THE HUMAN ENDO- CANNABINOID SYSTEM
"In the past decade, the endocannabinoid system has been implicated in a growing number of physiological functions, both in the central and peripheral nervous systems and in peripheral organs. More importantly, modulating the activity of the endocannabinoid system turned out to hold therapeutic promise in a wide range of disparate diseases and pathological conditions, ranging from mood and anxiety disorders, movement disorders such as Parkinson’s and Huntington’s disease, neuropathic pain, multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injury, to cancer, atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, stroke, hypertension, glaucoma, obesity/metabolic syndrome, and osteoporosis, to name just a few." Pharmacol Rev. 2006 Sep; 58(3): 389–462. doi: 10.1124/pr.58.3.2 PMCID: PMC2241751 NIHMSID: NIHMS38123
THE HUMAN ENDOCANNABINOID SYSTEM
The endocannabinoid system exists throughout the human body and in all living creatures as well. It operates in conjunction with the endo-opiate system and works with the vagus nerve which affects every organ and brings about homeostasis. Scientists have speculated that the root cause of certain disease conditions, including migraine, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, and many other functional conditions alleviated by clinical Cannabis use, may be an underlying endocannabinoid deficiency.
There are 75 - 100 trillion cells in the adult human body, each of which has about a hundred thousand molecular cell receptors on its surface membrane. According to Dr. Bruce Lipton's research "Membrane IMPs (integral membrane proteins) can be functionally subdivided into two classes: receptors and effectors. Receptors are input devices that respond to environmental signals. Effectors are output devices that activate cellular processes. A family of processor proteins, located in the cytoplasm beneath the membrane, serve to link signal-receiving receptors with action-producing effectors... The cell membrane is an organic information processor. It senses the environment and converts that awareness into “information” that can influence the activity of protein pathways and control the expression of the genes." Insight into Cellular ConsciousnessThu, June 7, 2012 Reprinted from Bridges, 2001 Vol 12(1):5 ISSEEM
Cannabinoid Receptors
"In biochemistry and pharmacology, a receptor is a protein-molecule that receives chemical-signals from outside a cell. When such chemical-signals bind to a receptor, they cause some form of cellular/tissue-response, e.g. a change in the electrical-activity of a cell. In this sense, a receptor is a protein-molecule that recognises and responds to endogenous-chemical signals. Each receptor is linked to a specific cellular-biochemical pathway. While numerous receptors are found in most cells, each receptor will only bind with ligands of a particular structure, much like how locks will only accept specifically shaped-keys. When a ligand binds to its corresponding receptor, it activates or inhibits the receptor's associated-biochemical pathway."
The Endocannabinoid System as an Emerging Target of Pharmacotherapy PÁL PACHER, SÁNDOR BÁTKAI, and GEORGE KUNOS
The endocannabinoid system was identified in the mid-1990s by Israeli researcher Dr. Raphael Mechoulam. He named two main cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2, that are keyed to both the endocannabinoids that our body naturally produces and phytocannabinoids (plant-based) like THC. The U.S. Dept. of Health's worldwide patent on cannabinoids was awarded based on this research.
CB1 receptors are found primarily in the brain, to be specific in the basal ganglia and in the limbic system, including the hippocampus also in the lungs, liver and kidneys. They are also found in the cerebellum and in both male and female reproductive systems. CB1 receptors are absent in the medulla oblongata, the part of the brain stem responsible for respiratory and cardiovascular functions. Thus, there is not a risk of respiratory or cardiovascular failure as there is with many other drugs. CB1 receptors appear to be responsible for the euphoric and anti-convulsive effects of cannabis.
​
CB2 receptors are almost exclusively found in the immune system, with the greatest density in the spleen. While found only in the peripheral nervous system, a report does indicate that CB2 is expressed by a sub-population of microglia in the human cerebellum. CB2 receptors appear to be responsible for the anti-inflammatory and many other therapeutic effects of Cannabis.
Homeostasis
"Cannabinoids promote homeostasis at every level of biological life, from the sub-cellular, to the organism, and perhaps to the community and beyond... Endocannabinoids and cannabinoids are also found at the intersection of the body's various systems, allowing communication and co-ordination between different cell types. At the site of an injury, for example, cannabinoids can be found decreasing the release of activators and sensitizers from the injured tissue, stabilizing the nerve cell to prevent excessive firing, and calming nearby immune cells to prevent release of pro-inflammatory substances. Three different mechanisms of action on three different cell types for a single purpose: minimize the pain and damage caused by the injury.
​
The endocannabinoid system, with its complex actions in our immune system, nervous system, and all of the body's organs, is literally a bridge between body and mind. By understanding this system we begin to see a mechanism that explains how states of consciousness can promote health or disease. In addition to regulating our internal and cellular homeostasis, cannabinoids influence a person's relationship with the external environment. Socially, the administration of cannabinoids clearly alters human behavior, often promoting sharing, humor, and creativity....
... By mediating neurogenesis, neuronal plasticity, and learning, cannabinoids may directly influence a person's open-mindedness and ability to move beyond limiting patterns of thought and behavior from past situations. Reformatting these old patterns is an essential part of health in our quickly changing environment." Introduction to the Endocannabinoid System Dustin Sulak, DO (NORML)