Understanding The Endocannabinoid System (ECS)

Posted on by TJ
Hands holding a hemp cola with the text "The endocannabinoid system"

Key Takeaways

  1. The endocannabinoid system is made of three main parts: endocannabinoid signalers, receptors, and enzymes.
  2. Our bodies produce endocannabinoid signalers for several reasons, including helping with pain, sleep, inflammation, and more.
  3. Phytocannabinoids can mimic our body’s endocannabinoid messengers and help our bodies relax, stay alert, and even alter our perception of reality.

Table Of Contents

Have you ever wondered how CBD oil helps you relax at the end of the day or why music sounds so good after taking a THC gummy? All of hemp and cannabis’s effects can be traced back to the system of receptors and neurotransmitters found throughout the human body. That system is called the endocannabinoid system, or ECS for short.

The endocannabinoid system plays a crucial part in many of our bodily functions. In this blog post, we’ll explain what the endocannabinoid system is in simple terms, explore what bodily functions the ECS regulates, and discuss what role phytocannabinoids play.

What Is The Endocannabinoid System?

At its most simple, the endocannabinoid system is a network in our body made up of three parts,

  • Chemical signalers called endocannabinoids.
  • Cellular receptors called CB1 and CB2 receptors.
  • Enzymes that clean up the chemical signalers once they’re used up.

The endocannabinoid system is crucial for our ability to maintain homeostasis or a way of keeping our internal systems stable and running despite external stress. Let’s explore each piece a little more in-depth.

What Are The Parts Of The Endocannabinoid System?

Endocannabinoids

Endogenous cannabinoids, shortened to endocannabinoids, are naturally occurring compounds produced in the body. Our body produces endocannabinoid neurotransmitters to send messages to other parts of our body. 

Anandamide, the first endocannabinoid discovered in 1992, was named so because it seems to be involved in our brain’s reward and reinforcement functions. Some studies show that exercise seems to boost anandamide levels, especially running, and can result in the “runner’s high.”

Receptors

The two types of endocannabinoid receptors, CB1 and CB2, are found throughout the body, mainly in the brain, central nervous systems, and organs.

  • CB1 receptors: Found primarily in the brain and central nervous system. They regulate functions, including pain sensations, inflammation, memory, and appetite. The CB1 receptor can also be activated by external phytocannabinoids, leading to psychoactive effects like altered perception, relaxation, and euphoria.
  • CB2 receptors: These are found more in organs and circulating immune cells. When activated by cannabinoids, CB2 receptors play a role in the body’s immune response to inflammation and neuropathic pain. These receptors are critical for maintaining the body’s internal environment and can influence various physiological processes.

Enzymes

Enzymes act as the cleanup crew for your endocannabinoid system. Once cannabinoids interact with your CB1 and CB2 receptors, enzymes break down the cannabinoids and flush them from your system.

Research has identified two main enzymes:

  • Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase (FAAH): Prevents excessive and prolonged activation of the CB1 receptor.
  • Monoacylglycerol Lipase (MAGL): Prevents prolonged activation of both CB1 and CB2 receptors.

What Does the Endocannabinoid System Do?

The endocannabinoid system helps our bodies regulate various functions and processes, aiming to maintain homeostasis by making us more resilient to external pressures. This system is involved in many critical physiological processes, including mood regulation, pain sensation, inflammation response, and sleep patterns.

Emotional Regulation

The endocannabinoid system helps keep our moods stable by playing a role in anxiety and fear memory processing. Anandamide and our CB1 receptor help us react appropriately to stressful or anxiety-inducing events. Studies have shown that the ECS can influence mood and anxiety disorders, and modulating this system could potentially lead to new treatments for these conditions.1

Pain

When we experience painful stimuli, our body produces endocannabinoids to help regulate our pain perception. This system modulates pain signals at multiple levels of the nervous system, from peripheral nerves to the brain.2

We’ve been able to manufacture pharmaceuticals that inhibit the ECS’s natural enzymes to create a surplus of endocannabinoids in our system to reduce the amount of pain we feel. This approach is being explored for the development of new pain management therapies, particularly for chronic pain conditions.

Inflammation

CB2 receptors, activated during inflammation, help regulate our immune and inflammation response. Endocannabinoids can reduce inflammation by binding to CB2 receptors and regulating the immune response. This anti-inflammatory action is why cannabinoids are being researched as potential treatments for inflammatory diseases such as arthritis and irritable bowel syndrome.3

Sleep

Researchers believe endocannabinoids are involved in our sleep cycle and the time our brains spend in certain sleep states. Some studies link anandamide to our sleep-wake cycle and the endocannabinoid anandamide.4

Phytocannabinoids like THC and CBD are also being studied for their effects on sleep.5 THC is known to reduce the time it takes to fall asleep and can influence the overall sleep duration. CBD, on the other hand, may promote wakefulness when taken in smaller doses but help with sleep when taken in higher doses. Understanding these effects could lead to better hemp-derived sleep aids.

