science

Do you know how reported effects of CBD happen inside your body?

CBD interacts with the endocannabinoid system in our body and causes different types of positive benefits. There are a number of layers to how those interactions happen. There is even talk about how cannabinoids, in general, can have effects on other receptors on the body; we’re sure to learn more and more as research into CBD continues.

Today, we’re learning about how 5-HT receptors are affected by CBD. If you aren’t familiar with either of these things, don’t worry! We’ll give a complete rundown as we continue educating customers like you about CBD and the science behind it.

How CBD Interacts With Endocannabinoid Receptors

Before we get into the details of what the 5-HT receptors are and why they matter with CBD, let’s talk about the endocannabinoid system (ECS).

The endocannabinoid system is a system that specifically receives signals from cannabinoids such as CBD and THC. The system is made up of receptors, enzymes, and other bits that process various body reactions. The system can have effects on pain, appetite, emotions, and more.

While CBD does interact with CB1 and CB2 (the primary endocannabinoid receptors), there are other receptors outside of the ECS that interact with CBD more strongly.

5-HT Receptors and CBD

One of the receptors that interact with CBD very effectively is the 5-HT receptor. Specifically, CBD interacts with the 5-HT1A receptor.

What Is The 5-HT1A Receptor?

The 5-HT1A receptor is a serotonin receptor. Serotonin receptors work in the central and peripheral nervous systems to regulate and stimulate a wide variety of both biological and psychological functions in the body.

The 5-HT1A has been shown to have effects in numerous of the body’s processes, and there may be more areas of influence that have yet to be studied. We can’t get into all of the science here for the risk of sounding like doctors (we aren’t!), but we do encourage you to find out all you can about potential benefits from reputable sources.

5-HT1A is just one of many 5-HT receptors. This family of receptors is known more generally as serotonin receptors because serotonin is used to regulate related functions. Because of the wide variety of areas that 5-HT receptors can affect, a lot of pharmaceutical drugs are created to interact with these receptors.

CBD Binds To 5-HT1A

Studies have shown that certain amounts of CBD can activate the 5-HT1A receptor and cause changes in the body’s biological and psychological state. This means that CBD could have effects on any of the systems or areas under study for affect by the 5-HT1A system.

Stress, in particular, has been studied with regard to how CBD and 5-HT1A interact. Early studies show that CBD may help to slow the effect of stress on the body, but more research still needs to be done to confirm this.

CBDa, which is a precursor to the formation of CBD found in live plants, has very strong reactions with 5-HT1A as well. Since it binds more strongly than CBD to these receptors, there is interest in doing more studies about how CBDa might be used to enhance a number of other structures and functions in the body.

Beyond 5-HT1A

As mentioned, CBD binds with different types of receptors in the body. Each time it is able to bind strongly with receptors in the body, there is a chance that some positive benefits may happen.

Most of the time, we focus on what reactions the receptors have when CBD binds with them, but we also need to talk about what doesn’t happen when CBD binds with them!

Anytime a receptor binds with a molecule, the receptor is no longer available to other molecules. Sometimes a stronger match will come along that causes the molecules to sort of swap places, but the receptor cannot typically be activated by multiple molecules at one time.

Because of this, CBD can be referred to as a reuptake inhibitor. Let’s explore what this means!

CBD Blocks Other Molecules

To understand how CBD blocks other molecules and what this could mean for the body, let’s walk through the molecule-receptor binding process.

1. Binding proteins bring molecules into cells or near enough to them to react. Some receptors are on the inside of cells; some are on the outside. Regardless, most molecules need to be carried in on certain fatty proteins to be able to make it through the protective layers.
2. CBD is very attracted to these fatty proteins. Often, it will beat out other molecules when being picked up by the proteins. This means that CBD gets into the cells rather than another molecule.
3. CBD prevents the breakdown of other substances because it binds to receptors and proteins instead of them; thus, it can act as an inhibitor.

Let’s talk about a more specific example to help you understand.

There are scientific studies that support the idea of CBD being a beneficial substance. How might it benefit the body? For example, when CBD is picked up by proteins instead of a substance known as adenosine, less adenosine is broken down.

Higher levels of adenosine mean that more adenosine binds to A1A and A2A receptors. These receptors are responsible for blood flow, and increased blood flow may contribute to wellness. In some cases, issues may be caused by a lack of adenosine because the body is processing it too quickly.

CBD, it seems, can help to prevent that.

More CBD Science

Are you interested in learning more about CBD science? Great!

One of the things that we pride our business on is that we take time to educate our customers about more than just our specific products; we also love sharing more about the science behind them!

