WHAT IS SO SPECIAL ABOUT THE EC SYSTEM?

WHAT IS SO SPECIAL ABOUT THE EC SYSTEM?

One never seems to hear about the cure for cancer or epilepsy or autism on the television so we give thanks for the internet because this is how most people came to hear about this ‘new’ physiological system we have inside of us now known as The Endocannabinoid System (EC System) which was identified officially by scientists in the early 90’s.

The first time ii ever heard that Cannabis can cure was as a young girl from my Elders who used to refer to this system as “The THC Receptors” and ii can honestly say that the only reason ii came to know about the healing properties of Cannabis is through the teachings of my Elders.

My first experience with the neuro division at Groote Schuur Hospital was in 1987 when on my first day aged 17 and a half, ii paraded into neuro with a hand drawn picture of the human brain and ii demanded to know where the “THC Receptors” were situated in the brain…needless to say ii was promptly chased off the floor being accused that ii knew nothing of what ii spoke. Little did ii care back then since ii was convinced that ii had the cure for cancer and ii could save the world!

The truth is that THC acts on every single Cannabinoid Receptor and this is why we remain sceptical of products that claim to contain ‘zero THC’ because THC is the main pharmacological agent and in fact many of the other 110 known Phyto Cannabinoids would not work or even exist in the absence of THC.

According to Professor Mechoulam only THC actually binds to Cannabinoid Receptors CB1 and 2 none of the others have binding affinity not even CBD which is why he had to administer the substance via the Serotonin Receptor 1A in lab rat studies. Professor Mechoulam is personally actively working on CBD isolation in lab and he is having success especially with bone therapy. Research of this nature doesn’t resonate well with me as a healer especially when ii have read reports from the Prof stating categorically that whole herbal Cannabis medications are superior to synthetic Cannabinoids.

So ii do still believe the wisdom of my Elders to this day and to be very fair ii do believe that CB1 and CB2 should be renamed as THE THC receptors because no other Cannabinoid can actually bind to these receptors yet all the Cannabinoids are able to bind to other receptors in the body. 

Serious studies consume my life right now looking at all these potential new Cannabinoid Receptors is just fascinating to see how this intricate system works.

So yes, Cannabis is therefore the best source of natural Phyto-Cannabinoids and is the only plant which contains THC.

Even though this system got its name from the Cannabis plant, this system doesn’t actually exist because there is a plant in the garden called Cannabis the system exists because we have natural Cannabinoids produced inside our bodies which mimic the properties of THC in the body.

How does this complex system work?

Illness is a sign of Cannabinoid Deficiency and supplementation with Phyto Cannabinoids is required to restore health.

One of the most profound characteristics of this system is that Endocannabinoids are produced on demand only when required by the body and only in the areas that need a particular compound at that moment. 

Cannabinoids are therefore not stored or produced all over and all the time. So quite literally whenever there is a problem in the body Cannabinoids flow to the site of injury to activate the Cannabinoid Receptors to start healing by performing the functions of The EC System. 

Cannabinoids are naturally broken down immediately after they have performed their functions so they have a very short half-life which is the time required for a substance to reduce to half its original.

This is why we only need really tiny amounts of Cannabis Medicine to be completely healed with confidence and ii always tell my patients that once you have had your first drop you may consider yourself healed.

Still even though ii will never doubt this medicine it is no doubt that scientists and students such as myself, will forever be baffled by the mystical wonder of The EC System and indeed the perplexing pharmacological effects of the Cannabis plant which we now refer to as “The Entourage Effect”.

Overview of The EC System

So we have learnt that The EC System is made up as follows:

Cannabinoid Receptors
Cannabinoids (Endocannabinoids produced in the body, Phyto-Cannabinoids from plants, Synthetic Cannabinoids from man-made labs)
Ligands which activate the Cannabinoid receptors (Agonists)
Ligand-metabolizing enzymes (Enzymes which break Cannabinoids down)

Some Cannabinoids act as activators of receptors and others as inhibitors while others act as indirect or partial agonists and modulators of the activities of other Cannabinoids.  For example CBD has a regulating effect on the activity of THC in that it can reduce the psychedelic effects of THC. So plants with low levels of THC for example hemp would then naturally be higher in ratio to the THC.

