30 Effects of Hemp on the human body
Author: Pavel Cermak
This article summarizes all the important effects of hemp and the substances it contains on the human body. Hemp contains more than 1,000 different cannabinoids—substances that are also a natural part of the human body. The human-produced ones are called endocannabinoids and are part of the human cannabinoid system, which influences virtually all fundamental functions of our body—digestion, growth, development, and metabolism.
American scientist Dr. R. Melamede PhD., former dean of the faculty of biology at the University of Colorado and recognized as a leading world expert on the medical use of hemp, has been researching cannabinoids for many years. He asserts that they have significant importance not only in medicine but also in human development in general.
Effects of Hemp on bodily processes
1. Maintaining Homeostasis
With the exception of insects, endocannabinoids are found in every animal on this planet from mollusks upwards. The endocannabinoid system maintains the balance of our body's functions (homeostasis).
2. Appetite
Newborns receive endocannabinoids at the beginning of breastfeeding from their mothers' milk to stimulate their appetite and learn how to eat (until then, they were fed through the umbilical cord and did not know how to feed otherwise).
3. Hemp suppresses free radicals
By simply living and breathing, our body creates harmful free radicals. Cannabinoids help reverse this process and suppress free radicals.
4. Cannabinoids selectively affect brain cells
While gliomas, which are brain tumor cells, cannot tolerate the effects of cannabinoids and are destroyed by them, healthy brain cells are protected and regenerated by cannabinoids. This distinction lies in their ability to support natural defense and regeneration mechanisms in healthy cells, whereas cancerous cells are unable to survive their effects. This discovery opens possibilities for using hemp in the treatment of certain types of brain tumors and neurodegenerative diseases.
5. Hemp protects the skin
Hemp has significant protective effects on the skin due to the presence of CB1 receptors directly in skin cells. These receptors help regulate inflammatory processes, protect the skin from UV damage, and may contribute to preventing sunburn. Furthermore, studies suggest that cannabinoids may play a role in protecting against skin cancer by promoting healthy cell renewal and preventing the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells.
6. Beneficial for Osteoarthritis
Hemp can significantly aid in the treatment of osteoarthritis due to its anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties.
7. Slows down the Aging Process
Cannabinoids may play a significant role in slowing down the aging process. Studies on mice have shown that individuals with brains sensitive to cannabinoids lived longer than their counterparts whose CB1 receptors were blocked. Blocking these receptors led to premature death, suggesting that a functional endocannabinoid system may positively influence lifespan and overall health. This effect is likely related to the ability of cannabinoids to regulate inflammation, oxidative stress, and other aging-related processes.
8. Hemp increases brain activity
Cannabinoid receptors, especially CB1, play a key role in regulating activity in the frontal part of the brain, responsible for higher cognitive functions such as decision-making, planning, creativity, and self-reflection. Stimulation of these receptors can increase activity in brain areas associated with higher awareness, leading to improved concentration, deeper perception, and enhanced mood.
9. Hemp affects the immune system
Hemp plays an important role in regulating the immune system, particularly through CB2 receptors, which are mainly found in immune system cells such as white blood cells. CB2 receptors help the body respond to inflammatory processes by regulating the immune system's transition into a "fight" state. This mechanism enables the body to manage inflammation more effectively and maintain balance without excessive reactions that could damage healthy tissues.
10. Heart protection
Hemp has a positive effect on heart health, particularly due to its ability to protect the heart muscle against arrhythmia.
11. Pain relief
The pain-relieving effects of cannabinoids are based on the existence of specific nerves called vanilloid receptors. Our body produces its own "marijuana"—the endogenous cannabinoid anandamide (meaning bliss in Sanskrit)—which acts against pain through nerve endings. Anandamides are produced by our body in many different situations. For example, when taking aspirin, the level of anandamide increases, which helps relieve pain. An elderly woman who would NEVER try marijuana might not realize that her body is naturally producing its equivalent. Not only do elderly women not know this, but neither do politicians and ordinary citizens, who fail to realize that they are condemning something that their own bodies naturally produce. Evidence based on patient reports is compelling because when someone uses hemp and it relieves their pain, they will naturally use it again, and it will help them. Although only the individual experiencing relief has proof of its effectiveness, it is nonetheless true.
12. Slowing Disease Progression
In most immune system disorders, immune cells create free radicals that act pro-inflammatory and destroy the body as if it were a foreign object. Hemp brings the immune system into a state of fighting inflammation and helps slow disease progression while also slowing aging.
13. Hemp’s Effect on seizures
This applies not only to THC but also to the non-psychoactive cannabidiol (CBD). The exact mechanism is unknown, but it is a fact that even industrial hemp contains high amounts of CBD in oil form. Cannabidiol counteracts the high caused by THC while simultaneously relieving patients' symptoms. Cannabinoids influence everything in our body, including consciousness.
14. Positive Effects on Skin
Cannabinoids in the body do not only act through CB1 and CB2 receptors but also influence other processes in various parts of the body. For example, they affect the skin by promoting healthy cell regeneration, reducing inflammation, and helping maintain moisture balance.
15. Relief from itching
Hemp can be an effective remedy for relieving persistent itching due to its anti-inflammatory and soothing properties.
