What Makes Cannabis Medicine?
CANNABIS: a plant that’s been labelled criminal and dangerous is providing unrivaled relief for a variety of symptoms and conditions. Cannabis strains bring a colorful variety of medicinal effects, but when confronted with the question of how consuming marijuana could possibly be good for you, not everyone knows how to respond.
What are Cannabinoids?
- One hefty word that belongs in every medical marijuana patient’s vocabulary is cannabinoid. Cannabinoid (e.g., THC and CBDs) are the chemical compounds secreted by cannabis flowers that provide relief to an array of symptoms including pain, nausea, anxiety, and inflammation. These work their medicinal magic by imitating compounds our bodies naturally produce, called endocannabinoids, which activate to maintain internal stability and health. To put a complex system simply, they mediate communication between cells, and when there is a deficiency or problem with our endocannabinoid system, unpleasant symptoms and physical complications occur.
- When cannabis is consumed, cannabinoids bind to receptor sites throughout our brain (receptors called CB-1) and body (CB-2). Different cannabinoids have different effects depending on which receptors they bind to. For example, THC binds to receptors in the brain whereas CBN (cannabinol) has a strong affinity for CB-2 receptors located throughout the body. Depending on a cannabis product’s cannabinoid profile, different types of relief are achievable.