Did you know you have an endocannabinoid system? A year ago, I didn’t either. Despite this fact, the endocannabinoid system has been hailed as “the most important physiologic system involved in establishing and maintaining human health.”

Perhaps it’s because it was found by accident?  During the  1990s, scientists were trying to understand how THC, the psychoactive substance in the cannabis plant, affects the body. What they uncovered was a complex network of receptors (CB1) in the brain and central nervous system that were a perfect fit for the THC molecule.

Soon after, another type of receptor (CB2) was discovered in the immune system, gut, and many of the body’s major organs.

What does the endocannabinoid system do?

The endocannabinoid system fine-tunes most of our vital physiological functions, bringing balance to everything from sleep, appetite, and pain to inflammation, memory, mood, and even reproduction. It’s extremely important and huge for the regulation of our health and our immune system.

Humans aren’t alone in having an ECS

Not only is the endocannabinoid system found in all vertebrates, furthermore, scientists also discovered cannabinoid receptors in non-vertebrate sea-squirts, suggesting an evolutionary process dating back 600 million years ago.

Endocannabinoid receptors are the most abundant neurotransmitter receptors in the brain

They’re the chemicals that communicate information throughout the brain and body. Serotonin and dopamine are perhaps the most well known examples, but it’s the endocannabinoid Anandamide, also classed as a neurotransmitter, that has the most receptors in the brain. Fascinating isn’t it?

 Increased endocannabinoid system activity has been noted in many diseases

As the endocannabinoid system’s modus operandi is to bring balance to the body, it’s no surprise that scientists have observed elevated ECS activity in a number of illnesses. Everything from neurodegenerative diseases to rheumatoid arthritis and cancer have shown changes in endocannabinoid levels and greater receptor expression.

‘Endocannabinoid System Deficiency’ might be a cause of some illnesses

Scientists have observed how, in certain conditions associated with oversensitivity to pain such as migraines, fibromyalgia, and IBS, the ECS appears to have become weakened. The theory is known as Clinical Endocannabinoid Deficiency, and it is believed that supplementing the body with compounds from the cannabis plant can correct this deficiency and improve symptoms.

Perhaps this is why numerous studies are now emerging showing the many medical applications that that cannabis can have.

The ECS explains why medicinal cannabis has a therapeutic effect

Cannabis had been used for thousands of years to treat a whole host of ailments, like epilepsy, headaches, arthritis, pain, depression, and nausea. It’s insane how it’s been illegal for so long. Back then, nobody knew why the plant showed such therapeutic versatility. The discovery of the endocannabinoid system soon shone new light onto the medicinal effects of cannabis.

According to Dustin Sulak, a leading medical cannabis expert: “Research has shown that small doses of cannabinoids from cannabis can signal the body to make more endocannabinoids and build more cannabinoid receptors.” He goes on, “I believe that small, regular doses of cannabis might act as a tonic to our most central physiologic healing system.”

You don’t have to break the law to give your endocannabinoid system a boost

In Canada, you can now grow your own marijuana, or purchase your own. We recommend growing your own because you never know what pesticides have been used, or what contaminants have been found in the weed.

Health Canada allows you to grow approximately 5 times the amount of grams you were prescribed per day in plants i.e. if you were prescribed 5 gram per day, you can grow 25 plants indoors. Many Doctors are not comfortable signing these prescriptions and if they do, they are extremely conservative and don’t understand that many people prefer to eat or juice rather than smoke and this require much more product.

That’s where we come in. We connect you with passionate doctors as well as help you obtain your prescription and assist with the paper work in order for you to get your license to grow cannabis legally.

In mainstream medicine, the endocannabinoid system remains rather a pariah.

In 2013, a survey was conducted asking medical schools in the United States whether the ECS formed part of their curriculum. The authors found that only “13% teach the endocannabinoid system to future doctors.”

That’s why our services our vital, we know doctors who are cannabis savy:)