How is it that cannabis works scientifically for wellness?

I have to start off with a tricky word but remember the name, as the following article revolves around it: Cannabinoids, or in this case, phytocannabinoids.

Phytocannabinoids are compounds found in the cannabis plant, which are produced naturally as ‘endocannabinoids’ which are essential fatty acids that convert into these compounds called endocannabinoid by our body’s own endocannabinoid system, which is a network of receptors and chemicals that regulate a variety of physiological processes such as mood, appetite, pain, and even memory. One of the most studied endocannabinoid so far is anandamide, also known as the bliss molecule.

The runner’s high the euphoria you feel after exercising are not endorphins. It’s called overflow of anandamide and it’s an endocannabinoid that boosts our mood.

But… What is endocannabinology?

Endocannabinology is the study of the function and dysfunction of the endocannabinoid system and all the ways we can modulate it.

In medicine, doctors silo fields into “-ologies”. So, people are familiar with cardiology and endocrinology, neurology — and really what they mean is the study of the function and dysfunction of those systems. So, in cannabis medicine the focus for a long time has been on cannabis (the plant), but people come to us with physical conditions, and doctors are trained to treat the patient. What they’re really treating is the endocannabinoid system when they’re assessing different disease processes or symptoms. And, so it made sense to Dr. Rachel Knox and her family at the American Cannabinoid Clinics to call themselves endocannabinologists who practice endocannabinology. Claiming that cannabis is, the most versatile tool that works on that system, along with lots of other things that help treat that system.

“As far as we know, right, because there’s still so much more to know, is that the endocannabinoid system is the maestro to the symphony that is every physiological system in the human body. And its role is to keep us in balance, to keep us healthy. So, a perfectly functioning and in tune endocannabinoid system keeps us in perfect health.” — Dr. Rachel Knox (TEDxPortland 2019)

When phytocannabinoids are consumed, they bind to endocannabinoid receptors in the brain and throughout the body, and this interaction can produce a range of effects, including anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects.

For example, THC can bind to CB1 receptors in the brain and alter the activity of neurons, leading to the psychotropic effects of cannabis. CBD can bind to CB1 and CB2 receptors, but it does not produce psychotropic effects. Instead, it is thought to have a number of potential therapeutic effects, such as reducing inflammation and anxiety.

CBD, is another phytocannabinoid that is psychoactive but it’s actually non-psychotropic, which means that it does not produce the same kind of mind-altering effects as THC — two of the most abundant compounds found in cannabis — and it is generally considered to be safe and well-tolerated by most people. It’s mental effect is clarity and focus and acts as a neuroprotector as it’s anti-inflammatory. CBD is available in a variety of forms, including oils, as we sell on our website, tinctures, and topical creams, and it is being studied for its potential uses in the treatment of a range of conditions, from post-traumatic stress disorder to depression, or to reduce several kinds — if not all — forms of chronic pain. So far it has proved to serve as an alternative (from pharmacologies) medicine to treat epilepsy, a wide array of anxiety disorders, and ailments and diseases that affect the musculoskeletal system such as fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis and many other forms of chronic pain.
The science of endocannabinology seeks to understand how this system works and how it can be modulated for therapeutic purposes. This field of study is relatively new, and research is ongoing, but it has already led to the development of new treatments for a variety of conditions, including chronic pain and epilepsy. Endocannabinologists like Rachel Knox and her family are the pioneers of this new science built around the ECS, a massive 600 million-year-old neurotransmitter that exists in all vertebrates, all alive beings except for insects.

Phytocannabinoids like CBD and CBG can bring tremendous therapeutic benefits to a wide array of users. From people with anxiety disorders, and people with ADHDto people with fibromyalgia and even other diagnosis such as multiple sclerosis, which are physical and neurological diseases.

The major issue with CBD these days is around cannabis education as its pretty much non-existent by most companies as is the main of focus of many of these companies is to strive to sell business-to-business only without properly educating the consumer about how to use it. We build relationships and get to know our client first. Why? because there’s no such thing as a standard dosage when it comes to cannabis — or any psychoactive substance for that matter. For it to work you have to consider up to 12 aspects of the lifestyle of the consumer, it has to be a full spectrum cannabis extract, meaning it has all the compounds, or phytocannabinoids, that are present in the plant.
Also, the most healthy and effective way to consume it is sublingual, as it crosses the blood-brain barrier fast and effectively within minutes and is the cheapest and highest quality form of ingestion.

Taking into consideration how important is dosage when it comes to psychoactive substances, at Green Drop we have put up a questionnaire form for you to fill out and find out your ideal dosage. From there on you’d likely use the supplement daily for two to three weeks. Then stop and use it as needed in the future whenever anxious, stressed or in pain as a tool to improve your health and life quality. Use cannabis as a tool, not as a drug.

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Thank you and hope you stay in homeostasis with a well-balanced ECS.