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The human endocannabinoid system is made up of three critical components: receptors, endogenous cannabinoids, and enzymes. The receptors are located within the brain and body, and their function is to intake cannabinoids and interpret their chemical signals. Endogenous cannabinoids are naturally existing chemicals in the body, which act similarly to the cannabinoids in cannabis. The enzymes’ function is to make or break down cannabinoids. The amount of endogenous cannabinoids are reflected by the “endocannabinoid tone,” a reflection of the amount of active cannabinoid receptors in the body.
CB1 receptors in the brain are the neurological gates for cannabinoids to enter the brain. CB1 receptors are thought to regulate pain, seizure threshold, neurotransmitter levels, and nausea, all while assisting in the maintenance of homeostasis within the human body.
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Cb2 receptors are found throughout the body, partially explaining why topical cannabis works so well at responding to skin cancer, psoriasis, and other skin disorders. CB2 receptors are thought to mediate pain response in the body, as well as inflammatory response.
There are cannabinoids which are endogenous, or naturally occurring in the human body: Anandamide, and 2AG. These chemicals resemble THC in their activity, and most of what they do is paralleled by the cannabinoids in cannabis. They’re important to maintaining homeostasis, controlling pain in the body, and to keeping the human body maintained. A deficiency in these cannabinoids can lead to what is considered a “clinical endocannabinoid deficiency,” a spectrum of serious disorders that can be treated with medical marijuana and cannabinoid therapies. Endocannabinoid deficiencies can come about from too few receptors, or too few endogenous cannabinoids in the body. Since humans are equipped with a system to intake these cannabinoids and utilize their medicinal potential, it’s obvious that cannabis isn’t just on earth to get us high.
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