CBD, in general, is still a widely misunderstood substance even as it grows in popularity. Many people do not understand how or why it works, so we have created a number of informational guides to facets of that information.

Here are a few of our most popular informational articles:

To stay updated with the information we share on our resources blog, you can visit the blog here!

When we post about the future of kratom, we often talk about the importance of research. Research about kratom over the last decade has remained fairly limited. Limitations are caused by a lack of funding as well as the problem of confusing supply streams. Additionally, there is the constantly changing legal situation in the US and other countries to consider when doing research.

Recently, it’s been seen that more kratom research may be funded in order to discover whether kratom may have benefits outside its intended use as a wellness product. With the growing public health crisis in America, it’s great to see kratom being taken more seriously.

And, it’s interesting to see exactly what is being considered. Today, we’ll talk about the December Congress Appropriations Bill, what type of research could be funded, and what that might mean for the future of kratom in America.

What Legislation Was Passed?

Every year, the American government has to set up the fiscal budget for the upcoming year. While this budget is technically due in on October 1st before the new year begins, it often isn’t submitted until well into the new year.

The FY2020 budget, however, was passed in the form of two mini bills in late December. Together, these two legislation packages set up appropriations for the 12 required areas. The bills, H.R. 1865 and H.R. 1158, set the stage for all government-funded agencies and programs for the next year.

Overall, most areas were given budget increases, so this is good science for science, research, and social services going into the future.

New Kratom Legislation

Legislation about kratom was included within these bills, and we are excited about the potential that comes along with this change.

The FY2020 Appropriations Bills passed by Congress specifically mention the need to do more research about natural products that might be able to be used in place of certain approved drugs. In particular, kratom and CBD are mentioned as potential alternatives that need to be studied in greater detail.

The bills list a need for doing more research about kratom to gain a better understanding of both the risks and the potential benefits of developing therapies from this natural substance. This additional research should also cover the details of kratom’s composition.

Overall, Congress suggested that at least $1 million dollars should be provided in research funding particularly to find an alternative to potentially harmful drugs that are currently causing a crisis in America.

Why Is More Research Needed?

You might be wondering why we find this research so important; why does it stand out from all of the other appropriations mentioned?

For us, kratom research is of the utmost importance, and it is something that we want to see happening more as soon as possible. Right now, kratom remains in a precarious position in America. While many states have passed Kratom Consumer Protection Laws to ensure the safety of kratom consumers, other states have passed laws against kratom consumption out of fear.

More research will make it possible for state and local governments to make clear and logical decisions about whether or not kratom should be legal. Organizations like the American Kratom Association do their best to help support kratom research and news, but support is needed on a federal level to make this type of research possible.

Without support from the federal government to do kratom research, it can be difficult for scientists to have access to kratom to be able to study it. This support will make it easier for kratom to be obtained for legal research, and that is sure to make a big difference in the future of kratom in America.

Other Legislation Updates

While the kratom research included in the legislation is very interesting, it certainly wasn’t the only thing that was included in these packets! Much of the fiscal budgeting passed is not directly related to natural substances or our areas of expertise, so we are only going to focus on overviewing the most related areas.

Cannabis Research:
Cannabis came up a number of times throughout the conversations about the budget. In particular, Congress suggested that the National Institute on Drug Abuse do a report about how cannabis is currently being classified on the drug scheduling system.

Currently, cannabis is still somewhat difficult to study because it is federally classified as a Schedule I substance. This means that scientists cannot always access it if they are using federal funding, so that should change in the future. The change will allow additional studies to be done more freely.
Medical Cannabis:
Congress also included provisions to ensure that the federal government cannot prevent medical marijuana programs from being set up or continued in individual states.
Hemp Farming Provisions:
Politicians took the time and effort to ensure that the process of hemp farming legalization is still going smoothly. The Farming Act of 2018 ensured that the hemp industry would get a boost, but there is still more that can be done to ensure that farmers are getting the support that they need. For FY2020, $16.5 million was set aside for this.

Progress in America

All of these provisions show that there is positive momentum in American politics to decriminalize, legalize, and protect consumers of natural substances. This is the momentum that we love seeing, and we are excited to track this progress as it continues.

To see this kind of change in America, we continue to support organizations like the American Kratom Association that are working to ensure that consumers are protected. Protection is needed to ensure that consumers aren’t at risk for buying tainted goods and also to make sure they aren’t at risk of prosecution.

Overall, we are excited about the progress happening in America in regards to natural products, and we can’t wait to see what else happens!

PHYTOEXTRACTUM

CBD Science: CBD’s Effect ON 5-HT Receptors