The Endocannabinoids system is a biological system composed of endocannabinoids neurotransmitters. It works in many metabolic functions such as energy storage and nutrient transport. In the peripheral nervous system, endocannabinoids act on adipocytes, hepatocytes, gastrointestinal tract, skeletal muscles, and endocrine pancreas to regulate physiological and cognitive processes, including fertility, pregnancy, and appetite. Aside from regulating all these bodily functions, it also plays a role in controlling our emotions, which explains the mild violence you might have seen in the video.
There are 2 types of receptors Which are able to respond to endocannabinoids: CB1 and CB2 receptors. CB1 is mostly found in the brain and CB2 is found in the peripheral nervous system.
Brain lack Endocannabinoids: The endocannabinoids system is responsible for the regulation of neurotransmitter production, thus the lack of endocannabinoids could lead to various functions not being properly regulated. The CB1 receptor will be activated when there is a calcium influx in the neuron, however it cannot do memory processing without endocannabinoids. In severe cases, low levels of endocannabinoids could cause migraine or fibromyalgia. Neurons with CB2-activated receptors cannot relay information that fights inflammation, hence the high level of IgE in the blood cannot be suppressed.
Weed as a Drug: Weed, or also known as Marijuana, is banned in several countries including Indonesia due to its addictive properties. However, weed actually contains several exo cannabinoid compounds. The lack of endocannabinoids inside the brain can be helped and treated with exo cannabinoid compounds in weed. Therefore, weed has the potential to be an effective therapy as the endocannabinoids substitution for people with low amounts of endocannabinoids in the brain.
The well-known exo cannabinoid compounds in the weed are THC and CBD. THC is responsible for the “high” effect since THC is able to bind with the cannabinoid receptors and trigger the release of dopamine. We all know that dopamine is the hormone that makes us feel happy and gives us pleasant feelings. Therefore, those who consume THC will feel “high” and happy. Although CBD does not exert any direct effect towards the “high” feeling, CBD does affect the interaction between THC and receptor. Excessive usage of weed leads to addiction since the flood of THC leads to the downregulation of CB1 receptors. CB1 receptors downregulation is able to disrupt the normal body endocannabinoids system. As the CB1 receptors are downregulated, a large amount of THC is needed to compensate for the normal system. This process is known as THC tolerance.
Conclusion: Low level of endocannabinoids inside the body can be replaced with the exo cannabinoids compound in weed, which reveals the potential of weed as a therapy to augment the low endocannabinoids amount in some people. However, excessive weed usage can lead to dependence and addiction. In the end, weed addiction may resulted in numerous physical and psychological side effects.
There are many ways to increase the amount of endocannabinoids in the body. One of them is by consuming endocannabinoids-stimulating foods, such as flax seeds, chia seeds, sardines or anchovies, and omega-3 enriched eggs. Several activities also can be done to enhance the amount of endocannabinoids in the body. These activities include meditation and yoga. Interestingly, social interaction can also increase the endocannabinoids level in the body.
Biomedicine Bachelor’s Program
