The Endocannabinoid System (and why you should care)

You WANT to know about the Endocannabinoid System (ECS) inside of you.   I want to explain it in a simplified way for those that just want an overview and then a more detailed way for those who want more in depth info.  But please, take the time to know about this system because it isn't even being taught in most medical schools (more on that later).

ECS Simplified
This is a system within our bodies like the Central Nervous System.  It is a Central Regulatory System.  According to Vincenzo Di Marzo, PhD in Italy, "the endocannabinoid system allows us to 'eat, sleep, relax, protect and forget.'"  This system helps control so many other systems within our bodies but its general, main goal is to provide homeostasis, the maintenance of a stable internal environment despite fluctuations in the external environment.  It makes you feel good, healthy and it helps fight off disease which make you feel the opposite of healthy.

The ECS is a modulator/regulator of physiological functions in the central nervous system, the autonomic nervous system, the endocrine network, the immune system, the gastrointestinal tract, the reproductive system, in microcirculation, and the cytokine network, which is the source of inflammation and the cause of nearly if not all disease. Raphael Mechoulam, whose team discovered the endocannabinoid system in 1987, states, "There is barely a biological or physiological system in our bodies in which the endocannabinoids do not participate."  It's everywhere.  

Here is an article YOU NEED TO READ.  It is a simplified article on the ECS.  Now, it is from a site called Truth On Pot/Leaf Science but the references they list are valid.  Check the facts out for yourself like I did.   


Here is a brief history of when the system was identified (from Medscape.com).

• 1988 - Cannabinoid-binding sites in rat brains identified
• 1991 - Human cannabinoid receptor CB1 successfully cloned
• 1992 - Discovery of the first endocannabinoid, arachidonoyl ethanolamide, later named anandamide (a Sanskrit word for “internal bliss”)^[2]
• 1993 - Peripheral CB2 receptor cloned
• 1995 - Discovery of a second endocannabinoid, 2-arachidonoyl glycerol (2-AG)

In the 21^st century, new discoveries of other endocannabinoids, their site distributions, and roles are deepening our understanding of the endocannabinoid system.

And check this out.  The ECS System is listed as a reference for kids:  http://www.reference4kids.com/science/organ_systems_endocannabinoid_system.html

Do you have 6 minutes and 7 seconds?  Watch this video by The University of Kansas.  It is complex but if you hang in there, you realize how important this system is to our bodies.  I'm still searching for a video with a more simplified explanation.  

So what if your body is not making enough of its own cannabinoids?  "When the body's own endocannabinoids are diminished, this causes a function issue within the body's systems. Our bodies run on cannabinoids, some people don't produce enough, like a diabetic with insulin."

ECS In Depth
Here are articles I HIGHLY suggest you take a look at to understand more about the ECS.


National Center for Biotechnology Information explains the Endocannabinoid System
Yes, the government knows about this system.

Discovery of the Endocannabinoid System
Good old Wikipedia weighs in.

The Endocannabinoid System: An Osteopathic Perspective
From the Journal of American Osteopathic Association


Survey shows low acceptance of endocannabinoid system in medical schools:
http://www.outwordmagazine.com/inside-outword/glbt-news/1266-survey-shows-low-acceptance-of-the-science-of-the-ecs-endocannabinoid-system


Since the discovery of anandamide in 1992, over 3500 publications have reported new data on the biological role of the endogenous cannabinoid system.

When the body's own endocannabinoids are diminished, this causes a function issue within the body's systems. Our bodies run on cannabinoids, some people don't produce enough, like a diabetic with insulin.