Cannabidiol (CBD) continues to prove its value in recreation, science, and medicine. This all-encompassing natural extract helps us learn about and connect deeper with our bodies, inspiring us to make more informed choices about our health and well-being. This blog will explore how research on CBD therapy pervades common knowledge to uncover a part of the human body that, generally, has remained unseen and unstudied: the endocannabinoid system (ECS). Consider this your endocannabinoid system for dummies guide for answers to all your ECS questions.
What is the endocannabinoid system?
The endocannabinoid system is your body’s balance hub. This complex signal system regulates essential bodily functions: sleep/wake cycle, mood, appetite, immune response, and pain management. Its role is to find and maintain homeostasis. You can think of it like a switchboard in your body that routes incoming signals from the environment to the various internal systems that manage the functions above. Your endocannabinoid system harmonizes these physiological processes to keep you feeling your best.
So, how does the endocannabinoid system work?
Your body’s ECS consists of endocannabinoids, enzymes, and receptors.
Endocannabinoids
Endocannabinoids are compounds your body naturally produces. These compounds carry messages from the environment (light, sound, physical touch, pain, and stress), subsequently transmitted through the ECS receptors to the appropriate system for processing.
Receptors
There are two types of receptors: CB1 and CB2. One cool thing about your endocannabinoid system is that it stretches across your upper body. CB1 receptors reside in the brain and central nervous system. Conversely, CB2 receptors are concentrated in the immune and peripheral nervous systems.
Enzymes
After the endocannabinoids transfer their signals to CB1 or CB2 receptors, proteins called enzymes break down the endocannabinoids to keep the ECS balanced, clean, and functional.
Your endocannabinoid system’s best friends
As the balance conductor for the rest of your body, endocannabinoids, receptors, and enzymes work together to calibrate oncoming stress, pain, and hormonal imbalances. Your endocannabinoid system allows powerful natural remedies, such as cannabidiol (CBD), to talk to your body and maneuver its responses to deliver holistic therapeutic effects. So now that you know the ECS is the conduit your body uses to receive messages from the environment, what can you do to best support it?
To best...Read More