Article Summary:
- As a critical component of the body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS), anandamide plays a central role in supporting various physiological functions, including mood, appetite, learning, and memory.*
- An adequate anandamide level can usually be maintained through a healthy diet, and exercise, but may benefit from regular use of a nutritional supplement.
- Tesseract’s AnaQuellTM is an innovative anandamide supplement that utilizes proprietary nutrient delivery nanotechnology to enable unprecedented absorption of the active nutrient to promote optimal neurological health.*
Have you heard of the ‘bliss molecule,’ anandamide, that helps regulate our emotional and mental well-being?* Scientific literature indicates the potential role of anandamide in regulating the brain’s reward circuitry and how it supports neurological health1.* But how does anandamide interact with the brain to exert its therapeutic benefits?
Although the mechanisms of action of endocannabinoids, including anandamide, are not fully understood, research highlights the benefits of anandamide in maintaining the body’s internal state of balance called homeostasis.* This article explains how anandamide positively influences brain function and why you should include an advanced anandamide supplement in your diet.*
What Does Anandamide Do to the Brain — An Overview
The body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS) includes cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2), endocannabinoids (anandamide and 2-AG), and enzymes (fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) and monoacylglycerol acid lipase (MGL)). Anandamide primarily binds to and activates CB1 receptors across different body and brain regions. The FAAH enzyme breaks down anandamide into ethanolamine and arachidonic acid.
Research demonstrates the correlation between the levels of ethanolamine phosphate in the blood and mental health2. Arachidonic acid is a polyunsaturated fatty acid in the brain, and its elevated level is associated with mood disorders3.
The following table summarizes how anandamide supports a healthy response to mood changes and helps maintain mental and emotional well-being.*
| How does Anandamide Influence Brain Functions? | |
| Regulating mood* | Anandamide regulates emotional responses to stress and influences the activities of key hormones — dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins.* These hormones, in turn, are responsible for feel-good emotions and sensations. |
| Stimulating appetite* | Anandamide stimulates CB1 receptors to induce appetite, influencing eating behavior and food intake.* |
| Learning and Memory* | The ECS regulates learning and memory processes through fine-tuned neural transmission. In animal studies, anandamide displays enhanced learning and memory processes in the hippocampus* — a complex structure in the brain’s temporal lobe4. |
| Sleep Induction* | Clinical studies indicate that anandamide enhances adenosine levels, a sleep-inducing molecule in the brain5. |
Although the body produces anandamide, specific conditions such as an excessive activity of the FAAH enzyme can enhance anandamide degradation, resulting in lower levels. A depleted anandamide level can disrupt homeostasis, resulting in various adverse effects, including improper regulation of sleep, mood, and appetite.*
Including An Anandamide Supplement in Your Diet
Different approaches to enhancing the level of anandamide in the body include diet, active lifestyle, and nutritional supplements.
- Healthy Diet and Exercise: A diet of chocolates, truffles, long pepper, black pepper, virgin olive oil, fatty fish, walnuts, and eggs can increase endogenous anandamide production. An active lifestyle with endurance exercises provides a ‘runner’s high,’ indicating an enhanced expression of CB1 cannabinoid receptors and endocannabinoids like anandamide.
- Nutritional Supplements: Another alternative is including an advanced nutritional supplement to maintain anandamide homeostasis.
Tesseract Medical Research’s AnaQuellTM is an innovative anandamide supplement formulation developed for individuals experiencing anandamide imbalance and its associated adverse effects. The formulation contains L-citrulline, a critical component for nitric oxide (NO) production, in conjunction with anandamide to promote enhanced blood flow and nutrient delivery to the brain.* The proprietary CyLoc® – DexKey® nutrient delivery technology enables unprecedented absorption of anandamide through the gut wall. The micro-dosing of anandamide in the formulation supports the body’s natural response to mild anxiousness (non-General Anxiety Disorder), stress, mood changes, and trauma.*
The power of Tesseract supplements lies in enhancing palatability, maximizing absorption and bioavailability, and micro-dosing multiple nutrients in a single, highly effective capsule. Shop products on our website and learn more about how they can help support neurological health.*
Citations:
1Scherma, Maria et al. Acta pharmacologica Sinica vol. 40,3 (2019): 309-323. doi:10.1038/s41401-018-0075-x
2Verma RK, et al. Journal of clinical and diagnostic research: JCDR vol. 6,9 (2012): 1612-1613. doi:10.7860/JCDR/2012/4758.2579
3Lotrich FE, et al. Brain, behavior, and immunity vol. 31 (2013): 48-53. doi:10.1016/j.bbi.2012.08.007
4Lemtiri-Chlieh, Fouad, and Eric S Levine. Frontiers in cellular neuroscience vol. 16 1023541. 21 Sep. 2022, doi:10.3389/fncel.2022.1023541
5Murillo-Rodriguez, Eric et al. Sleep vol. 26,8 (2003): 943-7. doi:10.1093/sleep/26.8.943
