Science has proven cannabis is better than alcohol. More research is being done to unlock the potential for medical help. Medical marijuana is as helpful as addictive opioids, it can bring down anxiety and is a boon for millions of veterans with PSTD. And as more research is being conducted, more discoveries are made. Now science discovered a like moment to a marijuana high.
As the cannabis movement becomes mainstream, people ask, one of the first questions people ask is “what is like”. Well, thanks to a research, we have an answer. It is similar to when you have an organism.
Despite what is show is “bro” movie, the brain is the largest sex organ in the body. So, taking a closer look inside the brain is exactly what curious researchers to the discovery. While much scientific investigation into this question has examined the activity levels in specific areas of the brain, others seek to measure changes in chemical composition.
Researchers from Germany decided to examine the levels of certain endocannabinoids in blood plasma before and after subjects masturbated to orgasm. Endocannabinoids are chemical compounds which interact with receptors in cells altering neurotransmitter release in the brain. The concentrations of several chemicals were measured in the blood plasma of human subjects before and after they masturbated to orgasm.
Brain scans using functional MRI’s (FMRI) have shown during masturbation many areas of the brain are engaged. The hypothalamus becomes more active and amps up production of a powerful hormone called oxytocin which acts as a neurotransmitter. The chemical has also been implicated in maternal-infant bonding, empathy and generosity. The thalamus and the substantia nigra, an area densely populated with dopamine-producing neurons, are also highly engaged. Previous research out of Rutgers University has suggested the orgasm creates a type of altered state of reality.
2-AG is the most abundant endocannabinoid in the human body. It is also present in mother’s milk and is believed to regulate appetite, our immune system and to manage pain. The German researchers found masturbating to orgasm significantly increased the amount of the endocannabinoid 2-AG in blood plasma.
Our data indicate the endocannabinoid 2-AG is involved in the human sexual response cycle and we hypothesize 2-AG release plays a role in the rewarding consequences of sexual arousal and orgasm.
This sort of finding is of great interest to the pharmaceutical industry, which may see an opportunity to explore the ways a prescribed medicine could affect cannabinoid levels. Making people’s sexual lives richer is big business. The erectile dysfunction medicine market is predicted to be worth over $5 billion by 2030.
The chemistry of cannabis may have a role to play in yet another area of our personal health. There is much work still to be done. Follow up studies are bound to follow this line of questioning to explore how cannabis-based medicine may help improve peoples’ sex lives. Noted medical centers have validated the studies and this could be a jumping off point to fresh information.
Meanwhile, you can be thanked science discovered a like moment to a marijuana high so you can tell you curious friends.