FUNCTIONS OF THE EC SYSTEM

Ø  HOMEOSTASIS

Ø  NEUROGENISIS

Ø  NEURO PROTECTION

Ø  PAIN AND INFLAMMATION

Ø  AUTOPHAGY

Ø  METABOLISM

Ø  HORMONE ABSORPTION

What is so unique about The EC System?

There is definitely something very mystical and profound about this system and the way it operates in our bodies, minds and indeed our spiritual chakras and possibly even beyond.

When Cannabinoid receptors are stimulated a number of physiologic processes start to take place and when THC binds to the receptors they proceed to modify the way in which the body functions, especially when there is a threat to homeostasis at any level in the body.

The first time ii heard the word ‘omnipresent’ was from my Elders when describing His Majesty Haile Selassie I, so truly the best way ii can describe this system is that it is an omnipresent protective lipid (fat) signalling system.

It is an ever present yet not tonically active system which works with fats and now we know that the human brain is 60% fat so we have learnt that good health is all about good fats and this is why we are having so much healing success with The Cannabis Coconut Connection ©.

CANNABIS	COCONUT
Anti-tumor (anti-cancer)	Anti-tumor (anti-cancer)
Immune Boosting	Immune Boosting
Anti-fungal	Anti-fungal
Anti-bacterial	Anti-bacterial
Anti-microbial	Anti-microbial
Regulation of metabolism (weight control)	Regulation of metabolism (weight control)
Anti-oxidant	Anti-oxidant
Skin care	Skin care
Osteoporosis treatment	Osteoporosis treatment
Fat soluble	Over 90% Saturated fat
No negative side effects no deaths	No negative side effects no deaths
Components found in human breast milk	Components found in human breast milk
Regulate circulation	Regulate circulation
Used for over 5000 years as medicine	Used for over 5000 years as medicine
At the forefront of medical research and breakthroughs	At the forefront of medical research and breakthroughs
Criminalized since 1930’s	Condemned for over 60 years
Controls regulation of fat	Controls regulation of fat
Raw plant has little to no psychedelic high	Raw plant has no psychedelic high
Aides nutrient absorption	Aides nutrient absorption
diaphoretic (perspiration-inducing)	diaphoretic (perspiration-inducing)
Anti-malarial	Anti-malarial

You could say that The EC System is not in a continuous state of action in other words the system becomes active when the body is out of balance and there is a need to produce more receptors and Endocannabinoids for healing. Phyto Cannabinoids stimulate the system to produce more receptors and Endocannabinoids.

For me personally ‘omnipresent’ also describes the fact that we have always believed that there are many more Cannabinoid Receptors in the system than just CB1 and 2, which we believe are in fact ‘THC Receptors’, and further we have always believed that the presence of these two receptors which are the only two to have been cloned in a lab to date, is most certainly not restricted to only the brain and immune system.

So in other words ii believe that both CB1 and CB2 receptors are present in both the nervous and immune system at the exact same time as well as being present in other physiological systems such as the vascular system where other Cannabinoid Receptors have also recently been identified.

Soon ii will introduce you to CB4 which is most active in the blood system and this easily explains why we have such high success in treating blood pressure conditions and even it is true that in ancient times Cannabis root was used to stop post -partum bleeding because Cannabis contains anti-coagulant properties and this is because of activity of The EC System in the vascular system.

We now know that both CB1 and 2 receptors are also located in our muscle tissues giving high hopes for fybromyalgia treatments. Just last week ii needed to find a Cannabis massage therapist to use my own medicine on my muscles.  We discovered something very interesting which can possibly take medical massage to the next level, by including hot rock treatments truly it was a royal healing and definitely the heat from the stones increased the effects of the THC in the oil.

