WrittenBy:Vanessa Benoit

The cannabis plant has two primary cannabinoids, THC and CBD (or cannabidiol).  These substances are

becoming more and more well known, but what surprises many people is that humans have receptors in our bodies and brains that are specifically receptive to cannabinoids. These are called CB receptors (cannabinoid receptors).

Even more surprising is that we can produce our own cannabinoids in our bodies without consuming any cannabis at all. Cannabis becomes useful when we want to increase a certain mechanism by feeding a cannabinoid receptor with more cannabinoids.  

How do we know we make our own cannabinoids?  For a long time, endorphins were believed to be the home-brewed opiates responsible for the feeling known as a “runner’s high” since elevated levels were observed in the bloodstream after intensive jogs. What they didn’t consider back then is that endorphins are made up of rather large molecules that don’t cross the blood-brain barrier. They were in the bloodstream, yes, effectively at work in reducing pain in the body, but they were not the ones responsible for that peaceful state of mind.  

So what gives a person a runner’s high? Almost too coincidentally, turns out it is the same stuff that can actually get you high. A 2003 study published in the Journal of Neuroreport examined male college students running on a treadmill or cycling on a stationary bike for 50 minutes. They found the first evidence that exercise activates the endocannabinoid system.

Cannabinoid receptors are a part of this system, and they’re located throughout the body, including the brain. Their main function is to regulate physiological processes like appetite, mood, pain and memory.