help maintain balance in the body (homeostasis). That is their primary goal.
But, when the endocannabinoid system is disrupted in any way, the body can fall out of balance and produce illness and disease. In fact, disease is a result of some aspect of failure in achieving homeostasis.
As a result, a fully functional cannabinoid system is essential for human health and, the endocannabinoid system should be a powerful target for medical applications.
Enhancing the Endocannabinoid System
So, can an individual enhance his/her cannabinoid system by modulating the activity of the endocannabinoid system?
In a word, yes.
The endocannabinoid system is the body's most central physiologic healing system.
Research has shown that regulating the endocannabinoid system holds huge promise in producing natural cures to chronic diseases and conditions.
A wide range of illnesses are shown to improve when the endocannabinoid system is modulated.
Current evidence points to the endocannabinoid system as being a potential therapeutic target for the following list of disorders:
- Anxiety disorders
- Mood disorders
- Movement disorders like Parkinson's Disease and Huntington's Disease
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Spinal Injury
- Hypertension
- Stroke
- Osteoporosis
- Metabolic Syndrome
- Cancer
- Arthritis
- Chronic Pain
- Glaucoma
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Epilepsy
- Alzheimers Disease
The therapeutic potential of cannabinoids would appear to be vast.
So, how best to stimulate the endocannabinoid system?
The Endocannabinoid System and Cannabis
We all live in a world where we are handed a range of different drugs containing all kinds of toxic ingredients whenever illness invades our body.
But, our bodies have an incredible ability to heal themselves.
Researchers from all parts of the world have long since come to acknowledge the vast medical potential of the endocannabinoid system.
What if we could find a natural and safe way to stimulate the self-healing power we already have?
The truth is, we have already found it. Hundreds of years ago.
The indigenous medical systems of ancient China and Tibet knew this, and now, increasingly, the modern world is catching up.
Herbal cannabis and medical cannabis offer a powerful solution to human illness.
Despite the best efforts of the DEA to deny the healing power of cannabis, a growing body of research indicates that medical cannabis could be the most useful and powerful remedy to treat an extensive list of diseases and conditions.
Today, the DEA continue to block researchers from accessing cannabis, and thousands of people have suffered and continue to do so because they cannot access plant-based medications that have the potential to stimulate the endocannabinoid system further, thereby producing natural cures.
The Power of the Endocannabinoid System and Cannabis
Although its long-term effects continue to be debated (and will continue for some time) the evidence shows that cannabis poses no risk of overdose and minimal risk of addiction.
It's also believed that the psychoactive properties of cannabis are, in the main, most likely temporary and there is no risk of brain damage is with long-term use.
Of course, the use of cannabis should always be approached with caution, but if the evidence suggests that is largely safe, it is certainly worth consideration as a natural cure for a variety of debilitating illnesses and diseases.
Though some cannabis-derived drugs are already FDA-approved for pain, we have really only scratched the surface in terms of what cannabis may do for illnesses.
What is beyond any doubt is that endocannabinoid system is vital for our health.
It has enormous potential to help us help ourselves: It offers us the glorious chance to heal our own bodies from within.
Surely, we should be doing everything we possibly can to leverage that power?