How Cannabis Works in the Body

Cannabis has seen major use throughout human history whether as fiber or used in industry. Over the past 10,000 years it has seen use as ropes and clothes, as food, as medicine and there is plenty of evidence pointing towards cannabis being used as a psychoactive material for spiritual rituals or recreation. The latter part is probably the most notable use case of Cannabis.

Because of its psychoactive properties, getting a better grasp on how cannabis works in the body through research towards the use of Cannabis as a medicinal ingredient didn’t really take off. In fact, it was not until the 1960s that a team at Hebrew University in Jerusalem headed by Professor Raphael Mechoulam successfully isolated delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Cannabis also contains many different forms of cannabinoids that may have beneficial health effects, but THC is the one really responsible for all of the bad stigma surrounding the plant. The debate whether Cannabis is a force for good or not will likely rage on for years to come.

What’s the Endocannabinoid System (EC)?

To really understand how Cannabis affects our body, we must understand the Endocannabinoid system.

‘The endo-what’ you say? This is a common reaction for people hearing this for the first time. This is understandable as this integral part of our biology isn’t even taught in most medical schools, let alone to kids in elementary schools! This is partly because Cannabis and its compounds have been labeled as having no medical value even before the discovery of the EC System. It essentially got discovered because of the study conducted on Cannabis and even got its name from the plant, and not the other way around. We hope that this will change soon, and people will know about this very important system in our body, and legalization and recognition of Cannabis as having medicinal potential will help with that.

The endocannabinoid System, in essence, regulates the body’s ability to move, react, and feel. In order to fire up the system, two types of cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2) have been found to accept cannabinoid compounds. CB1 receptors are found mostly in the nervous system and in connective tissues, glands, gonads, and organs. CB1 receptors are primarily found in the immune system and other periphery structures. You can see how much of an effect the ECS contributes on how our bodies function. So if we can even slightly control ECS, this can pave a way for us to find better remedies for a lot of diseases previously thought to be incurable such as epilepsy and depression.

How THC makes us ‘high’

THC makes us high and is very addictive, but how does it do that? Well, our bodies generate its own endocannabinoid (endo – meaning internal) called Anandamide (AEA) that attaches to the CB1 and CB2 receptors, blocking the release of inhibitory neurotransmitters that prevent the secretion of dopamine, the ‘feel good’ hormone. This effectively regulates feelings such as euphoria and excitement to more appropriate situations. THC can take the place of AEA because it is atomically similar in shape to AEA and will attach to the CB receptors that block the secretion of the neurotransmitters meant for stopping dopamine production. This leads to overproduction of dopamine because the substance stays in our body for a very long time, inducing the euphoric high associated with Cannabis use. THC can stay in our blood stream anywhere from a couple of hours to a few days depending on the potency of the Cannabis strain used.

Cannabis as Medicine – Benefits of Combining THC with CBD

Another compound found in Cannabis is Cannabidiol (CBD). Unlike THC, CBD is not psychoactive, doesn’t bind to CB1 and CB2 receptors and has anticonvulsant properties. Though how it really works in the body is still under study by scientists and the medical industry, it has been shown in numerous studies to have very beneficial physiological effects to patients of epilepsy, depression, and cancer. In fact,  marijuana was used as medicine by the ancient Chinese and Greeks thousands of years ago!

There is good evidence that THC actually enhances the effects of CBD and so the combination has seen wide acceptance and can be readily found in the form of oils or tinctures that has been flavored for easy consumption, such as this Non-Alcoholic CBD Tincture that has a 1:1 proportion of CBD to THC oil. The effects of CBD vary per person, and some have claimed that CBD alone has little to no effect for them, while others claim that the effect of CBD has been stellar. Still, there is consensus that combining the two yield better results, especially for those not seeing results with CBD alone.

Potential benefits of CBD:

• Pain relief
• Help alleviate symptoms of depression
• Reduce acne
• Possible neuroprotective properties

For more information on Cannabis, stay tuned on the Headz blog and subscribe to our newsletter to get notified when we have a new post.