The Endocannabinoid System is a network of neurotransmitters and endocannabinoid receptor sites throughout the body of humans and animals. Its discovery and subsequent naming were made during the study of cannabinoid’s influence on the human body (R).
Compounds such as cannabidiol are able to modulate the endocannabinoid system by mimicking several innate endocannabinoid compounds produced by our bodies. These compounds, still described woefully by their chemical names, including the following:
- Arachidonoylethanolamine (Anandamide)
- 2-Arachidonoylglycerol
- 2-Arachidonyl glyceryl ether
- N-Arachidonoyl dopamine (NADA)
- Virodhamine
- Lysophosphatidylinositol
Endocannabinoids act similarly to monoamine neurotransmitters such as dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine but also differ in many significant ways. For one, endocannabinoids are capable of retrograde signaling; a type of back-and-forth process by which cells communicate with one another. This process is controlled by the responses from nearby cells and helps regulate neurotransmitter levels, among other things.
Synthetic cannabinoids have been created as far back as the 1940s to mimic the action of herbal compounds, as well as endogenous endocannabinoids. The purpose of these compounds, at least initially, included the following:
- Stimulation of appetite
- Anti-Nausea
- General anesthetic
- Weight Control
- Anti-Tumor Activity
The true nature and underlying mechanisms of the endocannabinoid system are still shrouded in mystery. Endocannabinoids are thought to be produced, on a cellular level, in response to excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitter activity. To be clear—the endocannabinoid system spans throughout the body including the brain, organs, tissue, and the peripheral nervous system.
Endocannabinoids have been studied for their impact on immune responses. Scientific research has shown that activation of the endocannabinoid system, through innate means or cannabinoids such as cannabidiol, has a modulatory effect on the human immune system (R).
Endocannabinoid compounds act on the human body via cannabinoid receptor sites. Currently, there are two primary cannabinoid receptor types known to science: CB1 and CB2. CB1 receptors are densest in the brain and CB2 is more common throughout peripheral tissues. It’s through acting on these receptors that cannabinoids and endocannabinoids are able to exert their influence on the human endocannabinoid system, for better or worse.