The Science of Medical Cannabis
The human body possesses a network of receptors called the endocannabinoid system. Endocannabinoids and their receptors CB1 and CB2, are found throughout the body: in the brain, organs, connective tissues, glands, and immune cells. In each tissue, the cannabinoid system performs different tasks, but the goal is always the same: homeostasis, the maintenance of a stable internal environment despite fluctuations in the external environment. The endocannabinoid system, with its complex actions in our immune system, nervous system, and all of the body’s organs, is literally a bridge between body and mind. By understanding this system we begin to see a mechanism that explains how states of consciousness can promote health or disease. If the body is unable to produce enough endocannabinoids or regulate them, the endocannabinoid system breaks down, which can effect how our memory, pain management, immune system and other physiological processes operate.
