What Do You Know about Your Endocannabinoid System?

        We know and hear about the different systems in the human body all of the time: The skeletal system, nervous system, digestive system, respiratory system, reproductive system, etc. Most were discovered decades and even over a century ago. Therefore, our knowledge on these bodily systems is quite advanced. We know how to repair them, improve them, replace parts of them and we’ve made medicines focused on them entirely. Knowing they exist is common knowledge, right?

        What if there was a system in your body you didn’t know much about? That no one knew about until recently? What I’m referring to is, The Endocannabinoid System. 

        The discovery of the Endocannabinoid System, or ECS, didn’t occur until 1992 at Hebrew University in Jerusalem by Dr. Lumir Hanus and Dr. William Devane. They used a synthetic form of THC, that is now FDA approved, to test for the effects in lab rats. It was found that the THC attached perfectly to a system of receptors in the brain resulting in a plethora of sensations. The discovery of THC attaching to this system so perfectly was described by the scientists as fitting like a puzzle. It appeared to them as though the cannabis plant was made solely for our bodies and the bodies of living creatures that own an ECS. The receptors, named cannabinoid receptors after the plant that helped discover them, turned out to be the most abundant type of neurotransmitter receptor in the brain. These receptors were nicknamed CB1 receptors. 

       A year after this initial discovery a second cannabinoid receptor was found in the body in different areas outside of the brain such as the gut, kidneys, heart, liver, spleen, blood vessels, lymph cells, and the reproductive organs. These receptors were referred to as CB2 and proved that this system had the power to keep other systems healthy. However, it also proved that if there was a deficiency in the endocannabinoid system it could turn up looking like an illness in any of these areas of the body.

       Since these discoveries we have found out that the endocannabinoid system is responsible for maintaining many of our normal bodily functions. So, your big question now is how do I keep this system in my body that I’ve just learned about as balanced as possible? The answer: diet and cannabis.

      A whole foods plant based diet including foods with cannabinoids is the way to go. Some cannabinoid rich foods outside of cannabis are:

• Hemp Seeds
• Flax Seeds
• Chia Seeds
• Walnuts
• Sardines and Anchovies
• Eggs (pasture fed- or omega 3 enriched only)
• Chocolate
• Specific Herbs and Teas

      However, the fastest and most efficient way to balance the endocannabinoid system is with the oral or internal absorption of cannabis. These methods used with oil from the cannabis plant have the strongest effect on our ECS out of any other cannabinoids that we currently know about. Smoking cannabis aids in pain relief and can help to balance the system subtly in the same way that the foods above can. However, actual oral consumption of cannabis including THC as well as CBD is required in order to regulate this system enough to kill disease. 

      Contact us for access to full spectrum tinctures and CBD products to kickstart raising your CB1 and CB2 levels. We’re here to keep you informed and help in any way we can.