Why Use CBD to Supplement the Endocannabinoid Receptor System?
By Emma Chasen
Humans have a longstanding relationship with hemp. Though the postulated domestication of hemp didn’t happen until around 12,000 BC, mammals and plants have been exposed to cannabinoids and related compounds that notably modulate their growth and physiology for millions of years.
The human species in the Old World grew up around the >70 million-year-old cannabis plant, giving us a natural affinity to cannabinoids (Clarke & Merlin, 2012). This plant has been documented as a provider of food, clothing, textiles and medicine for millennia. For thousands of years, the plant has been associated with relieving symptoms of disease and has demonstrated numerous therapeutic properties (Russo, 2007, 2011).
However, it wasn’t until relatively recently that researchers began to dive into the scientific world of cannabis compounds & how they relate to human physiology. Discovering the ECS
Research began to emerge on tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) – two phytocannabinoids – and cannabinoid receptors in the body starting in the mid-sixties. The human body’s Endocannabinoid Receptor System (ECS) was not discovered until the 1990’s (Petrocellis, 2009).
The ECS is comprised of cannabinoid receptors, cannabinoid signaling molecules and enzymes that control signaling. It is a large receptor system that has the ability to influence many of our major body systems and when engaged, helps to keep them running smoothly.
While our current understanding of the ECS is limited, scientists agree that the ECS exists and believe that it plays a major role in the regulation of other body systems.
Connecting with Cannabinoid Receptors
Scientists believe that there are many cannabinoid receptors in the ECS. However, we still don’t know much about all of the cannabinoid receptors and their functions. There are only two cannabinoid receptors that have been sufficiently researched: CB1 and CB2. CB1 and CB2 receptors are G-protein coupled receptors. G-protein coupled receptors make up the largest and oldest class of receptors and are primarily responsible for sending signals inside of cells. The CB1 receptors exist primarily in the central nervous system, brain and spinal cord, whereas CB2 receptors exist primarily in the peripheral nervous system – in nerves throughout the body – and on immune cells.Creating Cannabinoids in the Body
Our bodies make their own endogenous cannabinoids – called endocannabinoids – that activate the ECS receptors in similar ways to the phytocannabinoids found in the cannabis plant. There are two endocannabinoids that are of particular interest to cannabis researchers: 2AG and Anandamide. 2AG is an endocannabinoid that has the ability to engage both the CB1 and CB2 receptors. Anandamide is derived from the sanskrit word “ananda” meaning bliss. Anandamide has the ability to engage the CB1 receptor. These endogenous cannabinoids are part of the intricate ECS, and they engage with receptors that are part of the ECS. The phytocannabinoids found in cannabis can also engage with the receptors of the ECS. However, they engage with these receptors in such a way that they induce slightly different signals than their endogenous counterparts. Even though they engage receptors in different ways, both phytocannabinoids and endocannabinoids do have similar medicinal properties, such as the ability to relieve pain and inflammation. Endocannabinoids and phytocannabinoids also engage with many other receptor families and neurotransmitters in our body to help regulate pain, inflammation and other issues relating to health. Examples of these receptors include dopamine, serotonin, opioid, and vanilloid receptors (receptors throughout the body that are responsible for the way we feel pain).ECS Dysfunction, Clinical Endocannabinoid Deficiency & Stress
When the ECS is functioning properly, the benefits are numerous. If it is not, problems can occur. Scientists believe that certain diseases may actually arise due to an endocannabinoid deficiency. Dr. Ethan Russo, a prominent cannabis researcher, has popularized the concept of Clinical Endocannabinoid Deficiency (CECD), a disorder that occurs when endogenous cannabinoids levels are too low to maintain optimal functioning of the ECS. Dr. Russo explains,“If you don’t have enough endocannabinoids you have pain where there shouldn’t be pain. You would be sick, meaning nauseated. You would have a lowered seizure threshold. And just a whole litany of other problems. It occurred to me that a number of very common diseases seem to fit a pattern that would be consistent with an endocannabinoid deficiency, specifically these are migraine, irritable bowel syndrome, and fibromyalgia.”