Understanding Cannabinoids
Since the legalization of medicinal or recreational cannabis in a majority of the states, there has been an increase of interest in the chemical components of the plant (cannabinoids) and their medicinal benefits, such as CBD for epilepsy. This article will briefly explain what cannabinoids are, the scientific history of them, and their known medicinal benefits.
What’s the difference between cannabinoids and endocannabinoids?
Cannabinoids are the chemical compounds that make up the cannabis plant. At least 113 cannabinoids have been identified in the plant. The most well-known cannabinoid is delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive ingredient to cannabis, followed closely by cannabidiol (CBD). Other lesser-known cannabinoids that have been identified include cannabinol (CBN), cannabigerol (CBG), cannabichromene (CBC), delta-9 trahydrocannabivarin (THCV), cannabivarin (CBV), and cannabidivarin (CBDV).
Endocannabinoids, by contrast, are similar to cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant, but are found and produced naturally in the human body, thus the term “endo” which refers to “within,” as in within the body. Two key endocannabinoids that have been identified are anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglyerol (2-AG).
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Finally, the endocannabinoid system (ECS) is a biological system composed of endocannabinoids that bind to cannabinoid receptors (CBRs) in our bodies and regulates many crucial body functions, such as memory, emotional processing, sleep, temperature, pain, immune responses, and even eating. When the THC cannabinoid binds with these receptors, it produces the plant’s psychoactive effects.
History of cannabinoids
The discovery of cannabinoids and the ECS system is relatively new. In the early 1940s, THC and CBD were the first cannabinoids isolated and extracted from the cannabis plant. Some fifty years later, Raphael Mechoulam, isolated the first endocannabinoid, anandamide (AEA). Soon thereafter, his lab isolated the cannabinoid, 2-arachidonoylglycerolor (or 2-AG).
Known Benefits
Like the plant they are derived from, cannabinoids and the ECS have shown to be therapeutic for a number of physical and psychological conditions. Research has shown that ECS-targeted therapy could be used for the treatment of physiological conditions such as appetite stimulation, blood pressure, pain. embryonic development, nausea and vomiting control. memory and learning, and immune response. In addition, it may be used for pathological conditions, such as
Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and multiple sclerosis
In sum, we know there are over a hundred different types of cannabinoids in the cannabis plant, but have only identified a handful of them. We also know the ECS exists and plays an important role in regulating our body’s functions and we known when cannabinoids bind to our body’s cannabinoid receptors, it can have different therapeutic effects. However, there is still a lot we don’t know about the ECS and cannabinoids, but more research and a better understanding of this complex biological function could lead to the treatment of even more conditions.
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