What is CBD?
Cannabidiol, or CBD for short, is one of many natural compounds found in the flowers of hemp plants. Unlike tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, the psychoactive element in marijuana plants), CBD does not have hallucinogenic effects.
How Does CBD Affect Our Body?
Did you know that our body has a system of cannabinoid receptors? Known as the Endocannabinoid System (ECS), this self-regulating network’s main function is to maintain bodily homeostasis, or biological harmony, in response to changes in the environment. The ECS is responsible for processes like memory, stress, sleep, appetite, metabolism, pain, and mood.
Within the ECS are CB1 and CB2 receptors. You can think of these receptors as a lock, that activates when cannabinoids are bound to them. When bound, they send signals to nearby cells that regulate what we feel, think, and react. CB1 receptors are found in the central nervous system (the spinal cord and brain). CB1 receptors are associated with behavioral effects, and play a huge role in memory, motor control, appetite stimulation, and perception of pain.