It seems fair to assume that Cannabinoid receptors are present throughout the body in all cell types.

Also fair to say is that ii believe that all future Cannabinoid Receptors which are discovered as well as the 11 (CB3 to CB13) new ones we are currently studying will then also be ever present throughout the body alongside CB 1 and CB 2 and ii believe it is only a matter of time before this becomes public knowledge from the scientists and they confirm what we have always known that the entire EC Receptor System is omnipresent on every single cell throughout the body of humans and animals as well as in the elements of our consciousness known as the chakras which are profoundly aligned to our Endocrine Glands and we now know that the EC System controls and regulates the Endocrine System.

It’s a bold statement but ii would go so far as to state that each and every cell in our body has all of the Cannabinoid Receptors on site and ii believe that this is why Cannabis Medicine works so effectively and so quickly. 90 days to cure the average cancer…that’s impressive naturally, imagine what we could do for preventative health care.

We now also know that Cannabinoid Receptors have been identified in the gastrointestinal system, the lungs, the heart, endocrine glands, in sympathetic ganglia as well as in the arteries of the vascular system.

We also now know that in the gastric tract both CB1 and 2 receptors have been identified in the same tissues, so already there is this pattern to realising that the receptors are indeed omnipresent they simply seem to be everywhere at the exact time they are needed. 

For example we have seen research results in liver cancer studies which showed that patients with liver damage had a higher expression of Cannabinoid Receptors in their liver tissues than healthier liver patients proving the protective signalling role of The EC System.  So where there is illness in the bodies the Receptors increase their expression in the affected site as they are now just waiting for the Cannabinoids to activate them so they get to work and heal.

In the future ii would like to see medical practitioners, veterinarians and even dentists, since we have Cannabinoid Receptors in our teeth pulp, observing patients Cannabinoid Receptor expression in identifying disorders as the protective role of The EC System will then show medical practitioners exactly where the problem is.

In 2014 ii wrote that ii would like the future to produce a ‘dip stick’ style Cannabinoid tester where patients might be able to establish the Cannabinoid content of their oils or edibles and we are still awaiting this invention.

Professor Mechoulam says that “The EC System acts essentially in just about every physiological system that people have looked into, so it appears to be a very central system”.  Personally ii prefer the word ‘omnipresent’.

WHY DO CANNABINOID RECEPTORS WORK DIFFERENTLY TO OTHER NEURO TRANSMITTERS?

Even though the EC System is not a tonically active system Cannabinoid Receptors are still the most numerous of all neurotransmitters, they are literally everywhere in the body and are expressed when there is a threat to homeostasis in the body at any level.

There is no doubt that this system is a chemically complex network where different fat soluble compounds play very distinct roles in the control and regulation of all of the body’s processes.

The vast complexity of this system teaches us that not only are the receptors working as neurotransmitters but so do the Endocannabinoids and the Phyto Cannabinoids.

The Cannabinoids (neurotransmitters) move from cell to cell (neuron to neuron) across a gap known as a synapse. The cell in front is the pre-synaptic neuron and the cell at the back is the post-synaptic neuron.

WHAT IS ‘RETROGRADE TRANSMISSION’?

When a cell is under attack the EC System kicks into action but it communicates its messages in a unique way because it basically works in reverse, we call this ‘retrograde transmission’ so the neurotransmitters attach themselves to the receptors on the pre-synaptic neuron and moves backwards to the post-synaptic neuron. 

All other neurotransmitters move from the post to the pre-synaptic neurons.  The importance of this is that Cannabinoids can actually act on pre-synaptic cells and therefore they can actually control what happens next when these cells are activated, it’s the perfect defence mechanism.

Surely omnipresent must extend to include this unique feature for the system moves backwards but it’s actually in the future. Cannabinoids seem to work like a dimmer switch for pre-synaptic neurons by controlling the amount of various different neurotransmitters that is released or received and this then affects how messages and hormones are sent and received and processed by the cell.

