What if you haven’t been impacted by Covid-19 and you’re not fighting an influenza infection, can cannabis and hemp positively impact your immune system?

Key takeaways: 

• CBD helps control inflammation, which is especially helpful for managing chronic conditions like arthritis, autoimmune disorders and even mood disorders.
• Stress releases hormones which suppress the immune system. Chronic stress can be damaging in the long term, and CBD and cannabis can help manage the stress response.
• Cannabinoids are promiscuous, interacting with the body’s inflammatory pathways, sodium channels, and neurotransmitters.
• Cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids are all different components of cannabis, and how you experience their specific effects or benefits is likely related to your epigenetics and your DNA.
• Watch the video to learn more.

CBD, inflammation and stress biology.

CBD (cannabidiol) provides inflammation control and stress management by regulating our inflammatory pathways. Inflammation is tied to chronic conditions like arthritis and autoimmune disorders, and inflammation of the brain is associated with mood disorders and dementia.

When you get stressed, your body releases hormones like cortisol that induce “fight or flight” mode. In an acute situation, stress hormones rise, suppressing your immune system for a short time, and then they fall and your hormones and immune system rebalance. 

Chronic stress, on the other hand, keeps your immune system dampened, which is a problem over the long term, so stress modulation is important to your overall immune health.

The body’s inflammatory response is modified through various types of cell-to-cell communicators like TNFA, interleukin, and interferons. As cannabinoids modify this cell communication, they can have a balancing, calming and stabilizing effect.

Cannabinoids are promiscuous.

As Dr. Spooner says,

 “Cannabinoids are very promiscuous in terms of they like to interact with a lot of different types of receptors and different functions.”

They interact not just with our inflammatory pathways, but also with neurotransmitters like serotonin, GABA (a calming neurotransmitter) and even our sodium channels. Some of these “spinoff effects” from cannabis can be helpful in managing the stress response.

The many components of cannabis and how they affect immune health

There is still much to explore about the components of cannabis and how all its different cannabinoids, flavonoids, and terpenes impact the immune system. Some components like quercetin, a flavonoid which prevents mast cells from releasing histamine, or hemp oil which contains the same fatty acids that control inflammation signals in the body, are known to impact inflammatory processes related to  immune response .

Terpenes  like beta-caryophyllene, limonene (found in citrus fruits, mangos, etc.), linalool, and myrcene, all have the potential to interact positively with immune regulation, and Dr Spooner suspects that their precise functions and how they change our stress response is strongly related to epigenetics.

Watch Len May, CEO of Endocanna Health, and naturopathic specialist Dr. Chris Spooner, discuss how the different components of cannabis can impact overall immune health.

Learn more about Dr. Chris Spooner here.

Learn more about CEO Len May here.

Visit our website to learn more about our breakthrough DNA test that can help match you with the right CBD or cannabis products to enhance your health and wellness. 

Endocanna Health is a biotechnology company committed to helping consumers find the right cannabinoid products to enhance their health and wellness. Using our breakthrough DNA test, Endo·dna, we empower you to take control of your health with access to over 55 different health reports that include suggestions for the best CBD and cannabis products that match your unique genetic code. Visit us here to find out more!