What is the Endocannabinoid System?
The human body is fascinating - so many complex systems and networks working together, including systems that we didn’t know existed until relatively recently. Discovered in the early 1990s, the Endocannabinoid System, referred to as the ECS for short, is a complex cell signaling system responsible for maintaining homeostasis in the body, or keeping everything in balance. Named from the cannabis plant, the ECS was discovered while researching THC. It’s essential for understanding the connection between mind and body and is often referred to as one of the most important physiological systems for maintaining health. The Endocannabinoid System influences multiple aspects of health, including memory, mood, appetite, energy, metabolism, immune function, pain, sleep, and the stress response.
Understanding Homeostasis
To understand how the ECS works, we first must understand the concept of homeostasis. In terms of human functioning, homeostasis is the body’s ability and tendency to maintain a stable, constant internal environment despite the external environment.
Think about the dashboard panel on an airplane or automobile. It signals the pilot or driver to the status of the internal environment - temperature, battery status, fuel level, etc. and lets them know if things are operating correctly. Like the internal electronics in planes and cars, our body also monitors itself, constantly regulating things like temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, and hormones. If something jumps out of range, the ECS steps in, signaling for your body to get back in balance. Shivering because you are too cold? Your stomach-churning because you are hungry? Those are both examples of your ECS at work. It’s sending the signals to bring things back in balance.
Breaking Down the ECS
The endocannabinoid system includes endocannabinoids, cannabinoid receptors, and enzymes. These all work together to help the body regulate various processes and maintain a state of normal functioning.
Endocannabinoids
The primary active compounds in the cannabis plant are called cannabinoids (or phytocannabinoids). However, our body also produces cannabinoids, referred to as endocannabinoids. These molecules interact with the endocannabinoid system receptors, sending messages around the body to turn things up or down.
Identified endocannabinoids include:
Anandamide (AEA)
2-arachidonoylglyerol (2-AG)
Cannabinoid Receptors
Cannabinoid receptors are found throughout the human body, serving as a ‘lock’ for cannabinoid (AEA, 2-AG, THC, CBD, etc.) ‘keys.’ When the keys (cannabinoids) engage with a lock (receptors), they activate a signaling process that helps the body to regulate various functions. This process helps to control things like pain, mood, and appetite.
CB1 receptors:
Found primarily in the brain and central nervous system. Also found in lungs, liver, kidneys.
CB2 receptors:
Found primarily in the immune system and peripheral nervous system
Enzymes
After completing their duties, cannabinoids are broken down by the enzymes of the endocannabinoid system:
Fatty acid amide hydrolase (breaks down AEA)
Monoacylglycerol acid lipase (typically breaks down 2-AG)
Functions of the Endocannabinoid System
We are still learning about the ECS and how it impacts human (and animal) health. However, experts believe its primary function is to regulate homeostasis.
So far, research has associated the ECS with the regulation of:
Pain
Inflammation
Immune response
Stress
Metabolism
Appetite
Mood
Learning and memory
Digestion
Bone growth
Live function
Reproductive, cardiovascular, skin, and nerve function
Why Does the ECS Matter for Cannabis Patients?
Having a general understanding of the endocannabinoid system and how it works will help you to understand better how cannabis medicine works. Like endocannabinoids, THC, one of the primary cannabinoids in cannabis, binds to receptors of the ECS, triggering a cascade of effects throughout the body. CBD also interacts with the endocannabinoid system, influencing various processes around the body. Finding the sweet spot with cannabis medicine isn’t about overloading the ECS with either of these compounds but instead finding your personal ECS balance or homeostasis.
What is Endocannabinoid Deficiency?
Research suggests that many forms of chronic illness may be partly due to low levels of endocannabinoids in the system, known as endocannabinoid deficiency. By adding cannabinoids into the body through medical cannabis, the ECS can recalibrate and return the body to a state of homeostasis. It’s theorized that ECS deficiency could contribute to migraines, fibromyalgia, IBS, PTSD, MS, and other similar debilitating chronic conditions.