The endocannabinoid system (also known as ECS) is not involved in that part of your body. From your sleep, appetite and mood to your memory and pain control, ECS, which was only discovered in the 1990s, is linked to them all.

“When I am asked what exactly the endocannabinoid system does, I say that it is rather a question of what it does not do?” says Professor Ian McGregor of the University of Sydney’s Lambert Initiative on Cannabinoid Therapy.

“ECS is ubiquitous in the body and is involved in virtually every physiological or biological process that we can think of, and thus it is also involved in virtually every disease and condition that we can think of.”

In simple terms, ECS involves the distribution of substances made in your body called endocannabinoids, which are also found in plants such as hemp and cannabis. When endocannabinoids bind to receptors in the brain or body, they trigger cellular activity, which in turn can help relieve pain, reduce inflammation, or reduce anxiety.