A system as old as life itself 🧬
A system as old as life itself 🧬
Believe it or not, the endocannabinoid system (ECS) isn’t just something humans have – it’s found in nearly all living animals, from mammals and birds to fish, reptiles, and even some invertebrates. Scientists have even identified cannabinoid-like signaling pathways in plants and fungi, suggesting that this system may date back over 600 million years and making it one of the oldest biological regulatory systems we know.
Before brains, bones, or even complex organs evolved, life was already using cannabinoid signaling to help maintain internal balance.
This ancient origin highlights just how fundamental cannabinoid signaling is to life, on par with systems like digestion, circulation, or immunity. It also helps explain why compounds from the cannabis plant (called phytocannabinoids) fit so naturally into our biology: they’re interacting with a system that’s been millennia in the making.
Here’s how the system comes together:
Endocannabinoids: These are natural compounds your body produces, like anandamide (nicknamed the "bliss molecule") and 2-AG. They act like messengers, floating around to help regulate whatever needs tuning, including your mood, sleep, inflammation, and so much more.
Receptors: These are the “locks” that cannabinoids – both internal (endocannabinoids) and external (plant-based) – bind to. CB1 receptors are mostly in the brain and central nervous system. CB2 receptors are found in immune cells and peripheral tissues. When you feel that euphoric, heady high, that’s THC binding to a CB1 receptor.
Enzymes: These break down the endocannabinoids once they’ve done their job, like the clean-up crew at the end of a house party.
