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CBD is an exciting new integrative, plant-based, sustainable option for those struggling with any of the aforementioned chronic conditions, as well as many more. By exploring the science behind CBD’s interaction with neurotransmitters we are becoming increasingly less dependent on pharmaceuticals and more enlightened about the options that come from nature.
CBD has the ability to bind a variety of neurotransmitter receptors in the brain and nervous system and has a varied array of effects. This allows for potentially new treatment methods that could be able to complement current therapies and replace options are not proving effective; or carry a laundry list of side effects.
The University of South Carolina has a cannabinoid science lab led by Prakash Nagarkatti. Nagarkatti and his team are currently pioneering investigations into the ECS, the gut microbiome, and disease. They may even have discovered a clue for treating one of the most harmful complications of COVID-19 in some patients.
Frontiers in Pharmacology, a journal with a study done in June, 2020 explored this ECS manipulation by administering THC to mice affected with a form of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The results were astounding-Nagarkatti and colleagues demonstrated that the application of THC completely healed the ARDS in the laboratory mice.
Today’s blog will focus on the endocannabinoid system and its mechanism as a bridge between the bacteria and the body itself – especially in the relay to communication with the brain – a subject that has received a distinct lack of attention outside of scientific journals.
As in any system, imbalance causes problems. Humans need a steady stream of bacteria to maintain a healthy gut microbiome, these bacteria help break down the foods we eat and allow nutrients to be readily absorbed in the digestive tract. Other mitigating factors that influence the microbiome are exercise, diet, pharmaceuticals, and the consumption of cannabis or hemp.
We will let you guess which of these factors will result in a healthy gut biome vs. one considered imbalanced, or impaired.
