什么是（CBD）？

WHAT IS CANNABIDIOL (CBD)?

If you follow any trends in health and wellness, it seems as if cannabidiol (CBD) is absolutely everywhere these days. It’s showing up in lattes, gummy bears, dog treats, and even cheeseburgers, all the while being pitched as a kind of cure-all for every and any ailment. But what is it exactly? Is it all hype? What does it actually do?

Turns out that there is quite a bit of hype and hyperbole, but there is also some pretty solid evidence that Cannabidiol (CBD) can help with quite a few conditions. So without further ado, let’s examine what CBD is and how it works, primarily via its interactions with the endocannabinoid system (ECS) and a state of being known as homeostasis.

CBD AND CANNABINOIDS

Cannabidiol (CBD) belongs to a group of chemical compounds known as cannabinoids. These cannabinoids can be broken down into the following categories:

1. Endocannabinoids – These are produced naturally in the mammalian body (sometimes referred to as endogenous cannabinoids).
2. Phytocannabinoids – These are extracted from the famous cannabis plant.
3. Synthetic cannabinoids – These are created in a laboratory.

For the purposes of this article, let’s focus on the first two exclusively, starting with phytocannabinoids. Cannabis is a highly complex plant with over 500 distinct chemical compounds, 104 of which are phytocannabinoids. Furthermore, the two most notable phytocannabinoids are:

1. Cannabidiol (CBD) – Discovered in 1963 by influential cannabis researchers Raphael Mechoulam and Lumir Hanus.This phytocannabinoid does not cause intoxication but has a wide variety of health benefits.
2. Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) – Discovered in 1964 at Dr. Mechoulam’s laboratory, this is the more famous phytocannabinoid and is the intoxicating component in marijuana.

CBD has a wide range of benefits while also having over 50 different mechanisms of action. As a result, it is sometimes referred to as a multitarget therapy and can act as a:

1. Regulator – CBD can regulate the levels of endocannabinoids.
2. Adaptogen – This term was coined in 1947 by toxicologist and pharmacologist Nikolai Lazarev to describe any compound that increases, “the state of nonspecific resistance [to] stress”. In other words, CBD helps your body respond healthily to stress while adapting to changing conditions.
3. Modulator – CBD controls your endocannabinoid system (ECS) so that endocannabinoid and hormone levels are kept at optimal amounts.

So all of this is just a fancy way of saying that CBD helps the human body reach a state of balance and harmony, also known as homeostasis.

WE ALL NEED SOME BALANCE – WHAT IS HOMEOSTASIS?

The great writer Margaret Atwood once stated, “I like a balanced universe.” Aren’t we all just searching for a little balance in our lives? This includes our bodies and the physiological processes that run them; these complex systems require balance and equilibrium in order to function properly. In other words, our bodies work best when we are in homeostasis.

Homeostasis and Cannabidiol (CBD) are intertwined. The concept of homeostasis originated in the 1800s when French scientist Claude Bernard stated that our bodies must have stable internal environments in order to support life. However, the term “homeostasis” was coined in 1926 by American researcher Walter Cannon in his highly influential book Organization for Physiological Homeostasis. In this landmark text, he concluded that the human body uses various processes to maintain an internal temperature that is consistent and independent of outside factors.

What does all this mean? Homeostasis is the human body maintaining stable internal conditions while changes are occurring internally and externally.