The endocannabinoid system is bliss.
According to a survey carried out by Medical Cannabis Evaluation in 2013, only 13% of medical schools in the US teach the ECS as part of their curriculum.
The use of cannabis traces its roots back to ancient civilizations that sprouted along banks of great rivers such as the Indus River in India, Hwang-Ho in China and river Tigris and the Euphrates in Mesopotamia.
In 1964, Dr. Mechoulam made a milestone discovery when he isolated the first cannabinoid in cannabis Sativa which was named delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). He continued his research and a few years later he was able to isolate the second cannabinoid which was named cannabidiol (CBD). Around 1988, a US government-funded study discovered endocannabinoid receptors in the mammalian brain. These receptors happened to be more abundant than any neurotransmitter in the brain.
In 1992, a team led by Dr. Mechoulam identified an endogenous molecule that interacts with the CB1 receptor. They named this endocannabinoid anandamide which means bliss. In 1995, the second endocannabinoid was isolated and called – 2-arachidonoylglycerol, or “2-AG”, this molecule binds to both the CB1 and CB2 receptors. A third receptor has been identified and named GPR55; it has been associated with anti-cancer effects. The endocannabinoid system has been found in all mammals, reptiles and other animals apart from insects “By using a plant that has been around for thousands of years, we discovered a new physiological system of immense importance. We wouldn’t have been able to get there if we had not looked at the plant.”
