How Does Cannabis Work with My Gut Bacteria?

• The endocannabinoid system (ECS) spans most of the body, including the gut.
• Cannabinoids from cannabis can interact with ECS receptors in the gut to support the important functions of gut bacteria. Cannabis can strengthen the gut barrier to facilitate weight loss, lower inflammation, and protect the gut from harmful microorganisms.
• You can access cannabis for a variety of GI disorders including Crohn’s disease and IBS.

Cannabis partners with your endocannabinoid system (ECS) to enact positive changes throughout your body: together, they relieve pain, suppress nausea, alleviate stress, and so much more.

Did you know that cannabis protects your gut health, too?

Cannabis can influence your gut microbiome by increasing levels of good bacteria—and lowering levels of bad ones. This relationship benefits overall gut health by protecting your gut barrier and lowering intestinal inflammation. That’s why people living with gastrointestinal conditions like Crohn’s disease and irritable bowel syndrome can qualify for medical marijuana in many states.

Find out why cannabis and gut bacteria make the perfect partners and how you can heal your gut today with an online medical marijuana recommendation from TeleLeaf.

Understanding the Endocannabinoid System

What does your body have in common with a tightrope walker? They both work best when they feel balanced. While a tightrope walker has a long pole and years of training to keep their feet steady, your body relies instead on internal systems to maintain homeostasis.

One of these essential systems is the endocannabinoid system (ECS).

The ECS encompasses the actions of chemical signals called endocannabinoids and their receptors. These receptors, known as CB1 and CB2 receptors, are spread throughout the brain and the rest of the body.

The ECS regulates some of your most important functions, including:

• Pain control
• Sleep
• Appetite
• Mood
• Inflammatory and immune responses
• Memory
• Learning
• Internal temperature

When your body senses that one of these functions has fallen out of balance, the endocannabinoids interact with either CB1 or CB2 receptors in the impacted areas to restore homeostasis. This is what’s known as an immediate feedback loop.

CB1 and CB2 receptors influence separate functions:

• CB1 receptors mainly control your pain sensations and mood. When activated, you experience soothing pain relief and euphoria or a “high.”
• CB2 receptors closely regulate your inflammation and immune functions. When activated, they can suppress both.

Your body naturally produces endocannabinoids (“endo,” meaning endogenous, or originating internally). Cannabinoids exist in other organisms, too—for example, the cannabis plant.

How Cannabis Interacts with the ECS

The cannabinoids found in cannabis mimic the structures and behaviors of your natural endocannabinoids. When they enter the body, they can activate CB1 and CB2 receptors, influencing the internal functions the ECS regulates.

Each cannabinoid interacts with the ECS differently. Let’s look at the two most well-known cannabinoids—tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD)—and how they operate:

• THC – The cannabinoid THC can activate both CB1 and CB2 receptors. It relieves pain, promotes appetite, reduces inflammation, and, of course, produces the psychoactive high most people associate with marijuana.
• CBD – Researchers don’t know exactly how CBD interacts with the ECS. However, they know it doesn’t activate CB1 receptors because it produces no psychoactive effects. Instead, CBD has potent anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties that benefit the mind and body.

Medical marijuana patients take advantage of cannabinoids and their holistic healing properties to manage chronic pain, mental health conditions, neurological disorders, and, yes, even gastrointestinal issues. Cannabis interacts with your entire ECS—and that includes the endocannabinoid receptors in the gut.

The Gut-Endocannabinoid Axis

Remember the tightrope walker analogy from earlier? Your gut appreciates balance, too. It achieves homeostasis with the help of two important systems: the gut microbiome and the ECS.

A microbiome describes an intricate world of bacteria and other tiny organisms. It’s constantly changing as new organisms enter and others leave. Microbiomes develop symbiotic relationships within the body—you help them while they help you.

Bacteria in your gut microbiome aid with essential functions of your gastrointestinal, immune, nervous, and endocrine systems. Specifically, they help:

• Break down essential nutrients
• Recycle bile
• Maintain a healthy gut barrier
• Manage gut inflammation
• Influence metabolism, blood sugar, and appetite

Your gut bacteria can’t perform all these tasks without help from the ECS.

As stated above, endocannabinoid receptors exist throughout the body. CB1 receptors are most commonly found in the brain and central nervous system, while CB2 receptors can be found in immune tissue. Both also live inside the gut.

