What is the ECS? 

The importance of the body’s endocannabinoid system – ECS for short – has only recently been realized, which is why the ECS is now often referred to as the most important body system you’ve have never heard of. Although the ECS is one of the body’s primary systems, it’s not an isolated structural system like the nervous system or the vascular system. Instead, the ECS is broadly dispersed throughout the body and is made up of receptor sites – like little docking stations – on nearly every organ in the body.

What does the ECS do? 

The ECS is the body’s primary regulatory system. It’s like an internal balancing mechanism, constantly keeping a vast range of various bodily functions in equilibrium. The body does this by making its own endocannabinoids that then modulate various biological processes throughout the body, resulting in endocannabinoids having wide-ranging effects on everything from fertility to pain.

Cannabinoid receptors are in the brain, nervous system, GI tract, bones, immune system, skin, and nearly every other organ in the body. They help regulate:

  • Appetite
  • Bone health
  • Caloric metabolism
  • Fertility
  • Immune function
  • Inflammation
  • Mood
  • Memory
  • Pain sensation
  • Skin health
  • Sleep
  • Stress response

Are there plant sources of cannabinoids? 

Yes. We know that most animals – from fish to birds to mammals – have their own ECS. We also know that, while humans make their own cannabinoids that interact with the ECS (called endocannabinoids), there are also compounds that can interact with the ECS that are found in a variety of foods and plants – called phytocannabinoids. These plant-based cannabinoids either directly attach to, and have an effect on, cannabinoid receptors – OR – they have an effect on the metabolism of endocannabinoids produced in the body. One thing they can do is slow down their destruction, keeping them in the body longer.

Cannabis (cultivated as hemp) contains numerous phytocannabinoids, including cannabidiol (CBD), tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA), tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV), cannabigerol (CBG), cannabinol (CBN), and many others.

Common non-Cannabis plants that contain phytocannabinoids include black pepper, clove, Echinacea, green tea, Panax ginseng, and black truffles. Within nature, chemical substances rarely act in isolation, and this is especially true of phytocannabinoids, which work together in a carefully orchestrated manner.

What is the difference between hemp and marijuana?

Hemp and marijuana are different cultivars of the same plant, Cannabis sativa L. A cultivar is a plant variety that has been produced or cultivated through a process of selective breeding. Marijuana is a form of Cannabis that has been bred to concentrate high levels of the psychoactive compound, THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), for recreational and medicinal use – it often contains as much as 18-percent THC. Conversely, hemp is a Cannabis cultivar primarily used in making clothing, paper, biofuels, bioplastics, nutritional supplements, cosmetics, and foods. Hemp contains less than 0.3-percent THC as measured in the dried flowering tops.

Learn more

Read these other Take 5 Daily articles to learn more about hemp: