What Is Anandamide? The Bliss Molecule and Your Endocannabinoid System

Anandamide (AEA) is an endocannabinoid, a cannabis-like compound your own body makes, nicknamed the "bliss molecule." Scientifically speaking, it's a lipid signaling molecule that acts mainly on the CB1 receptors of the endocannabinoid system, where it helps regulate mood, memory, appetite and pain.

Because it's an endocannabinoid, anandamide is produced inside the body rather than taken in from a plant. Your body makes it for a whole range of different jobs.

The best-known cannabinoids from the cannabis plant (phytocannabinoids) include:

• Cannabidiol (CBD)

• Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)

• Cannabinol (CBN)

There are currently more than 150 known cannabinoids in the cannabis plant. Researchers are studying a wide range of potential health benefits for them, depending on several different factors.

There are two main endocannabinoids:

1. Anandamide (also known as AEA or arachidonoyl ethanolamide)

2. 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG)

These two endocannabinoids may also bring certain health benefits, but instead of coming from plants, your body makes them on its own.

If endocannabinoids like 2-AG and anandamide help maintain health and balance at the cellular level, then it makes sense that cannabis (whose THC and CBD also act on this system) could be a useful medicine when the ECS isn't working the way it should.

Several studies suggest anandamide may play a role in memory and in the brain's reward pathways.

Anandamide binds to the cannabinoid receptors known as CB1. Together, the CB1 and CB2 receptor networks make up a vast cell-signaling network known as the endocannabinoid system (ECS).

Anandamide and the endocannabinoid system

The ECS is a body system in charge of a lot of different things, but keeping the body in balance (homeostasis) seems to be its top priority. It can use both the body's own cannabinoids and plant cannabinoids (like CBD) to get different jobs done. CBD appears to boost anandamide signaling in the brain. Anandamide is often called the "bliss molecule," and healthy levels of it are linked to feelings of well-being and happiness.

Current research suggests anandamide may help with things like pain relief. When you feel pain, anandamide binds to its CB1 receptor and dampens the pain signal. That may be one reason people who use CBD (which slows down the breakdown of anandamide) report less pain.

What else should you know about anandamide?

• Anandamide isn't a drug. It's a chemical your body makes from arachidonic acid, a long-chain essential fatty acid.

• Anandamide and other endocannabinoids are released by neurons, then diffuse into astrocytes and neurons, where they're broken down by an enzyme called fatty acid amide hydrolase, or FAAH.

Fatty acid amide hydrolase is an enzyme found in mammals. It helps break down a family of lipids called fatty acid amides. Anandamide is one of them.

• Anandamide levels are higher in certain parts of the brain, like the brainstem. Some of the latest studies show that anandamide belongs to a broader family of fatty acid compounds.

All of this suggests endocannabinoids could be part of the future of treating many conditions. Some cannabinoid-based medicines currently in clinical trials for certain psychiatric disorders could shape how those disorders are treated down the road.

Since plant cannabinoids and endocannabinoids target the same receptors (CB1 and CB2), both are under constant scrutiny over what they can and can't do.

It'll take more time and more research from doctors and scientific institutions before the medical community figures out the best way to use endocannabinoids like anandamide (AEA).

How does anandamide work?

Anandamide is an endogenous neurotransmitter, meaning it's made in the human body, and it's part of the endocannabinoid system. That system is made up of the CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors, the endocannabinoids, and the enzymes that build and break them down.

Anandamide binds mainly to the CB1 receptor, which is found mostly in the brain and central nervous system. Its job is to help regulate mood, memory, appetite and pain perception. It also works as a retrograde messenger: it travels backward across the synapse, which lets it fine-tune the flow of information between nerve cells.

Anandamide is thought to have an effect similar to THC, the main psychoactive compound in cannabis, though much milder. THC binds to the brain's cannabinoid receptors, which brings on euphoria, relaxation and, at high doses, sometimes hallucinations. Anandamide, by contrast, is made naturally in the body and released in small amounts to keep things in balance.

In short, anandamide is an endocannabinoid your body makes naturally that works as a neurotransmitter. It binds mainly to the endocannabinoid system's CB1 receptor and is involved in regulating mood, memory, appetite and pain perception.

What does anandamide have to do with medical cannabis?

The human endocannabinoid system is a physiological system that regulates a range of bodily functions, like sleep, appetite, pain and immunity. It's made up of the CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors, the endocannabinoids, and the enzymes that build and break them down.

Anandamide and 2-AG are two endocannabinoids that bind mainly to the ECS's CB1 and CB2 receptors. Anandamide in particular is made naturally in the body and released in small amounts to maintain balance. Research suggests anandamide has pain-relieving, anti-inflammatory, antidepressant and anti-anxiety properties.

When it comes to medical cannabis, researchers have found that its active compounds, like THC and CBD, also act on the human endocannabinoid system. THC binds mainly to the CB1 receptor, bringing on euphoria and relaxation, while CBD doesn't bind directly to cannabinoid receptors but still appears to have positive effects on the system.

Some studies suggest that medical cannabis containing CBD can raise anandamide levels in the brain, and patients report better mood and less anxiety and chronic pain. Research also points to medical cannabis being useful for certain diseases and conditions, like multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, arthritis and some cancer-related symptoms.

Bottom line: anandamide and the human endocannabinoid system are closely tied to medical cannabis. The THC and CBD in medical cannabis may support how the endocannabinoid system works, CBD may help keep more anandamide around in the brain, and together they may offer therapeutic benefits for a number of health conditions.

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