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Our body has a system naturally designed for cannabis, and it’s rightly named after cannabis!

Wait a minute! Do you mean there’s a system for cannabis in our body? Yes, it’s a fact! Science has known about this system for years! And you know the most interesting part — it’s about the single most important system in your body, as it is involved in regulating other systems in your body to ensure that your body is always in a stable condition.

In this article, we will discuss what the system is, how it works, the role it plays in our body, the abnormalities that can occur in the system, and what you can do to stabilize the system.

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What is the endocannabinoid system?

The word endocannabinoid is derived from ‘endogenous’, which means originating from within, and ‘cannabinoid’, which simply implies a compound found in cannabis. 

So, the endocannabinoid system is a system inside our body that produces and utilizes cannabis-like substances for maintaining our body functions. The ECS is the system that modulates other systems in our body in order to maintain a balanced internal environment inside our body.

Maintaining a steady internal environment within our body is known as homeostasis, and achieving it is very important for survival. No wonder a system which is at the center of this function, the ECS, is also present in all other animals with vertebrae — mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish.

Primarily, the endocannabinoid system is made up of three key components:

• Endocannabinoids (the cannabis-like compounds produced in most tissues in our body)

• Cannabinoid receptors found in almost all tissues in the body

• Specific enzymes in the body which produce and break down the endocannabinoids.

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What role does the ECS play in the body?

The ECS functions like a bridge between your mind and your body, as well as the link between the various systems in your body. The system is responsible for regulating the functions of other systems in the body so as to maintain homeostasis inside the body.

By modulating the activities of the various systems in your body, the ECS helps in regulating many important functions in your body, including:

• Memory

• Pain

• Sleep

• Mood

• Attention

• Physical activity

• Temperature control

• Appetite

• Reward and pleasure

• Reproduction

• Digestion

• Inflammation

• Immune functions, including allergy

The ECS regulates these functions in a very precise manner, modulating the function that needs it without affecting the others. For instance, if your digestion is out of order, the ECS tries to restore it without altering your reproductive function.

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How the system works

The ECS is a complex system involving precisely coordinated actions of the key components to deliver the required effect only at the site of need and time of need.

Basically, the system acts as local mediators, modulating how signals from different parts of the body are conveyed to or utilized by the target organ. For example, if the sensors in your bone send a pain signal to your brain, the ECS in your brain can stop that signal from reaching its target.

To understand how the system works, you need to understand what the three components do.

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Endocannabinoids

Endocannabinoids are the messengers of the ECS. They can be produced in all parts of the body, but they’re only synthesized when needed. The two main endocannabinoids in our body are anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol. When they’re produced, they bind to the cannabinoid receptors to deliver their message.

Cannabinoid receptors

The cannabinoid receptors (CB receptors), which are situated on the surface of various cells, function like guards at the city gates receiving messages about when and when not to open the gate for visitors. So, depending on the type of cell the receptor is on, the effect of its stimulation can impact on your immunity, mood, fertility, sensation, and even consciousness.

So far, scientists have identified and defined two receptors for the ECS, though they believe there may be a third one. The two major receptors are CB1 and CB2 receptors. These receptors are found throughout the body, and different cell types have different receptors.

CB1 receptors are found mostly in the brain and spinal cord (the central nervous system) and, at lower densities, in other tissues of the body. The CB2 receptors are found on the immune cells, which circulate via the bloodstream to all parts of the body including the brain and help in regulating immune response and inflammation.

The enzymes

These are molecules that control the availability of endocannabinoids in various tissues of your body. They produce endocannabinoids when and where they’re needed, and when the endocannabinoids have finished their function, they break them down to avoid indefinite stimulation of the ECS and upsetting the balance in the system. The endocannabinoids are fat-based molecules, so they’re produced from essential fats in the body.

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Can the system malfunction?

Just like any other system in your body, it’s possible for the ECS to not function optimally, and the reason may be something as little as lacking the essential fatty substances needed for producing endocannabinoids.

On the more serious side, some people may lack the cannabinoid receptors due to poor expression of the genes responsible for the receptors. There can also be a deficiency of the enzymes needed for building the endocannabinoids.

Some disease conditions are now linked to the dysfunction of the ECS and collectively termed clinical endocannabinoid deficiency (CECD). Some of the conditions classified as CECD include:

• Migraine

• Irritable bowel syndrome

• Fibromyalgia

The opposite is also possible; some people are known to have impairment of the enzymes, like FAAH, which break down the endocannabinoids. The result is that these people have higher levels of endocannabinoids. As a result of the feel-good effects of the endocannabinoids, the people with this condition are generally less anxious.

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How to support a healthy ECS

Although the ECS helps our body to maintain internal balance, the system itself can easily be thrown out of balance. Things like diet, exercise, and stress can affect your endocannabinoid system.

So it’s your duty to make sure your ECS is in the right shape. You can help your ECS by:

• Increasing your dietary intake of omega-3 and other essential fatty acids which are the necessary nutrients for producing endocannabinoids.

• Supporting your ECS with exogenous cannabinoids from cannabis, such as CBD.

CBD has been declared safe by the WHO, and it doesn’t have the intoxicating effects of THC.

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