In the 1990’s scientist discovered cannabis- like molecules occurring naturally in the human body. Further investigation discovered that the cannabis plant exerts its effects, in part, because it is mimicking the body’s own receptor and response molecules. The main function of the endocannabinoid system is to maintain homeostasis (or keeping the body’s functions constant) in response to environmental changes.[1] This system has evolved over 5000 years and is present in all vertebrates from mammals to birds to amphibians to fish and beyond.[2] Though initial research pointed to the endocannabinoid molecules only being present in the brain and nervous system, we now know that this system is present throughout the body including our skin, kidneys, liver, gastrointestinal tract, pancreas, blood vessels, bone and immune cells. The endocannabinoid systems help play a role in keeping us healthy by being part of our pain processes, inflammatory response, memory, mood, appetite and even our immune system.[3]
Endocannabinoids are bioactive lipids that signal the body’s cannabinoid receptors to create a functional response to an injury or disease. Specifically, these molecules act on two types of cells important in immune responses, cytokines and chemokines.[4] Cytokines tell the body to create interferon, interleukin, and growth factors. These cells regulated inflammation response to inflammatory syndromes, like arthritis, cause fevers in order to fight viral infections, and interact with other cells in the body to launch assaults on various infections. Chemokines direct white bloods cells to specific areas in order to strategically fight infections in the body and on the skin.[5]
There is clinical evidence to suggest that an outside source of a cannabidiol, such as CBD, has an influence on immune responses through the CB1 and CB2 receptors, as well as several others, within the endocannabinoid system. Plant based phytocannabidiols and their cousins, terpenes, have shown to have an analgesic effect on the body’s pain receptors. This helps to dull pain and reduce inflammation.[6] Phytocannabidiols can also help boost a natural immune response to infection by supporting the body’s endocannabinoid system in maintaining homeostasis and general health. While this method is not entirely understood, ongoing research suggests that the role of cannabidiols in helping with cytokine creation can boost the human body’s natural defenses against disease and infection.
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[1] De Laurentiis A, Araujo HA, Rettori V. Role of the endocannabinoid system in the neuroendocrine responses to inflammation. Curr Pharm Des. 2014;20(29):4697-4706.
[2] McPartland JM, Matias I, Di Marzo V, Glass M. Evolutionary origins of the endocannabinoid system. Gene. 2006;370:64-74.doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gene.2005.11.004.
[3] Alger BE. Getting High on the Endocannabinoid System. Cerebrum Dana Forum Brain Sci. 2013;2013.
[4] Cabral GA, Ferreira GA, Jamerson MJ. Endocannabinoids and the Immune System in Health and Disease. Handb Exp Pharmacol. 2015;231:185-211.
[5] Larry C. Borish, MD, John W. Steinke, PhD. Cytokines and Chemokines. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. February 2003. Volume 111, Issue 2, Supplement 2, Pages S460–S475
[6] Perry G. Fine, M.D., Mark J. Rosenfeld, M.S., Ph.D. The Endocannabinoid System, Cannabinoids, and Pain. Rambam Maimonides Med J. 2013 Oct; 4(4): e002