Why do we have THC receptors?

They're cannabinoid receptors. Cannabinoid receptor - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

Our brain releases its own cannabinoids called endocannabinoids and they are released by your brain and control the amount of other chemicals like dopamine that is released.

Its basically an evolutionary coincidence (or a divine creation) that kicks ass.
And Cannabis has TONS of other cannabinoids that do different things to the brain. Like straight THC is pretty bad for you, its all of the things in bud that make it... perfect.

 

yeah man,pretty much the THC connects to anandamide receptor also known as the bliss chemical,and anandamide is release during exercises like running and bike riding and there is anadamide in chocolate,there's more anadamide in raw chocolate than milk chocolate

 

Good post.

 

Activation of cannabinoid receptors has also been shown to promote cell death in cancer. Kind of like hiring more fire fighters to put out a fire, where as chemotherapy is like detonating a nuclear device to put out that fire.

 

Let me start you guys out easy with something from FOX NEWS! (Even a broken watch is right twice a day! ) And if it's put out by Fox, you know it's easy reading!

Are You Cannabis Deficient? (news - 2010)
[FONT=&quot]Are You Cannabis Deficient? - FoxNews.com[/FONT]

And this one should be REQUIRED READING for all cannabis users!

Clinical Endocannabinoid Deficiency (full - 2004)
http://www.freedomtoexhale.com/clinical.pdf

Please make an old hippie happy, click that first link in my sig and just read the titles of the articles and studies I have collected. I'm not even asking you to deal with the studies- just their titles!

Cannabis is a mind-blowingly amazing herbal medicine. It's not "just" for "getting high", or relieving pain, or nausea. Cannabis stops the progress of breast, prostate, lung and brain cancers. It is prevents blindness from diabetes and maybe the diabetes in the first place. It can relieve difficult to treat neuropathic pain that addictive narcotics can't touch! Cannabis is a powerful anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant drug. It can prevent epileptic seizures and calm the tremor of Parkinson's. It may reverse Alzheimer's! It is one of the few treatments for Mad Cow Disease! (Would a bigger dose be a cure? We aren't allowed to do the research to find out!) And it all has to do with the cannabinoid receptors.

And, hon, there is SO much more!

Learn the facts! Each of those outrageous claims I made can be supported by actual medical studies that are in my list. Just click that first link and READ!!

You want legal cannabis? Teach others the medical facts and back it up with the studies! If the information in my list became common knowledge, we would have legal cannabis within a year.... or a revolution.


Granny

(ps- Check out the bottom of my sig. I send out an even BIGGER list to those who ask!)

 

so if we have cannabinoid receptors, we were bred to smoke, no? i mean its not like we have receptors for every chemical out there, so in my own little world, god must have made us to smoke his weed that he put on his planet

 

I feel this question can be tackled like one tackles the question "why do humans enjoy casual sex?"

Mens dicks are made to piss, pregnate a girl, and piss some more. Similar situation with women, difference where respected. It's only when we use our brains that enjoyment and casual sex comes in. Endocannabinoids are present in ones system naturally and seem to be linked to natural stress releif chemicals and sleep stages. It's our curious minds that drives us to use these chemcials during the day to increase out intellect. Really high BTW so if none of that makes sense i'll revise it tomorrow.

 

No, we're not bred to smoke. The endocannabinoids have specific natural purposes in our brain. It's like any other drug, when you use other sources of cannabinoids the brain reacts to them the same way it would if it were producing it's own. Kind of like endorphins reacting naturally to our opiate receptors.

 

Sorry, I was trying to be comical.. I'll do that less in the seasoned tokers section

 

I was just responding to the first part of your post.. For anyone else who was thinking the same thing you posted.

 

ahhhh gotcha lmao - sorry

 

To add a little more





Endocannabinoid: marijuana-like substance. "Marijuana-like substances (endocannabinoids)... act at specific receptors on the blood vessel wall to produce vasodilation.
Vasodilation refers to the widening of blood vessels resulting from relaxation of smooth muscle cells within the vessel walls, particularly in the large arteries, smaller arterioles and large veins.

In the 1990s, scientists found and copied the receptors-proteins located on the surface of brain and body cells-responsible for many actions of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main mind-altering ingredient of cannabis.

This discovery allowed scientists to harness the therapeutic effects of THC and its receptors. Now, several decades of research has led to improved treatments for obesity, symptoms of multiple sclerosis, and, potentially, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, anxiety, and depression, to name a few. The body makes its own versions of THC, dubbed endocannabinoids, which work by binding to the same specific receptors as THC.

A significant advance came when scientists discovered ways to modify endocannabinoid activity indirectly, thus avoiding the potential for abuse and the perception, mood, and behavior changes associated with THC.

Recent research has revealed:
• Several endocannabinoids in the brain and body, with two main types implicated in the treatment of many diseases and conditions, such as obesity, pain, anxiety, and Parkinson's disease.

• Two endocannabinoid receptors: one found in the brain and some body tissues that is involved in conditions like obesity and anxiety, and another located mainly in the body periphery, which is involved in pain and inflammatory conditions.


In the future, drugs may be able to tap into the protective functions of endocannabinoids, thereby helping to treat neurodegenerative diseases and psychological disorders. Recent animal studies indicate that compounds that increase endocannabinoid levels help decrease pain as well as excessive brain cell signaling that leads to cell damage, cell death, and neurological deficits.

A drug already approved in Canada and parts of Europe, for example, reduces the pain, tremor, and muscle spasms associated with multiple sclerosis.

Endocannabinoid medications may help epilepsy and other seizure disorders, too. Animal studies have shown that the endocannabinoid system in the hippocampus aids in decreasing levels of the brain chemical glutamate, known to play a central role in seizure activity.

A growing body of evidence also indicates that modifying endocannabinoid levels in the brain's striatum may help people with Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases.

In the future, anxiety disorders, like phobias and post-traumatic stress disorder, and depression also may benefit from drugs that target the endocannabinoid system.

Studies have shown that the endocannabinoid system in the brain's emotion and memory areas enhances how the body manages emotions such as stress and fear.

Drugs that block the breakdown of endocannabinoids show promise as anti-anxiety and antidepressant treatments in animal models and will be tested in the clinic soon.
Scientists continue to advance understanding of the endocannabinoid system, including finding other endocannabinoids and receptors. As research progresses, scientists will better capture the potential of the endocannabinoid system to treat more diseases and conditions.

 

Small correction to the above- there are more than two types of cannabinoid receptors. I know that there are least two more types and I expect there will be more discovered.

The endocannbinoid system and cannabinoid receptors are the future of medicine! See the "Endocannabinoid System" and the "Cannabinoid Receptor" sections in my "Granny's list"- that first link in my sig- to see what I mean!


Granny

 

"THC" receptors as you call them work with cannibinoid like molecules. Humans naturally have anamide in their system which is a natural cannibnoid. It is thought it has something to do with regulating appetite, and mood, as well as a slew of other things.

 

Wow. Amazing read. It makes SO much sense. I'm fucking amazing. Wow.

 

probably because humans have been using mj since the beggining to time. therefore it evolutionized along with us.
maybe, i am not sure..

even sea urchins have cannabinoid receptors and lots of other animals.

this plant seems to have been put here just for us.

 

I lol'd, because of how much sugar i ingest when high