CBD and the Endocannabinoid System - How Does CBD Work?

CBD has exploded in popularity over the past year and can be found just about everywhere, from the gas station up the road to your favorite smoothie joint.

Needless to say, there is a reason for this: although the exact effects and benefits of CBD are still being researched, it has been credited with a myriad of positive traits including the alleviation of pain, anxiety, and inflammation, and well as more serious health issues such as seizures. And unlike THC, CBD is non psychoactive and available across all 50 states.  

But how, exactly, does CBD work? To answer this, we’re going to take a look at cannabinoids and the Endocannabinoid System. Cannabinoids are the chemical compounds responsible for the “high” or effects of cannabis use. As a cannabis connoisseur, you’re most likely well aware of the fact that cannabinoids come from the cannabis plant. But did you know that the human body produces its own form of cannabinoids? They share the same chemical makeup as cannabinoids from the cannabis plant, which is what causes the two most well-known cannabinoids, THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol), to have the effect that they do on the human body. In case you’re a word junkie – the cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant are called phytocannabinoids, while the cannabinoids produced naturally within the human body are called endocannabinoids (“phyto” means “plant,” while “endo” means “originating within the body.”)  

The Endocannabinoid System (ECS) was first discovered during the 1960s when scientists were researching the effects of cannabis on the human body. In addition to this highly intricate cell-signaling system, it was discovered that the body produces the above mentioned cannabinoids – Endocannabinoids, or eCBs, which play an important role in keeping things running smoothly in the body and helping it maintain a healthy state of homeostasis. It helps regulate things such as memory, appetite, immune response, sleep, the recognition of pain, mood, etc.  Both Phytocannabinoids and Endocannabinoids are neurotransmitters that effect the body by interacting with Cannabinoid Receptors (CB Receptors).

Although the ECS has many different CB Receptors, there are two types that are the most common: 

Cannabinoid Receptor 1 (CB1) –

• Located primarily in the brain, as well as (to a lesser extent) throughout the rest of the body ·      Responsible for healthy brain and nervous system function

• The psychoactive effect of cannabis happens when THC binds to these CB1 Receptors 

Cannabinoid Receptor 2 (CB2) –

• Located primarily in the immune and gastrointestinal system

• Also located in the brain, but not as densely

• Responsible for controlling immune function and inflammation 

THC, along with most cannabinoids, binds to either type of receptor (although it “sticks” to CB1 receptors more than it does to CB2 receptors.) The effect of this binding is the “high” that accompanies the use of THC. CBD, on the other hand, doesn’t stick well to either receptor. Rather than directly binding to a CB1 or CB2 receptor, CBD effects the body by changing the way that the receptors bind to cannabinoids.

CBD may stop the process of endocannabinoids from being broken down, thus increasing the levels of endocannabinoids in the body. Since these endocannabinoids bind to the receptors, they can have alleviating effects on nausea, pain, inflammation, anxiety, and other issues. 

Have you jumped on the CBD train? What has your experience been? Tell us about it in the comments!