{"id":696,"date":"2021-12-23T20:20:14","date_gmt":"2021-12-23T20:20:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bloomnews.wpenginepowered.com\/?p=696"},"modified":"2025-11-12T19:55:44","modified_gmt":"2025-11-12T19:55:44","slug":"the-endocannabinoid-system-helps-us-eat-sleep-and-relax","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.bloommarijuana.com\/education\/the-endocannabinoid-system-helps-us-eat-sleep-and-relax\/","title":{"rendered":"The Endocannabinoid System Helps Us Eat, Sleep, and Relax"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Every time I write about the Endocannabinoid System (ECS), I discover more new information about how it all fits together. Scientists believe that the ECS is crucial to our survival and I cannot overstate how important it is to understand its functions. In this article I will explain  when it was discovered, how it works and how it is interconnected with the cannabinoids in medical cannabis. I will also explain Clinical Endocannabinoid Deficiency Theory (CECD).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Discovery of the ECS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The path to the discovery of the ECS began in 1988, when Allyn Howlett and William Devane identified the first cannabinoid receptor, CB1, in a rat\u2019s brain. They went on to map the CB receptors in the brain. The next milestone was in 1992 with the discovery of anandamide, a naturally occurring endocannabinoid. This led to the realization that there existed an unnamed molecular monitoring system which they called the Endocannabinoid System.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ECS is extremely complicated and scientists are not clear on all the specifics of its workings. What they are certain of is that the function of the ECS is to maintain homeostasis when the body is challenged by stress, infection or injury. It is crucial for human survival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Homeostasis is defined as the tendency of a system, especially the physiological system of higher animals, to maintain internal stability, owing to the coordinated response of its parts to any situation or stimulus that would tend to disturb its normal condition or function.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your ECS acts as a monitoring system and when something is wrong, the ECS activates in order to correct it. The purpose of the ECS is to keep all our body systems well-regulated and in excellent condition. This includes controlling the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n