05/02/2022
In order to consume cannabis in a responsible and efficient manner, a person should completely understand what exactly goes on in the body upon introducing it the active molecules from the cannabis plant.
The way these cannabis-derived compounds interact with our organism is astonishing.
The endocannabinoid system consists of cellular receptors found in very large amounts throughout the body, and the endocannabinoids—the body’s internal chemical compounds that entice these endocannabinoid receptors.
First, the endocannabinoid system, also known as the ECS, is a vast “network” comprised out of the following:
Cellular cannabinoid receptors:
These receptors are located on the membranes of many different cells found throughout the body.
Endocannabinoids:
These active signaling molecules produced by the body are structurally very similar to active compounds found in cannabis. These internal cannabinoids—just like the ones from cannabis—activate the cannabinoid receptors, and by doing this, trigger a specific response from a cell.
Enzymes:
Different enzymes are responsible for the creation (synthesis), and later the degradation of these compounds.
What’s truly amazing about the endocannabinoid system is that the cells that express these specialized endocannabinoid receptors are located in all of the most important parts of our body, including the following:
- the central nervous system (brain, spinal cord)
- all vital organs
- the reproductive organs
- various glands
- the immune system
- the gastrointestinal tract
- and connective tissues.
The sole purpose of the ECS is to maintain balance within an organism. This is achieved by performing different tasks within an individual cell, because depending on what type of cell it is—nerve cells, immune cells, skin cells, muscle cells, secretory cells and so forth—the precise mechanism of action of that specific cell will be different.
