Tag: education

In the early 1900s, researchers made a discovery that provided a solution to many of the debilitating health conditions that had perplexed the medical profession for hundreds of years, we know it as Vitamin D. Now, nearly one hundred years later, we find ourselves in the midst of a similar pivotal discovery as scientists connect the dots between wellness, the endocannabinoid system, and phytochemicals found in the Cannabis and Hemp plant.

A necessary component in the workings of many bodily systems, Vitamin D revealed itself to be a foundational key to wellness. Researchers discovered that Vitamin D is created within the fatty tissues of the skin when an individual is exposed to sunlight, and that without this exposure individuals can establish a deficiency of Vitamin D, which can domino into a number of health conditions. They also observed that with supplementation of Vitamin D, many of the debilitating chronic conditions, including Rickets, were able to be reversed.

You may be asking: What is the purpose of drawing a connection between Vitamin D and the phytoconstituents found in Hemp?

In the mid-1990s researchers discovered what is now called the “Endocannabinoid System” as a complex molecular signaling system that exists in all mammals. This system plays a role in maintaining many of the bodily functions which help to maintain homeostasis. While we do create our own endocannabinoids, when we are under extreme amounts of stress, or have a build-up of chronic toxicity, our bodies have difficulty making our own endocannabinoids to regulate our system. Through the course of the last three decades, scientists have been able to establish that endocannabinoid receptors are found all throughout the body, giving them a wide variety of functions. Certain receptors are more concentrated in specific regions of the body. What has been defined as CB1 receptors are abundant in the central nervous system and found along the pathway of the brain and spinal cord, whereas what has been defined as CB2 receptors are more often found on immune cells, in the gastrointestinal tract, and in the peripheral nervous system.

The presence of endocannabinoid receptor locations throughout the body reveals just how important this system is for bodily maintenance. They help regulate the following:

• Appetite, digestion, hunger
• Immune function
• Memory
• Mood
• Motor control
• Pain
• Pleasure and reward
• Reproduction and fertility
• Sleep
• Temperature regulation

Endocannabinoids are the chemical messengers that help to regulate the body’s processes by a complex signaling system. They help maintain optimal balance in the body, also known as homeostasis. When the endocannabinoid system is disrupted, any one of these things can fall out of balance. Dysregulation within the endocannabinoid system is thought to contribute to a wide variety of conditions. Some researchers are calling this a “Clinical Endocannabinoid Deficiency“.  If a person is unable to produce enough endocannabinoids within their system, or for some reason is unable to regulate them properly, they are more susceptible to illnesses that affect one or several of the functional systems of the body that it helps regulate. functions listed above.

Where do endocannabinoids come from? This question has another simple answer: the food that we eat.

The mammalian body system creates endocannabinoids with the help of fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are especially important for this. Recent research in animal models has found a connection between diets low in omega-3s and mood changes caused by poor endocannabinoid regulation.

While more than 80 cannabinoids have been found to be present in marijuana, only the molecule of THC is psychoactive. Recent research has revealed that some of the other constituents that have been found to be abundant in the Cannabis species, such as cannabidiol, have well-documented biological effects of potential therapeutic interest, such as anti-anxiety, anticonvulsive, anti-nausea, anti-inflammatory and antitumor properties. These cannabinoids have been shown to fit the receptors within the endocannabinoid system, leading researchers to investigate the health benefits of supplementing with full-spectrum hemp and cannabis extracts, whom are seeing and documenting improvements in long-standing chronic health conditions.

As increasing amounts of evidence builds to support the use of hemp and cannabis extracts in daily wellness regimens, drug companies scramble to claim rights on the compounds of this plant species.

I am struck by the similarities within the discovery of the endocannabinoid system, and the discovery of Vitamin D. Considering that under the right conditions, i.e. exposure to adequate sunlight, one can make their own Vitamin D, and without adequate sun exposure, a deficiency in Vitamin D can ensure an array of various health conditions. We also have an innate endocannabinoid system, which acts as a messenger along our neural synapses. Research and individual experiences are revealing how supplementation with cannabinoids, such as cannabidiol, are helping to bring balance to long-standing conditions that have not been able to be helped by other remedies or medications. One has to begin to wonder if we are living in a similar time to the early 1900s when the health discovery of Vitamin D was uncovered, and what life would look like if Vitamin D supplementation were controlled by drug companies….

It is time that we connect the dots.

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Kathryn Delaney is a Certified Nutritionist, Herbalist and Aromatherapist, and is the Director of the Aromatherapy Program and Medicine Making Teacher at the Colorado School of Clinical Herbalism.