HOW DOES THE ENDOCANNABINOID SYSTEM WORK?

HOW DOES THE EC SYSTEM WORK?

The Endocannabinoid System (EC System) is the recently discovered physiological system, found in humans and many animals, including slugs and is named after the plant which led to its discovery, the Cannabis plant. 

As you now already know the EC system is concerned with a wide range of biological processes and the six main functions are:

Ø  Homeostasis.

Ø  Neurogenesis

Ø  Autophagy

Ø  Regulation of Metabolism

Ø  Analgesia and inflammation

Ø  Hormone Absorption

The EC system is quite possibly the most important physiologic system ever discovered and which is ultimately involved in establishing and maintaining human and animal health.

The human body produces its own Cannanbinoids and these are known as Endocannabinoids.

Endocannabinoids and their receptors are found throughout the body in the brain and nervous system organs, connective tissues, glands and cells as well as in the immune system’s organs, tissues, glands and cells.

WHAT ARE CANNABINOID RECEPTORS?

The EC system is a complex system and so much more quality research is required before we can come closer to developing a complete understanding of this advanced and possibly evolved physiological system within the human body.

Scientists now estimate that the EC System evolved in primitive animals more than 600 million years ago, and it is now largely accepted that all living creatures including all vertebrates, sea squirts, slugs and even tiny nematodes have an EC system which has been identified as being vital to sustain life and most importantly for adaptation to environmental changes.

Receptor named CB1 is mainly found in the nervous system, connective tissues, gonads, glands, and organs with the highest concentration found in the cortex, hippocampus, basal ganglia, amygdale, hypothalamus and cerebellum, so basically the whole brain; while receptor named CB2, is mainly found in the immune system and its cells, tissues, systems and organs  in particularly the spleen.

WHAT ARE ENDOCANNABINOIDS?

Endocannabinoids are the chemical substances which our bodies naturally produce to stimulate the identified CB1 and CB2 Cannabinoid receptors, and, just as we need to boost our nervous and immune systems by consuming the required chemical components our body’s need, so too must we boost our EC System by consuming Cannanbinoids which in the required quantities, are unique to the Cannabis plant. In fact all plants produce Cannabinoids but for sure the Cannabis plant is the highest concentration in nature.

Two Endocannabinoids have been identified and although science has already reported that they are investigating other endocannabinoids at this time, these are the two that we know the most about:

 

 

ANANDAMIDE

Anandamide is a chemical molecule produced by the body and shares most but not all of the pharmacological properties of THC, and mimics the properties of THC in the body.

Anandamide’s actions at CB1 receptors are imitated by herbal and synthetic THC.

Anandamide plays an important role in appetite control, pain and depression as well as memory and fertility, and is also associated with feelings of euphoria in the same way as THC is.

Anandamide is also present in human breast milk, and there is evidence to suggest that activation of the CB1 receptors is crucial to the suckling response in new- borns and it has also been shown that Anandamide has a neuro-protective effect on the postnatal brain.

ARACHIDONOYLGLYCEROL (2-AG)

2-AG is the most common and widespread Endocannabinoid in the brain, working mostly with CB1 receptors in the nervous system.

Neuroprotection, cognitive flexibility performance and metabolic regulation are amongst the properties of 2-AG.

An interesting observation is that it has been noted in numerous studies that the expression of Endocannabinoids does not relate to the distribution of Cannabinoid receptors in the brain, suggesting that our Endocannabinoids could also be interacting with other receptors or be involved with other cell processes.

Considering that the EC System is responsible for the well- being of the nervous, immune and endocrine systems, perhaps in lay man’s terms this indicates that both the EC system and Cannabis indeed have a most profound effect on the human body.

 

 

HOW THE EC SYSTEM WORKS

When Cannabinoid receptors are stimulated by the consumption of Cannabinoids, a number of physiologic processes start to take place.

When Cannabinoids bind to CB1 or CB2 receptors, they proceed to modify the way the body functions, especially when there is a threat to homeostasis at any level of the body.