The ECS performs many of the same protective duties as the bacteria in your gut microbiome. The ECS:

• Modulates gut barrier permeability – When cannabinoids interact with CB1 receptors in the gut, they can increase or reduce the permeability of the intestinal barrier walls. This prevents larger compounds from entering the gut and causing harmful inflammation.
• Boosts gut immune responses – CB2 receptor activation in the gut can enhance the gut’s immune response, battling infections and lowering inflammation.

Research shows that when antibiotics kill off important gut bacteria, CB2 receptor expression increases. In other words, if your gut microbiome falters, your ECS tries to fill in the gaps.

Signs that your gut microbiome has fallen out of balance include:

• Stomach bloating and pain
• Painful gas
• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Trouble digesting food

A malfunctioning gut-endocannabinoid axis can lead to local and systemic gastrointestinal conditions such as:

• Intestinal bowel disease (IBD)
• Colitis
• Weight challenges
• Diabetes

Luckily, cannabis interacts with the gut-endocannabinoid axis, too. It can solve some of the intestinal issues your body can’t on its own.

Using Cannabis to Boost Gut Health

We’re still waiting on a definitive answer from clinical research, but the initial evidence is promising: cannabis makes your gut happy.

Based on how endocannabinoids improve gut health, some researchers believe that cannabis’s cannabinoids can do the same. Both THC and CBD offer inflammation and immune aid, which are essential to a healthy gut microbiome.

Studies show that cannabinoids, especially THC, can also help add and remove certain microorganisms from your gastrointestinal tract to benefit overall gut health. Specifically, THC facilitates:

• Fat storage
• Weight loss
• Metabolism

Researchers still don’t understand the exact relationship between cannabis and gut bacteria; for patients living with GI and digestive issues, though, medical marijuana has relieved their pain and restored balance to their gut.

Currently, many state medical marijuana programs cover patients living with specific GI conditions such as:

• Crohn’s disease
• Ulcerative colitis
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

You can also receive a medical recommendation for more general conditions such as nausea. In many states, like Louisiana, a licensed provider can recommend marijuana for any condition they find “debilitating” and that they believe they can treat.

Best Cannabis Strains for a Healthy Gut

Cannabis offers unique healing potential partly because of how many strains are available. Cultivators often breed strains to serve specific medical uses, including giving your gut bacteria a hand.

Here are a few strains that real patients work into their gut health regimen:

• Blue Dream – This high-THC sativa strain relieves pain like a dream—without making you sleepy. If you need a daytime gut boost that relaxes your body and uplifts your mood, choose Blue Dream. Many patients also use it to curb stress, which can alleviate some of the GI-related anxieties you may feel.
• Lemon G – Though named for its strong citrus scent, this strain only offers sweet, sweet pain relief. The high THC content makes it a powerful anti-inflammatory, benefiting patients with a variety of GI disorders.

If you live in a state with a medical marijuana program, you can access these strains and more with a medical recommendation from a certified clinician. Obtain yours online today with TeleLeaf.

Heal Your Gut Holistically with a Medical Marijuana Recommendation from TeleLeaf

Cannabis may solve your tummy troubles—find out for certain by scheduling a virtual appointment with TeleLeaf.

Discuss your symptoms with a state-licensed medical marijuana clinician and gain immediate cannabis access all from the comfort of home. Appointments are risk-free—if you don’t qualify, you’ll receive your full money back, guaranteed.

At TeleLeaf, we support you for your entire healing journey: we can help you renew your medical card, connect with dispensaries pharmacists, and access product and dosage recommendations personalized to your needs. Reach out to learn more today.

Sources:

Harvard Health Publishing. The endocannabinoid system: Essential and mysterious.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/the-endocannabinoid-system-essential-and-mysterious-202108112569

Healthline. A Simple Guide to the Endocannabinoid System.
https://www.healthline.com/health/endocannabinoid-system#how-it-works

Cleveland Clinic. Gut Microbiome.
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/

ScienceDirect. Role of the Endocannabinoid System in the Regulation of Intestinal Homeostasis.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352345X22001461

AZO Life Sciences. Does Cannabis Interact with the Gut Microbiome?
https://www.azolifesciences.com/article/Does-Cannabis-Interact-with-the-Gut-Microbiome.aspx

ProCon.org. State-by-State Medical Marijuana Laws.
https://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/legal-medical-marijuana-states-and-dc

StayHonest.org. Each Strain is Different: Find the Right Strain For You.
https://stayhonest.org/cannabis-strains/