The first important biological aspect to understand about Cannabis Oil before dismissing it is to understand why it is so beneficial to human health, the human body consists of a complex endocannabinoid system, we have endocannabinoids throughout our body. The latest research has given us a more in depth understanding of the endocannabinoid system, it consists of a group of enzymes, endogenous ligands and endocannabinoid receptors, not just in the brain but also in the body. Endocannabinoids are found throughout the nervous system, the heart, the gut, liver, pancreas, skin, reproductive system, and so on. Researchers have shown that disrupted endocannabinoid signalling indicates in the body are connected to many illnesses including diabetes, hypertension, infertility, liver disease and that's only the tip of the iceberg.
This is an area of expanding research that is so vast, scientists are only just embarking on a deeper understanding about endocannabinoids and why they are in humans and other species of animals, as they are present in all vertebrate species, (Elphick and Egertová, 2005), which was a discovery only made 35 years ago when endocannabinoids were identified in a rats brain.
Therefore, it is only in the last ten years that substantial financial investments are becoming more ubiquitous in this rapidly growing field, hundreds of thousands of dollars are being paid into scientific research on endocannabinoids and the benefits and effects of Cannabis oil on human illnesses. This has led to the strengthening of testimonials with positive results, developing within both academic science, peer reviewed journals and the growing CBD oil industry in an area of natural medicine that is finally gathering academic respect and huge momentum. We are seeing more and more people consider its medicinal benefits after trying the usual allopathic medicine route, by those who choose cannabis as a serious therapeutic treatment and by doctors and scientists.
Endocannabinoids, cannabinoid receptors (primarily CB1 and CB2), and the enzymes that synthesize and degrade endocannabinoids are involved in brain function, body function and help regulate sleep, appetite, pain and reproduction. Basically, endocannabinoids are involved in receptor activity and the regulation of every physiological function in the body. We have been shaped by plant ecology, nature and evolution, when we understand our internal ecology and connect it to our past evolution, we can use plant medicine very effectively. We have everything we need in our environment as a form of natural medicine. We have evolved with endocannabinoids in our physiological make-up because we have used marijuana plants and other medicinal plants for as long as we have existed from apes, Ramapithecus Sivapithecus, to other early Bipedal Hominids and eventually, Homo Sapiens.
The main endocannabinoid receptor, CB1, was first discovered in a rat brain in the early 1980s and is now known to be among the most abundant G protein. Since then our scientific understanding is developing much deeper. Tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), is the primary psychoactive component of the cannabis plant, and produces psychoactive effects by engaging CB1 cannabinoid receptors. Its therapeutic effects are efficacious for multiple therapeutic indications and maladies, (Dhopeshwarkar A, 2014), (Grotenhermen and Müller-Vahl, 2012; Borgelt et al., 2013).
THC and CBN are able to fit like keys into the existing network of our body’s endocannabinoid receptors. Stimulating our internal endocannabinoid system with plant-based CBD restores balance and helps benefit our system. The compounds produced inside of the body, interact with these receptors. As many say, it's like we were made for each other. Although there exists many types of endocannabinoids, one of the most widely known and studied is N-arachidonoylethanolamine (AEA). In humans, the CB1 receptor influences memory, learning and disease states associated with CB1 receptors are observed in addiction disorders, motor dysfunction, and in bipolar depression and anxiety disorders.
Moreover, aside from the brain, CB1 receptors also function in liver and adipose tissues, vascular as well as cardiac tissue, reproductive tissues and bone. (Howlette et al, 2010). CB1 is also present in the bone marrow, bone, brain, lungs, vascular system, muscles, gastrointestinal tract, reproductive organs, immune system, liver and pancreas, CB2 is also found in the spleen, bones, skin, immune system, liver, bone marrow and pancreas.
CB2 is also noted for its analgesic effects on pain. Endocannabinoids regulate cell function and stimulate regulation of pain, anti‐excitotoxic, anti‐inflammatory, and vasodilatory effects. Analgesia, the ability to supress pain, is the main therapeutic aspects of cannabinoids that interest scientists. Cannabinoid analgesia is based on the suppression of spinal and thalamic nociceptive neurons. The chronic pain that occasionally follows peripheral nerve injury is very different from inflammatory pain and is an area of considerable unmet therapeutic need in medicine.
Due to the expansion and deepening of research in endocannabinoids, scientists are making considerable progress in understanding the role of the endocannabinoids in the regulation of pain and its therapeutic effects on healing inflammation and cancer. We now have a growing scope of research on endocannabinoid analgesics in models of both acute and clinical pain such as inflammation and painful neuropathy.
Medicine has only recently discovered lymph cells present in the brain region, connected to the spinal area, we now know that immune problems directly affect the brain region and nervous system, which is interesting when looking at the beneficial effects of CBD oil on immune protection, inflammation and pain control. The framework for such analgesic effects exists in the CB receptors, which are found in areas of the nervous system important for pain processing and in immune cells that regulate the neuro‐immune interactions which in turn mediate the inflammatory hyperalgesia, (Zogopoulos et al, 2013).
Chronic inflammation is one of the precursors of depression and using Full Spectrum CBD oil is one of the best natural medicine options to address this since the compounds help stimulate our bodies own endocannabinoids and we can feel the benefits within ten minutes or so of using the medicine.
