The Endocannabinoid System: Simply Explained for You

Perhaps you have heard of the endocannabinoid system, or ECS for short. The term is particularly often used in connection with CBD and cannabis.

What many don't know: The endocannabinoid system is not a system that we only acquire through cannabis. Our body possesses it naturally.

It is an endogenous communication system consisting of neurotransmitters, receptors, and enzymes. Researchers are intensively studying it because the endocannabinoid system is involved in numerous processes in the human body.

But how does it actually work? And what does CBD have to do with it?

The endocannabinoid system is an endogenous signaling system.

It was discovered comparatively late. Researchers initially investigated how components of the cannabis plant work in the body. In doing so, they found certain docking sites – the so-called cannabinoid receptors.

The exciting realization followed later:

Our body does not possess these receptors because cannabis exists. It produces substances itself that interact with them.

These endogenous substances are called endocannabinoids.

Today, three important components of the endocannabinoid system are distinguished:

• Endocannabinoids as endogenous neurotransmitters

• Cannabinoid receptors as a type of reception point

• Enzymes that form and break down endocannabinoids

Among the best-known endocannabinoids are anandamide and 2-AG. Among the best-studied receptors are CB1 and CB2.

Endocannabinoids are substances that our body can produce itself.

The two best known are:

Anandamide (AEA)
and
2-Arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG).

The name anandamide is derived from the Sanskrit term "Ananda," which is translated as joy or bliss, among other things. This is why anandamide is sometimes referred to as the "bliss molecule."

This sounds nice, but it is scientifically a bit too simplistic.

Anandamide does not have just one function and is not an endogenous "happiness switch." Rather, endocannabinoids are part of a complex communication system.

They are formed when needed and then broken down again.

For neurotransmitters to transmit information, they need appropriate receivers.

In the endocannabinoid system, these include in particular the CB1 and CB2 receptors.

CB1 receptors are particularly common in the central nervous system, but are also found in other areas of the body.

They play an important role in signal transmission between nerve cells.

CB2 receptors are found, among other places, on various cells of the immune system. However, they are not found exclusively there.

The simplistic idea "CB1 is only in the brain and CB2 is only in the immune system" would therefore not be entirely correct.

Simplified, one can imagine the system as a communication between different parts of the body.

The body forms endocannabinoids as needed. These can interact with receptors and thus be involved in the transmission of signals.

The endocannabinoids are then broken down again.

For this purpose, the body possesses various enzymes. For anandamide, for example, the enzyme FAAH plays an important role. For the breakdown of 2-AG, among others, an enzyme called MAGL is responsible.

So the whole thing is not a permanently switched-on system.

The body can form endocannabinoids, transmit signals, and then break down the neurotransmitters again.

The ECS is being researched in connection with numerous bodily processes.

These include, for example, areas such as:

• Nervous system

• Metabolism

• Appetite

• Memory

• Stress responses

• Immune processes

• Sleep-wake processes

The important phrase here is "is involved".

For example, the endocannabinoid system is not simply our "sleep system" or "relaxation system." Many processes in the body arise from the interaction of numerous neurotransmitters, hormones, nerve cells, and organs.

The ECS is part of this complex network.

The name can be confusing at first.

"Endo" means, in essence, "from within" or "endogenous".

Cannabinoids from the cannabis plant, on the other hand, are called phytocannabinoids. "Phyto" stands for plant.

So we can distinguish:

Endocannabinoids: are produced by the body itself.

Phytocannabinoids: occur naturally in the cannabis plant.

Phytocannabinoids include, for example, THC and CBD.

However, this does not mean that endogenous endocannabinoids and plant-based cannabinoids are identical.

THC can bind to cannabinoid receptors and activate CB1 receptors in particular.

Precisely this interaction is essential for the intoxicating effect of THC.

Our endogenous anandamide can also interact with CB1 receptors. However, this does not mean that anandamide and THC are the same.

With CBD, the matter is more complicated.

CBD does not simply work like THC and does not activate the classic cannabinoid receptors in the same way.

Instead, research is being done on how CBD can influence various receptors, enzymes, and other signaling pathways. This also includes mechanisms associated with the endocannabinoid system. However, the pharmacology of CBD is complex and is still a subject of research.

Therefore, the statement:

"CBD activates the endocannabinoid system"

would be too simplistic.

More accurately:

CBD can interact with various biological signaling pathways, which also include components of the endocannabinoid system.

Furthermore, it cannot be automatically inferred from this that commercially available CBD products have specific health effects. The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment also points out that many of the health-promoting effects attributed to CBD have not yet been scientifically proven.

At this point, two of our topics converge.

Anandamide is broken down again after its use. CBD is being investigated, among other things, to see whether it can influence processes that play a role in the availability and processing of anandamide.

One therefore occasionally reads:

"CBD increases anandamide levels."

However, one should not formulate it so generally.

There is scientific evidence of interactions between CBD and the anandamide system. However, how these precisely occur in humans and what practical significance they have is more complex.

We explain more about this in detail in our article "CBD and Anandamide: What do they have to do with each other?"

The ECS is a good example of how much we still have to learn about our own bodies.

Research into cannabis first led scientists to the cannabinoid receptors. Anandamide was subsequently identified in the early 1990s.

Gradually, this led to the current understanding of an entire endogenous signaling system.

The research is by no means complete.

Today, we know significantly more about the endocannabinoid system than we did just a few decades ago. At the same time, new connections and mechanisms are still being investigated.

The endocannabinoid system is a naturally occurring signaling system in our body.

Its most important components include:

Endocannabinoids like anandamide and 2-AG,
Receptors like CB1 and CB2
as well as enzymes that form and break down endocannabinoids.

The system is involved in various processes in the body and is therefore intensively researched.

CBD and THC can interact with components of this system—but in different ways. Especially with CBD, the connections are more complex than simple statements like "CBD activates the endocannabinoid system" might suggest.

Therefore, anyone who wants to understand CBD should first understand the endocannabinoid system. Because this is precisely where it becomes clear: Cannabinoids encounter a communication system in our body that existed long before the first contact with the hemp plant.

Yes. The endocannabinoid system is an endogenous biological signaling system and does not depend on whether someone uses cannabis or CBD.

Among the best-studied endocannabinoids are anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG).

CB1 and CB2 are cannabinoid receptors. They are located in different areas of the body and can receive signals from endocannabinoids.

This statement would be too simplistic. CBD is associated with various receptors, enzymes, and signaling pathways. These also include components of the endocannabinoid system. The exact relationships are complex and are still being researched.

No. The ECS is an endogenous system and functions independently of whether a person uses CBD or cannabis.

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