How Were THC and CBD Discovered?
By Jeff Eckenrode
Cannabis, THC and CBD
The chemistry of cannabis, one of Earth’s most controversial flowering plants, remained a mystery for the majority of its 5000 year existence. That was until a team of scientists at Hebrew University began to unravel its mystery in 1964.
Dr. Raphael Mechoulam, an Israeli chemist and professor, embarked on what would become a monumental discovery that year.
Through his research, Dr. Mechoulam would become the very first person to isolate the two most prevalent and profound compounds of the cannabis plant: cannabidiol (CBD) and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
Although his discovery was unfortunately unappreciated at the time, it would become a landmark finding in the field of medicine, plant-based therapy and cannabis research.
Dr. Raphael Mechoulam
The Discovery of the Endocannabinoid System
By isolating CBD and THC first, Dr. Mechoulam and his team of scientists established themselves as pioneers on the chemistry of the cannabis plant. Little did they know that another, perhaps equally important discovery, lay just beyond the horizon.
A previously unknown and unimagined ystem of unique receptors present in every human body which CBD and THC interact with: The Endocannabinoid System.
In 1988, this system of receptors was officially discovered.
It was named the Endocannabinoid System (ECS) by Dr. Allyn Howlett, a biochemical neuropharmacologist at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine.
Definitively, the ECS is THE largest receptor system human beings have.
Cannabinoids, Receptors and The Balance of Life
Homeostasis, from the Greek words for "same" and "steady," refers to any process that living beings use to actively maintain stable bodily conditions.
Conditions which are necessary for everyday survival.
But what is the ECS?
We can think of the ECS as the “Air Traffic Control Center” for the human body. It coordinates a wide range of activities, including: movement, emotions, memory, pain, pleasure, and reproduction.
Dr. Allyn Howlet was the first scientist to notice a large grouping of receptors in the brain that responded vigorously to THC.
The most dense concentration of these receptors was found in the areas of the brain that coordinate our movement, control our emotions, record our memories, register our pain, quantify our pleasures, and permit our reproduction.
What’s proved most striking is that Dr. Howlett discovered that there are absolutely NO endocannabinoid receptors in the cardiac and respiratory centers of the brainstem.
Why is this important? Because both the cardiac and respiratory centers of the brainstem can shut down the heart and lungs in the event of a drug overdose.
How Cannabis is safer than most other drugs
The reason no one has ever died of a cannabis overdose is because of this lack of receptors in the brainstem. Unlike meth, opioids or alcohol, cannabis can not shut down the functions of your heart or your lungs.
This makes cannabis one of the safest medicines known to mankind.
Does the body naturally produce anything like THC or CBD?
Fast forward: The year is now 1992. Dr. Mechoulam’s team discovered a chemical that not only mirrors the effects of THC but also binds to the very same receptors in the brain
What’s even stranger is that this chemical is produced naturally by the brain. This chemical was named anandamide after the Sanskrit word ananda, which translates to “bliss”.
Anandamide and THC are both considered to intensify sensory experiences, stimulate appetites, temporarily block out short term memory as well as creating sensations of pleasure.
Shortly after this discovery, a chemical that mimics CBD was also discovered, which Dr. Mechoulam’s team named “2-AG”.
Where else is the ECS found?
Following the discovery of Anandamide and 2-AG, Dr. Mechoulam’s team made another groundbreaking discovery.
Their discovery? That there is a massive galaxy of endocannabinoid receptors that extends to every single organ, gland, immune cell and connective tissue present in your and every human body.
What does that mean? In short, the ECS has receptors present everywhere in the human body. Simply put, the ECS is the perfect regulator and supporter of our overall homeostasis, health and wellness.
Why have I never heard of the ECS until now?
Despite all that’s been learned about the ECS through dedicated scientific research spanning decades, it is still not taught in medical schools.
This is due greatly in part to its classification as a schedule 1 drug.
Currently, there is little practicality in educating future doctors about a bodily system that can be treated only by illegal compounds.
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