Personally, I find full spectrum CBD oil useful for combatting acute anxiety, I have Aspergers, which means I am on the autism spectrum, consequently, I have to deal with anxiety and depression on a daily basis, which is greatly reduced when I am taking CBD oil. I also use it to treat chronic inflammation and have various health benefits. I have tried a lot of different types of full spectrum CBD oil on the market, there can be problems with finding one that is of high quality and that preserves all the beneficial compounds, therefore one of the highest quality on the expanding market which I use is , Green Organics, Heart & Body Naturals which is one of the most transparent CBD producers in this growing field, with laboratories that are using the most up to date, state of the art extraction equipment, that ensure no moulds or bacteria contaminate their products.
Additionally, HB Naturals take great care to preserve the full benefits of the plant extract properties including- Phytocannabinoids, Chlorophyll, Terpenes, and Omega 3, 6 and 9.
HB Naturals offer strengths varying from 500 mgs, to a 1000mgs, and they are one of the few companies that offer CBD strengths as high as 2,400mg. It comes as organic full spectrum hemp extract oil in 1-ounce bottle. This bottle can last around 2-3 months depending on your health regime and personal treatment requirements, I use it daily.
How to take it
You can take it orally, or in a smoothie or juice, or by using the ancient Ayurvedic way of the Pechoti intake method, place a few drops of oil on your finger and then apply topically to the belly button. At the end of an unborn baby’s umbilical cord is the Pechoti gland, and it stays there long after birth. In Ayurvedic medicine it is believed that every human has a Pechoti gland which is connected to more than 70 million nerves, tissues, and organs throughout the human body. So if you are using CBD oil or any type of therapeutic pure oil, this is a good way to deliver the medicine to let it absorb internally.
To take it orally, you only take 2-3 drops under the tongue in the morning and at night, not only is it better for us than popping synthetic pills, but more cost efficient also, treating the root cause of the health problem. I find it is also beneficial for depression and a myriad of illnesses from cancer, epilepsy, chronic pain, multiple sclerosis, alzheimer’s and any chronic inflammation related illness.
HB Naturals also produce CBD products for treating pets. HB Naturals produce other powerful high quality herbal extract products like Black Seed oil, Black seed, Nigella sativa is also known as black cumin seed oil. Black Seed oil has a varied spectrum of chemical composition containing phytochemicals such as thymoquinone, crystalline nigellone, antioxidants, amino acids, proteins, carbohydrates, essential fatty acids, and minerals like calcium, iron, and potassium.
Black Seed has captured the attention of scientific research because it is like a powerful natural antibiotic that is resistant to microbe superbugs. It also has powerful antifungal properties compound against dermatophytes, molds and yeasts, due to its phytochemicals thymohydroquinone and thymol. Thymohydroquinone has been found to be beneficial to treating Alzheimer’s disease, Autism, Glaucoma and Parkinsons.
Some researchers have suggested that the endocannabinoid system plays a crucial role in cellular homeostasis. This means that the health of this system may be directly related to the health of the rest of the body, understanding this reflects how important the internal ecology of the human body is in relation to the evolutionary relationships between ourselves and our external environment, we have evolved with medicinal plants for thousands of years and there is an ecological and physiological relationship that has evolved as a result of our interaction with herbs and natural plant medicines that are still powerful healing gifts from nature for us to use.
In the course of our development, humankind has forgotten the most obvious and fundamental aspects of taking care of the human body, which means staying connected to Nature. We have become so far removed from Nature which is why even though we have all these technological advancements in science, industry and medicine, that we have seen a sharp increase in illnesses, new pathogens and diseases, it is a result of our biophobically disconnectedness from the Earth. Returning to Natural Plant Medicine is a way of reconnecting with nature, physically, mentally and emotionally. It is crucial we begin re-establishing our relationship with healing plants to gain the benefits on our mental and physical health and to restore our spiritual connectedness and relationship with the Earth. The energetic ecology of the internal body is profoundly connected to and reflected in the energetic ecology of the Earth and Universe.
by
Carlita Shaw
Author of
"The Silent Ecocide"
and new soon to be released book
"Surviving Depression in a Depressing World".
References for further research
Elphick MR, Egertová M. (2005) The phylogenetic distribution and evolutionary origins of endocannabinoid signalling. Handb Exp Pharmacol 168:283–297 [PubMed]
Howlett AC, Blume LC, Dalton GD. CB(1) cannabinoid receptors and their associated proteins. Curr Med Chem. 2010;17(14):1382-93. doi: 10.2174/092986710790980023. PMID: 20166926; PMCID: PMC3179980.
Dhopeshwarkar A, Mackie K. CB2 Cannabinoid receptors as a therapeutic target-what does the future hold?. Mol Pharmacol. 2014;86(4):430–437. doi:10.1124/mol.114.094649.
Grootenhermen F, Müller-Vahl K. (2012) The therapeutic potential of cannabis and cannabinoids. Dtsch Arztebl Int 109:495–501 (PMC).
Nicholas V. DiPatrizio and Kenny J. Simansky. (24 September 2008), Activating Parabrachial Cannabinoid CB1 Receptors Selectively Stimulates Feeding of Palatable Foods in Rats.Journal of neuroscience. 28 (39) 9702-9709
Panagiotis Zogopoulos, Ioanna Vasileiou Efstratios Patsouris Stamatios E. Theocharis. (2nd January, 2013). The role of endocannabinoids in pain modulation. Fundamental and Clinical Pharmacology.