16. Hemp protects neurons
According to a study on brain function conducted on 150 people suffering from depression, hemp protects the brain from cell death and also safeguards neurons.
17. Asthma
Cannabinoids dilate the bronchi and help people with asthma breathe. However, sometimes they can have the opposite effect. Cannabinoids have an individual effect, and if a patient does not respond well to them, they should not use them.
18. Prevention of Alzheimer’s disease
Hemp protects nerve cells from dying and thus helps prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
19. Food intake
When we feel hungry, it is because our body has produced substances similar to natural cannabinoids. Once we are full, the production of these substances ceases. Food intake is one of the most important life functions.
20. Hemp reduces fat deposits in the cardiovascular system
Cannabinoids, especially CBD, may play a significant role in preventing fat deposits in the cardiovascular system. This process, known as atherosclerosis, is associated with the accumulation of fatty plaques in blood vessels, increasing the risk of heart disease, heart attacks, and strokes.
21. Prevention of cancer
Hemp has significant potential in preventing and treating certain types of cancer. Research suggests that it may act against tumors such as gliomas (brain tumors), skin cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, malignant lymphoma, and leukemia.
One of the key mechanisms is the ability of cannabinoids to selectively destroy cancer cells without damaging healthy ones. At the same time, they protect healthy cells from oxidative stress and inflammation, which can lead to tumor formation. In this way, cannabinoids may contribute to cancer prevention or support its treatment as a complement to standard therapy.
22. Hemp and its effect on the liver
Hemp may provide relief for liver diseases due to its anti-inflammatory and regenerative properties.
Effects of hemp on the psyche
23. Stress and behavior
Studies on mice have shown that a deficiency in CB1 receptors, a key component of the endocannabinoid system, can have a significant impact on the ability to adapt to changes. Mice lacking these receptors displayed extreme nervousness when moved to another part of the cage. They calmed down only when returned to their original place, but once moved again, the stress reaction repeated.
Similar mechanisms may affect people whose endocannabinoid system does not function optimally. Insufficient connection of CB1 and CB2 receptors in the brain may be the cause of increased sensitivity to stress, difficulties in adaptation, and other emotional problems. This highlights the importance of the endocannabinoid system in regulating behavior and emotional stability.
24. Positive effect on depression
Some patients suffering from bipolar disorder prefer to use sativa strains during depressive phases, while in the opposite phase, indica strains work better for them as they provide a calming effect. Some strains have a combination of cannabinoids suitable for pain relief, while others have a positive effect on immune problems. Pharmaceutical companies are attempting to synthetically produce various cannabinoid components found in different hemp strains. If successful, there will be more options available, allowing patients to choose the medication that best suits their body’s needs.
25. Hemp is natural
Given the existence of CB1 and CB2 receptors in the brain, the use of hemp is a natural process for humans.
26. Hemp has a synergistic effect
As a natural pain reliever, our receptors use cannabidiol (CBD). According to recent research, THC and other cannabinoids also play a significant role in pain relief. It is becoming increasingly clear that these substances work synergistically (mutually enhancing their effects), a phenomenon discovered as early as the 1950s by Professor Jan Kabelík from Palacký University in Olomouc.
27. Cannabinoids and outlook on the future
Cannabinoids influence not only bodily processes but also our psyche and approach to the future. People with negative life experiences often perceive the future with anxiety, whereas the use of cannabinoids can awaken interest and optimism regarding future events. This influence is linked to how cannabinoids help the brain better manage stress and adapt to change.
Individuals with defective cannabinoid receptors tend to have greater difficulty adapting because they perceive change as a source of anxiety. On the other hand, people with an open mind and a well-functioning endocannabinoid system accept new challenges and changes more easily, allowing them to live a calmer and longer life.
28. Relief from anxiety
Hemp in low doses reduces anxiety, while in high doses it can increase it (the drug Marinol, made from synthetic THC, is too strong and heightens feelings of anxiety). It also improves sleep, and people who stop using hemp may experience sleep problems. It is also worth noting that when consumed in food, delta-9 THC is converted in the liver into delta-11 THC, which is five times stronger and lasts much longer.
29. Improved sleep
Hemp, particularly its CBD and THC components, can significantly aid sleep issues. Due to its calming and regulatory properties, it influences the endocannabinoid system, which is responsible for maintaining balance in the body, including the sleep cycle.
30. Hemp may help with addictions
Our bodies have special pain receptors called vanilloid receptors, which are sensitive to heat or excessive pressure and are responsible for the sensation of pain. Anandamide is an endocannabinoid that can regulate pain. The ability of hemp to regulate pain has been known for a long time and has been confirmed by numerous scientific studies. However, only recently have researchers identified the molecular mechanisms governing the interaction between pain and cannabinoids. It has been discovered that there are many connections between the cannabinoid system and the endogenous opioid system. Research suggests that cannabinoids could be successfully used to treat opioid addiction.
On one hand, cannabinoids can enhance the pain-relieving effect of opioids (allowing the dose of morphine to be reduced by up to 50%). On the other hand, they may assist patients trying to overcome addiction to these substances.
Hemp is a holistic remedy that should be used wisely and appropriately—not too little, not too much—to be truly effective.
The CBD and other cannabinoid content can be tested in CBD drops, hemp tea, hemp oil, and hemp seeds.