Excerpt (you may also want to check out how CBD activates the serotonin receptor—https://www.projectcbd.org/science/cannabis-pharmacology/how-cbd-works): "The researchers found that people with PTSD had lower serum levels of anandamide, an endogenous cannabinoid compound, compared to those who did not show signs of PTSD after 9/11. Innate to all mammals, anandamide (our inner cannabis, so to speak) triggers the same brain receptors that are activated by THC (tetrahydrocannabinol: The High Causer) and other components of the marijuana plant. Concentrated in the brain and central nervous system, the cannabinoid receptor known as CB-1 mediates a broad range of physiological functions, including emotional learning, stress adaption, and fear extinction. Scientists have determined that normal CB-1 receptor signaling deactivates traumatic memories and endows us with the gift of forgetting. But skewed CB-1 signaling, due to endocannabinoid deficits (low serum levels of anandamide), results in impaired fear extinction, aversive memory consolidation, and chronic anxiety, the hallmarks of PTSD. PTSD is one of many enigmatic conditions that may arise because of a dysfunctional endocannabinoid system. A 2009 report by Virginia Commonwealth University scientists discerned a link between the dysregulation of the endocannabinoid system and the development of epilepsy. Researchers at the University of Rome in Italy have documented low levels of anandamide in the cerebrospinal fluid in patients with untreated newly diagnosed temporal lobe epilepsy. "Smoking marijuana is one method of augmenting CB-1 receptor transmission. Numerous combat veterans and other PTSD patients claim that nothing can calm the storm that rages in their heads like a few puffs of pot. A 2011 observational study by Israeli scientists found that smoked cannabis, which directly activates the CB-1 receptor, improved symptoms of PTSD. After many years of foot-dragging, the National Institute on Drug Abuse gave a green light to FDA-approved research proposed by MAPS [Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies], which seeks to study the effects of smoked and vaporized cannabis—including a CBD-rich variety—on military veterans with PTSD. Some scientists aren’t high on marijuana as a PTSD treatment option. NYU’s Neumeister contends that despite “their potential therapeutic value, direct-acting cannabinoid receptor compounds [such as THC] have very limited medical applications, mainly because of their undesirable psychotropic side effects and ability to cause addiction.” This assertion reflects politically correct assumptions rather than scientific fact. The operative premise—that the marijuana high is an adverse side effect—doesn’t pass the unbiased smell test. Cannabis doesn’t cause addiction any more than food causes a person to become a compulsive eater. Dismissing smoked cannabis as “an appealing short-term ‘solution’ that will more likely create longer term problems,” Neumeister favors “blocking endocannabinoid deactivation” by inhibiting FAAH, which “may lead to a more circumscribed and beneficial spectrum of biological responses than those produced by direct CB-1 receptor activation.” Big Pharma has its sights set on developing and patenting synthetic FAAH-inhibitors to treat PTSD, depression, and other pathological conditions—the very same conditions for which whole plant cannabis provides politically incorrect relief. Cannabis is often the remedy of choice for people coping with PTSD and other stress-induced maladies. Some are already using CBD-rich extracts and flowers. Many others self-medicate with THC-dominant strains to ease posttraumatic stress. PTSD sufferers can’t afford to wait for whatever benefits synthetic FAAH-inhibitors may – or may not – offer in the years ahead. They need help now."