In recent years, there has been significant buzz around the hemp plant. From tinctures and oils to capsules, gummies, and topicals, hemp products are becoming increasingly popular.
Much of the hype around hemp is thanks to its natural wellness properties. Touted for its potential stress-relieving, sleep-promoting, pain management effects, and more, hemp products offer users a natural alternative for managing various health symptoms.
The best hemp products originate from whole hemp plant extract, featuring a full spectrum cannabinoid content with other beneficial plant compounds like terpenes and flavonoids. Below, we explore the science behind hemp and its effects.
What is Hemp?
Hemp is a variety of the Cannabis Sativa plant containing less than 0.3% THC. On the contrary, marijuana is a part of the plant that is rich in THC.
Both hemp and marijuana contain cannabinoids such as cannabidiol (CBD), cannabigerol (CBG), cannabinol (CBN), and more. Although CBD is the most popular, all of the compounds in hemp contribute to its beneficial effects.
In most cases, manufacturers use the leaves and the flowers of the hemp plant to make hemp products since this is where most active compounds are found. The hemp extract is removed in the form of a liquid oil that’s later processed and infused into numerous products.
How Do Hemp Products Work?
Years of research suggest phytocannabinoids (found in hemp) are a potent aid in supporting overall human health and well-being. Thus, hemp’s benefits are largely linked to the active compounds present in the plant.
The primary way cannabinoids are believed to exert their effects is through something known as the endocannabinoid system (ECS). The ECS is a messaging system that helps send signals through the body and is responsible for creating and maintaining homeostasis (balance).
When our body is in an ideal state of homeostasis, we have optimal health. But, when there’s an imbalance – something is lacking internally, or there’s an excess of something – we may feel unwell or develop poor health. For example, if your body isn’t regulating, you may develop a fever.
When researching the ECS, scientists discovered that cannabinoids bind to different receptors in the brain, working with the ECS to exert numerous health effects on mood, immune response, pain and inflammation, appetite, and more.
In other words, hemp products seem to work by optimizing the performance of our ECS. If there’s a deficit of something, hemp can help fill in the gaps, bringing the ECS back into balance.
A Closer Look at Hemp and the ECS
The ECS has three components: endocannabinoids, receptors, and enzymes. Endocannabinoids are compounds naturally produced within the body that binds to the same brain receptors as hemp-derived compounds, such as CBD. For example, anandamide is also known as the bliss molecule.
There are two cannabinoid receptors, CB1, found in the central nervous system, and CB2, found in the peripheral nervous system. There are many more endocannabinoid receptors throughout the body.
When the functioning of our ECS is disrupted, endocannabinoids travel to endocannabinoid receptors to help the body regulate and maintain homeostasis. Some of the cannabinoids in hemp, specifically CBD, interact with multiple receptor systems in our bodies, thus delivering a broad impact on our system.
Rather than directly impacting cannabinoid receptors, scientists claim that CBD works by slowing down the breakdown of endocannabinoids that naturally occur in the body. This allows your body to use them more readily and efficiently. With optimally functioning systems, the body can minimize inflammation in the immune and nervous systems.
A few of the other receptors that CBD interacts with include:
- Opioid receptors: regulating pain
- Dopamine receptors: regulating motivation and mood
- Serotonin receptors; regulate mood, stress levels, appetite, and cognition
Each receptor helps regulate different bodily functions and responses. This includes chronic pain, inflammation, mood, motor control, appetite, sleep, stress, bone growth, and more.
Other Hemp Compounds and Their Effects
It’s not only the cannabinoid content (like CBD) responsible for the beneficial effects of hemp products. Although CBD is the most widely-researched cannabinoid, many other compounds are found in hemp with health benefits of their own.
Other potentially beneficial cannabinoids include CBN, CBC, and CBG, while terpenes also deliver therapeutic effects. Common terpenes found in hemp include linalool, limonene, pinene, and myrcene.
Moreover, a phenomenon known as the entourage effect states that the full spectrum of the hemp plant works best together. In other words, the interaction between all compounds, such as phytocannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids, comes together to enhance the effects.
Final Thoughts
The endocannabinoid system is the key to hemp products and their effects. While we tend to think about supporting our immune or cardiovascular systems, it’s also essential to nurture our ECS.
Hemp products and their key ingredients help support the functioning of the ECS, thereby helping to regulate vital bodily functions like mood, appetite, and pain levels.
There is still a lot to learn about cannabinoids, the ECS, and how they relate. But based on what we know so far, these components have a significant relationship.
