While marijuana legalization may attract front-page media attention, there is an even bigger story hidden behind the headlines. Quietly, without fuss, millions of Americans young and old are using the power of Cannabis sativa—a plant with many varieties, only some of which are called “marijuana”—to relieve pain, reduce stress, improve sleep, build bone and more. And they’re doing so safely and legally, using a product called hemp.

Hemp is a type of Cannabis sativa. The varieties referred to as marijuana contain a psychoactive substance called THC that often gets them into legal hot water. Hemp contains practically no THC—and its use is entirely within the law.

What hemp does have is a family of powerfully therapeutic compounds known as phytocannabinoids. What’s more, scientists have discovered that the body produces a parallel set of substances called endocannabinoids, collectively known as the endocannabinoid system (ECS), that touches every organ and system in the body. While the ECS has been there since the beginning of time, scientists have only recently learned of its presence.

Hemp has a long history of use in traditional healing systems and as a source of such items as cloth. Today, just as hemp clothing has become a hit in the fashion world, the healthful phytocannabinoids in hemp have also been rediscovered for their ability to promote a wide variety of beneficial effects. And these benefits come from the fact that hemp’s phytocannabinoids act in a way similar to that of the body’s own endocannabinoids.

The System You Didn’t Know About

The most remarkable part of hemp’s healing story is that it is linked to a body system researchers never knew existed until two decades ago.

Scientists have long known that the body’s cells contain tiny “locks” on their surfaces, known as receptors. These receptors accept molecular “keys” found on various substances, such as hormones, allowing those substances to enter the cell.

In the 1990s, scientists realized that cells have receptors for endocannabinoids and that these receptors exist in every tissue the body contains—literally everywhere researchers looked. This means the ECS is capable of “talking” with every other system, allowing it to act as a master switchboard that plugs into the entire body.

This article was courtesy of Energy Times magazine March/April 2018 issue. Please visit our website www.cdrnaturals.com for more information on this and other great health topics. Remember this article is for information only. Do not make any changes in your diet or lifestyle without first consulting with your preventive health care provider. We always pray for your prosperity and health, 3 John 2, blessings, Donna.