The Endocannabinoid System: Everything You Need to Know

What is the Endocannabinoid System?

Did you know that there is a system in our bodies comprised of receptors that interact exclusively with cannabinoids like CBD and THC?

While decades of Cannabis prohibition will ferociously debate this claim, this system does indeed exist.

It’s known as the Endocannabinoid System, and it is the catalyst behind the many benefits CBD.

To understand how CBD works and to fully comprehend the benefits it can deliver, it’s crucial that you first understand the Endocannabinoid System.

Get ready to learn something that might just blow your mind…

History of the Endocannabinoid System

In 1988, the first cannabinoid receptor was found in the brain of a rat.

The team of researchers discovered that these receptors interacted exclusively with receptors found in the Cannabis compound, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). What was even more surprising is that the receptors were found concentrated in parts of the brain responsible for mental and physiological processes (ie. memory, high cognition, emotion, and motor coordination).

Five years later, in 1993, a second cannabinoid receptor was identified. This receptor was distributed throughout the immune system and peripheral tissues of the body and exhibited the same reaction to THC as the first receptor.

It was then that researchers realized they were onto something big…

Just two years later, in 1995, researchers discovered that the two receptors―now deemed the CB1 and CB2 receptors―were found not only in rats, but within thousands of other species―including humans.

As technology advanced, researchers were able to further analyze the relationship between the cannabinoid receptors within our body (referred to as…