How Cannabis Works: What is the Endocannabinoid System?

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In the early 1990s, researchers discovered a previously unknown communication system involved in the regulation of nearly every essential function in the body. They named it the endocannabinoid system (ECS) after the plant elements that led researchers to its discovery — cannabinoids.

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This system is made up of cannabinoid receptors (called CB1 and CB2), endocannabinoids (natural chemicals in the human body which activate or modulate CB1 and CB2 activity), and enzymes which metabolize the endocannabinoids and clear them from the body.

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The ECS modulates many of the body’s most important functions, including sleep, hunger, pain, anxiety, nausea and energy metabolism, among others. In fact, the endocannabinoid system is so vital to maintaining homeostasis — a state of balance in the body — that some researchers believe many health conditions can be explained by endocannabinoid deficiencies. These conditions include migraines, irritable bowel syndrome, and fibromyalgia, among others.

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Under the effects of illness, injury, or environmental stress, the need for endocannabinoid messengers can exceed the supply. When the body needs more of these essential messengers than it can produce, the communication between vital processes can break down.

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Plant-based cannabinoids (phytocannabinoids) like those in cannabis, can influence ECS functions, helping them regulate body functions.  Learn more about Cannabis and it's medicinal healing properties here.