Hundreds, even thousands of years ago, the doctors and healers of the day utilized cannabis
because they witnessed its medical benefits. Quite simply put, they used it because they knew it
worked. Recently science has begun to discover the “how’s” and “whys” of the biological processes
where plant and animal chemistry come together to promote healing.
With CBD about to become a multi-billion dollar industry, research on CBD and other
cannabinoids has expanded rapidly over the past 10+ years. Scientists and researchers have recognized
the potential benefits of CBD and are calling for action from the medical community to bring cannabis-
based medicine in line with our current understanding of neurochemistry. One statement opinion by
scientists in 2016 reads; “Despite the political and social controversy affiliated with it, the medical
community must come to the realization that cannabinoids exist as a ubiquitous signaling system in
many organ systems. Our understanding of cannabinoids and how they relate not only to homeostasis
but also in disease states must be furthered through research, both clinically and in the laboratory.” This
statement strongly conveys the importance of the endocannabinoid system (ECS).
The ECS was first identified in the mid-1990s by Raphael Mechoulam. This is one of the most
important discoveries about how endogenous chemical transmitters are involved in maintaining health.
Endogenous meaning created naturally within the body. Cannabinoid receptors are located throughout
the body, not just in the brain, but also in many organs, connective tissue, skin, glands, and immune cells.
The list of health issues that can be treated with CBD is so long because these receptors are vital to so
many of the body’s systems. It’s also the reason that CBD can be utilized as a general preventive
supplement, protecting the body from the damages of stress and aging.
Cannabinoid therapy deals with the part of the biological matrix where the brain and body
meet. Because CBD and other cannabinoid compounds are so similar to the chemicals created by our
own bodies they are more readily accepted than many synthetic drugs and they act as a literal bridge
between the body and mind. There is a line of thinking by a number of doctors and scientists who
believe that conditions such as fibromyalgia, migraine headaches, and IBS are due to a deficiency of the
endocannabinoid system. According to Dr. Ethan Russo, one of the founding scientists of cannabinoid
medications, increasing the body’s level of natural cannabinoids will reduce or resolve symptoms of IBS,
Crohn’s, and colitis.
The info that I have been sharing with you comes mainly from books that I have purchased,
Cannabidiol What You Need to Know. By Gregory L. Smith, MD, MPH, and CBD A Patient’s Guide to
Medical Cannabis, Healing Without the High, by Leonard Leinow & Juliana Birnbaum. These books are
available online, or you are welcome to come to the store and research through these and others at any
time. There is an area of the store strictly set aside for information and education and I am happy to
extend my resources and my time to help you more fully understand how CBD products can help enrich
your lives.
