In June 2015, National Geographic ran a story abut how Siberian Burial Mounds as far back as 3000 B.C. were found to contain charred cannabis seeds. Cannabis has also been used in Chinese medicine for thousands of years. According to Medical News Today, the endocannabinoid system has two cannabinoid receptors: CB1 and CB2.
A majority of CB1 receptors are located in the brain and are associated with cognitive actions related to coordination, mood, thinking, memory and appetite. The CB2 receptors on the other hand, can be found in the immune system. This makes them more responsible for the body’s response to pain and inflammation. Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, attaches to the CB1 receptors, which explains why smoking or otherwise ingesting marijuana affects users on a cognitive level. However, CBD impacts the CB2 receptors and it does so indirectly, not by attacking the body to make more of its own cannabinoids. This creates a positive effect on the body’s pain.