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PL Cannabinoid · Endocannabinoid
Anandamide (AEA) was the first endocannabinoid ever discovered, in 1992 — a molecule your own body makes that binds the same CB1 receptor as THC. Its name comes from the Sanskrit ananda, “bliss.” It is built on demand from fatty acids and broken down within minutes by the enzyme FAAH, so its effects are brief and local.
The body’s own cannabinoid
Warum das zählt
Anandamide is a partial agonist at CB1 and CB2, involved in mood, appetite, pain and the “runner’s high.” Because THC mimics it at CB1, anandamide is the natural counterpart that explains how a plant compound can act on the human brain at all. Drugs that block FAAH (its breakdown enzyme) raise anandamide levels and are studied for anxiety and pain.1
FAQ
What is anandamide? An endocannabinoid — a cannabinoid your body makes itself — that binds the CB1 receptor like THC does. It is named after the Sanskrit word for bliss.
Is anandamide the same as THC? No, but they act on the same CB1 receptor. Anandamide is made and broken down by the body within minutes; it is not intoxicating the way THC is.
Sources
- Devane, Mechoulam et al., “Isolation and structure of a brain constituent that binds to the cannabinoid receptor,” Wissenschaft (1992), PubMed. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Part of the NOIDS cannabinoids index. Educational reference, not medical advice.
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