Memory & Learning

Multiple studies have concluded that there seems to be a link between the endocannabinoid system and our brain’s ability to learn and commit experiences to memory. Part of this function is due to our ECS’s role in our ability to process stressful situations.

Cardiovascular Function

The endocannabinoid system influences our cardiovascular system by modulating processes critical in preventing atherosclerosis, a condition characterized by the hardening of the arteries due to plaque buildup. Endocannabinoids can dilate blood vessels and reduce blood pressure, essential to cardiovascular health.

The Role of Phytocannabinoids

The ECS has expanded our understanding of human biology and opened new horizons for all-natural plant-based therapies. Hemp and cannabis produce cannabinoids external to our bodies, referred to as phytocannabinoids.

  • THC: A CB1 agonist responsible for cannabis’s psychoactive properties like time dilation and euphoria. THC’s ability to activate CB1 receptors in the brain leads to its well-known psychoactive effects, but it also has therapeutic potential for pain relief, appetite stimulation, and nausea reduction.
  • CBD: Doesn’t produce feelings of intoxication but may help alleviate pain and assist with sleep by facilitating the uptake of beneficial endocannabinoids. CBD’s interaction with the ECS is complex and involves multiple pathways, including the modulation of receptor activity and the inhibition of endocannabinoid breakdown.

The cannabis plant produces over 100 cannabinoids, THC and CBD being the most well-known. As we learn more about the endocannabinoid system, different phytocannabinoids, and the entourage effect, we may finally figure out how to fine-tune plant-based therapies for certain ailments.

Endocannabinoid System & Future Research

The endocannabinoid system and its interactions with endogenous and phytocannabinoids are undoubtedly an exciting horizon for medicine and academic research, but there’s still a hangup— the law. 

Because cannabis, specifically THC, is still federally illegal, large-scale cannabis research is hard to perform. What’s more, federal agencies likely won’t accept any results. As far as the FDA and DEA are concerned, cannabis has no accepted medical use despite 38 U.S. states running medical marijuana programs. 

That said, endocannabinoid system research is still ramping up, and we should expect to see some exciting new findings in the coming years.

FAQs

When Was The Endocannabinoid System Discovered?

Originally discovered in 1988 in a lab at the St. Louis University Medical School, the endocannabinoid system is yet to be fully understood. Still, we know a bit about its components and how it affects our bodies.

Who Discovered The ECS?

Credit for the discovery of the endocannabinoid system goes to Allyn Howlett.

How Does CBD Interact With The ECS?

CBD interacts with the ECS by facilitating the uptake of beneficial endocannabinoids, although it doesn’t produce psychoactive effects like THC.

Do All Animals Have Endocannabinoid Systems?

Yes, many vertebrates and invertebrates have been found to have endocannabinoid systems. That means that CBD doesn’t just work for us. It’ll work for our cats and dogs, too.

Sources

  1. Ruehle, S. et al. “The endocannabinoid system in anxiety, fear memory and habituation.” Journal of Psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) vol. 26,1 (2012): 23-39. doi:10.1177/0269881111408958
  2. Guindon, Josée, and Andrea G Hohmann. “The endocannabinoid system and pain.” CNS & neurological disorders drug targets vol. 8,6 (2009): 403-21. doi:10.2174/187152709789824660
  3. Burstein, Sumner H, and Robert B Zurier. “Cannabinoids, endocannabinoids, and related analogs in inflammation.” The AAPS journal vol. 11,1 (2009): 109-19. doi:10.1208/s12248-009-9084-5
  4. Kesner, Andrew J, and David M Lovinger. “Cannabinoids, Endocannabinoids, and Sleep.” Frontiers in molecular neuroscience vol. 13 125. 22 Jul. 2020, doi:10.3389/fnmol.2020.00125
  5. Fulmer, Makenzie L, and Douglas P Thewke. “The Endocannabinoid System and Heart Disease: The Role of Cannabinoid Receptor Type 2.” Cardiovascular & hematological disorders drug targets vol. 18,1 (2018): 34-51. doi:10.2174/1871529X18666180206161457

Note that this post was originally published on August 30th, 2023 and was updated on August 30th, 2024 by its original author. 

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