Endocannabinoids – Part 1
Friends:
The many forms of relatively newly discovered endocannabinoids are vital lipid-based molecular compounds that provide multiple key physiological and neurological regulatory functions throughout our body.
These remarkable and crucial molecules create an essential intercellular communication system, called ECS (Endocannabinoid System) responsible for activating key receptor sites in the gut, muscles, brain and nervous system, that regulate and balance many physiological processes, including appetite, memory, mood, pain thresholds, fertility, immune functions, metabolism and inflammation.
Though there are a number of variant structural analogs of the major endogenous endocannabinoids, there are two primary endocannabinoid receptors in our body tissues that have been identified: CB1, first cloned in 1990; and CB2, cloned in 1993.
CB1 receptors are found predominantly in the brain and nervous system, as well as in peripheral organs and tissues, is the main molecular target of the endogenous endocannabinoid anandamide ( synthesized by our body from the essential dietary sourced fatty acid arachidonic acid—abundant in egg yolk, butter, fish, various algae, meats, not usually present in significant amounts in higher plants ), as well as its mimetic phytocannabinoid ( plant derived counterpart), THC.
The other main endocannabinoid is 2-arachidonoglycerol (2-AG), which is active at both cannabinoid receptors, along with its own mimetic spectrum of various plant-based derived cannabinoids simply and collectively called “full spectrum” CBD.
ECS (Endocannabinoid System) is essential for our homeostasis–the stability and health of our internal physiological environment. For example, if we are subjected to internal organ instability, or a trauma, such as pain from an injury, or a fever, that throws off our body’s homeostasis, our internal ECS kicks in to help our systems return to its ideal operation.
Today, experts believe that maintaining homeostasis is the primary role of the ECS–in a sense, like an orchestral conductor of a big symphony, it holds together and fine tunes all the physiological moving parts that needs to move together in a synergistic and coordinated manner.