We already know that most of our tissues contain both CB1 and CB2 receptors, and each receptor is associated with a specific function which is to assist and protect the nervous system (CB1receptors) and to assist and protect the immune system (CB2 receptors), by maintaining homeostasis throughout the nervous and immune system as well as the Endocrine system.

The Endocrine system is part of the body’s main control mechanism and controls our hormone system, and the main function of the Endocrine system is also homeostasis and thus these two systems work alongside each other in defending the body from unnatural imbalance from external environmental sources.

It is also interesting to note that the Endocrine glands are directly aligned to the spiritual chakras, which is not a physical system but rather a system made up of aspects of consciousness. Reiki healers and other new age ‘light healers’ would focus on the chakras when carrying out their healing methods, and always with great success, which is proof that the connection between mind and body healing are essential to overall health.

It is no coincidence that the position of each of the seven chakras directly corresponds to the position of the particular Endocrine gland which it affects.

The position of the EC system as being an important regulatory system in the function of brain, endocrine and immune tissues, quite literally makes the EC System a bridge between body and mind and by gaining an understanding of the EC System, we are beginning to see a physiological engine which can go a long way to explaining how our state of consciousness can promote our health.

Figure 1 Chakras and the Endocrine System – www.healingfromtheheart.co.uk

CHAKRA	ENDOCRINE GLAND
CROWN CHAKRA	PINEAL GLAND
THIRD EYE CHAKRA	PITUITARY GLAND
THROAT CHAKRA	THYROID GLAND
HEART CHAKRA	THYMUS GLAND
SOLAR PLEXUS CHAKRA	PANCREAS
SACRAL CHAKRA	OVARIES
ROOT CHAKRA	ADRENAL GLANDS AND GONADS IN MALES

WHAT MAKES CANNABINOIDS DIFFERENT TO OTHER NEUROTRANSMITTERS?

Brain cells are called neurons and they communicate with each other and with all the other cells in the body by sending chemical messages along the nervous system. These messages coordinate and regulate all which we think, feel and do in life.

The chemicals which are released from neurons (brain cells) are called neurotransmitters.  They travel across a small “gap” between cells known as a synapse.

Please see Figure 2 below, the space between the two purple neurons is the synapse.

They then attach themselves to specific receptors found on a nearby neuron and this automatically stimulates the receiving neuron into action, setting about a chain of events which allows the messages to be passed along.

 

 

 

When a neuron or cell is under attack, the cell in front of it is activated and is known as the pre-synaptic neuron, and the neuron behind the stressed cell is known as the post-synaptic neuron.

The EC system communicates its messages in a unique way because it essentially works in reverse, where other neurotransmitters are released and attach themselves to receptors on the post synaptic neuron forward to the presynaptic neuron.  Cannabinoids are now deemed to be among the most common and the most important of all neurotransmitters.

When a neuron is activated, the chemical messengers (neurotransmitters) of the EC System, Cannabinoids, are produced on demand from the fat cells already present in the neuron.

Cannabinoids are then released from that cell and travel in reverse to the presynaptic neuron and attach to the Cannabinoid receptors of that cell.

The importance of this is that Cannabinoids can actually act on presynaptic cells and therefore they can control what happens next when these cells are activated. This is very exciting medical technology which has actually been around for over 5000 years and is now coming out of secrecy.

So Cannabinoids then work like a “dimmer switch” for presynaptic neurons by limiting the amount of various different neurotransmitters that gets released and this affects how messages and hormones are sent and received and processed by the cell.

The sole purpose of this function is to protect the cells from homeostatic imbalances which, is essential to sustaining life and optimum health as well as adjusting to environmental changes which are constantly changing and sadly not positively.

Figure 2: The Endocannabinoid (EC) System and THC – www.scholistic.com

 

 

All evidence indicates that Cannabinoids can act as both stimulants and inhibitors of the CB1 and CB2 receptors, and this is particularly evident in the research we have already seen on how Cannabinoids affect appetite control, metabolic regulation as well as auto immune functions, and it seems clear that whatever stress the body is under from external sources, where there are Cannabinoids present they will rectify the situation and avoid any medical disorder.