CANNABINOIDS HAVE DUAL PURPOSE AND THEY ARE SHAPE SHIFTERS

Human duality is an interesting esoteric concept of consciousness and there is a lot of common sense which prevails towards certain truths about the awesomeness of being human and you can even read about this in the book of Romans in the Bible.

Cannabinoids are also involved in elements of our consciousness and ii believe this is connected to the fact that all Cannabinoids are both agonists and antagonists thus they can each both stimulate and inhibit how a receptor and therefore the cell can send and receive signals, wherever necessary in the body even at the same time at the same receptor to restore balance in the body at any point of injury throughout the various systems of the body including hair, nails and teeth and beyond to include the chakras and other elements of consciousness which affect our mental and physical health.

Part of this duality is the ability of Cannabinoids to interact with other receptors,

CBD is a good example and CBD can also change the shape of a receptor and this is how CBD reduces anxiety and seizures because it works on the main inhibitory neurotransmitter known as the GABA-A receptor. CBD changes the shape of this receptor in such a way as to amplify the calming effects of the main agonist of this receptor GABA. Valium also works on the GABA receptor path but with negative side effects.

The reason why CBD can curb the psychedelic effects of THC is because while it cannot bind to the CB1 receptor it can change the shape of the receptor so as to weaken its ability to bind with THC.  Shape shifting little Cannabinoids. This is why people do not feel as ‘high’ on a CBD rich medicine compared to a THC dominant mix. 

Cannabis Medicine does not have to be psychedelic because a CBD rich medicine with just a little THC can produce healing benefits without the mind altering effects which a lot of people do not want. CBD has been tested over and over and it simply has no side effects which is odd for a compound which follows so many different pathways you would expect at least one side effect but no there is not. So while this is definitely a positive result it is also a concern to me if these people ‘need side effects’ to produce CBD only medications for approval.

THCV is another example of this duality especially in weight control and diabetes…

THCV (Tetrahydrocannabivarin) has been found to increase sensitivity to insulin while also protecting the cells that produce insulin, allowing them to work more effectively.  THCV also has the ability to regulate metabolism and suppress appetite and this has raised hopes in the medical world that Cannabis can be developed into treatments for obesity related diseases as well as diabetes.

The effect of THCV on the CB1 and CB2 receptors is different to the effects of THC.

THCV is an antagonist (inhibitor) of the CB1 and CB2 receptors, so instead of stimulating these receptors THCV actually blocks them from being activated which is what makes THCV so important in the study of obesity, appetite control and metabolic regulation which it is showing signs of being able to control, as an appetite suppressant. This is exactly why you don’t often see an overweight person who consumes Cannabis.

We now know that CBD has an effect on the genes which affect cholesterol metabolism and also has an appetite suppressing effect.

So both THCV and CBD have shown to reduce body weight and increase metabolism of fat cells. They do this by changing the shapes of the receptors.

Everyday ii am bedazzled by what the EC System and Cannabis can do for us and it certainly seems that there simply is no end to the healing properties of Cannabis Medicine from all types of cancers, epilepsy and arthritis to menstrual problems and even in respect of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD) we are seeing miracles daily of how war veterans are regaining their lives and their minds thanks to the healing properties of Cannabis where conventional treatments are failing. Cannabis is for the healing of the nations and the fact that we have The EC System is living proof of this.

The greatest advantage of Cannabis Medicine is that it specifically targets sites of injuries and tumors. Cannabis does not have any toxic effects on normal non- cancerous cells, so if you think about the fact that standard chemotherapy targets basically all cells you can see the benefit of using Cannabis Medicine especially while undergoing chemotherapy or radiation treatments.

RESOURCES

www.xhosastyles.blogspot.com

British Journal of Pharmacology

National Institute for Drug Abuse (NIDA)

National Institute of Health.(NIH)

High Times
Medicinal Chemistry and Natural Products at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel
Professor Raphael Mechoulam

Dr. Christina Sanchez molecular biologist at Compultense University in Madrid Spain

International Cannabinoid Research Society