The Endocannabinoid System and CBD: An Introduction
You may have already heard from many different sources about how many different health benefits CBD Oil can provide. But what you may not know already is precisely how this chemical compound manages to achieve these results.Â
While the science surrounding the beneficial effects of CBD is still in its infancy, what we do understand is how this chemical compound can have positive impacts on our body. CBD achieves this beneficial outcome by interacting with one of our most critical biological systems the endocannabinoid system.
But what exactly is this system, and what role does in play in regulating the body?
What Is the Endocannabinoid System (ECS)?
As just mentioned, CBD products work within your body by interacting with chemical receptors known as the endocannabinoid system (ECS).
All mammals have an ECS, and its primary function is to regulate a wide range of essential processes such as anti-inflammatory and immune response. It also regulates several other vital elements including appetite, mood, anxiety levels and sleep schedules.
Overall, the goal of the ECS is to help our body maintain a state of homeostasis. This is a physical condition whereby everything in the body is in a state of natural equilibrium and balance.
How Does the Endocannabinoid System Help the Body to Achieve Homeostasis?
An excellent way to visualize homeostasis is by thinking of your body as a set of old fashioned weighing scales, with an equal amount of ongoing biological processes on each side.
To perform cellular-level processes optimally, your body must have the scales level or at equilibrium, with one side weighing exactly the same as the other.
If one set of biological processes takes up more of the body’s operating power (becoming heavier on our hypothetical scales), then our delicate cells begin to lose their ability to perform at their maximum potential.
Our body has a very narrow optimum range, and therefore homeostasis is an everlasting biological balancing act. Our ECS is vital in our body’s fight to maintain balance.
For example, when we are too hot, our body releases sweat to help us cool back down. Or when our blood sugar is high, insulin is released to bring those levels back to normal. All of these reactions are part of the body’s goal of achieving homeostasis.
It manages to achieve this “balancing” outcome by sending messages in reaction to stimuli. The endocannabinoids that work within the ECS are neurotransmitters, giving chemical commands that trigger a biological response. As humans, we naturally produce our own endocannabinoids.
The most common example of these neurotransmitters in action is experienced by runners who enter a state of natural euphoria called “runners high” after a period of extreme exertion.
What Happens When Our ECS Doesn’t Function Properly?
Since the ECS has such an essential role in regulating our body, when it becomes either overactive or underactive, it can cause severe health problems as the body begins to lose its ability to maintain homeostasis. Think of it as one of the sides becoming heavier or lighter in our weight scales analogy.
Clinical Endocannabinoid Deficiency (CECD) is the clinical term for the condition caused by the malfunctioning of the ECS system.
A malfunctioning ECS can lead to various physical and mental health issues that appear suddenly without warning. Examples of such ailments include: arthritis, autoimmune disorders, chronic pain, depression, or anxiety.
However, CBD can help to regain the balance that every human body strives to maintain.
How Does CBD Help Your Endocannabinoid System (ECS)?
When a human produces cannabinoids, they are known as endocannabinoids. However, when these chemical compounds are produced in plants, they are known as phytocannabinoids.
CBD is a phytocannabinoid and is just one of over 100 that are currently found in the hemp species of cannabis plants. By taking CBD Oil, you help to support the ECS with its daily functions, maintaining your body’s natural rhythms and ensuring homeostasis is achieved.
It does this by inhibiting the response of critical receptors within the ECS that have fallen out of equilibrium, namely CB1 and CB2 receptors.
CB1 receptors are found in the brain and nervous system. They make up over 50% of the brain’s cannabinoid receptors, and they outnumber all other cannabinoid receptors combined.
When activated, CB1 receptors reduce the activity of crucial processes happening within a cell. They do so by flooding neurons (which send messages around the brain and nervous system) with calcium ions, preventing them from firing.
CB2 receptors are primarily found outside of the central nervous system, mainly in the immune system. They are only 44% identical to CB1 receptors, yet they still perform the same overall cellular purpose.
Since CB2 receptors are principally found in the immune system, this means their activation reduces the activity of cells within this structure, specifically B cells, which are in charge of fighting off diseases.
That’s why it’s been reasoned that CBD is so effective in providing relief to autoimmune conditions such as arthritis. CBD can stop the CB2 receptors from firing, reducing swelling and inflammation.
It also explains why CBD is simultaneously effective at treating depression since it can stop CB1 receptors from prematurely shutting down chemical signals from serotonin (the hormone responsible for feelings of happiness) receptors.
Improve Your Endocannabinoid System with CBD Oil Today
The CBD chemical compound has far-reaching applications and many potential health benefits which are still being investigated as we speak. By understanding how the ECS works into greater detail, you can now begin to appreciate how our products can help you to beat anxiety and depression, or relieve pain associated with inflammation by “re-balancing” the body via the ECS.
Here at the THECBDSHOP.CO.UK, we source the finest CBD the EU has to offer from certified organic hemp farms. We third-party test to ensure that they are organic and free of contaminants, and we even provide CBD Oil with 0% THC content.
Whether you are looking to give CBD to your pets, or you’re looking for the soothing nature of a CBD Bath Bomb, we’ve got a product that works for you. So why not visit our online shop to take advantage of free shipping for a limited time only?
