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IAmDavidGurney OP t1_j2cn1ls wrote

Of course the dose in natural products is so low you would never feel the effects.

Also, not only is GHB naturally produced in the brain but it also has it's own receptor, the GHB receptor. I don't know of any other drugs that have their own receptor. There is no THC or DMT receptor. They bind to other receptors designed for neurotransmitters.

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GeneralNathanJessup t1_j2cotfv wrote

The brain has nicotine receptors. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/nicotinic-receptor#

The brain has opiate receptors. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/pharmacology-toxicology-and-pharmaceutical-science/opiate-receptor

The brain has cannabinoid receptors. https://www.labroots.com/trending/videos/12752/thc-binds-cannabinoid-receptors-brain

Most drugs work by mimicking the brains own chemicals.

Another interesting fact. The industrial solvent named 1,4 butanediol is converted by the human liver into GHB.

1,4 butanediol is not a federally controlled substance, and is not covered under the Federal Analog act. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1,4-Butanediol

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IAmDavidGurney OP t1_j2cqtt4 wrote

Yes, but I meant that the GHB receptor is there to have endogenous GHB bind to it. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors are designed to have acetylcholine bind to them. Nicotine binds to them but the receptor isn't there for nicotine since it isn't naturally in the brain. Opiate receptors are there to have endorphins bind to them, not exogenous opioids. Cannabinoid receptors are meant for endocannabinoids like anandamide, not THC.

Yeah, these drugs bind to those receptors but the receptors are there for naturally occurring neurotransmitters, not the drug. What's interesting about GHB is that its receptor is designed for the brains GHB.

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sendnewt_s t1_j2cp1ju wrote

Researchers have identified two cannabinoid receptors: CB1, predominantly present in the nervous system, connective tissues, gonads, glands, and organs; and CB2, predominantly found in the immune system and its associated structures.

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IAmDavidGurney OP t1_j2cq00s wrote

My point was that GHB has it's own receptor that it binds too. IE the GHB receptor is designed to have endogenous GHB bind to it. The cannabinoid receptors are designed for endocannabinoids like anandamide, not THC or CBD which the body does not produce.

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Nathanlee213 t1_j2cnyb0 wrote

Never tried myself but I’ve heard it’s pretty fun in small doses. The effects are somewhat similar to being drunk. And of course you can easily take too much and be passed out.

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IAmDavidGurney OP t1_j2cqzgy wrote

It's sorta like alcohol but not really. It's much more euphoric and has a prosocial/empathogenic quality. It can be stimulating in lower doses and sedating in higher doses. It's basically non toxic and produces no hangover.

Taking too much is a danger since it's potent. That's why you need a syringe to measure the dose.

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Captcha_Imagination t1_j2dnzhd wrote

Receptors are often named after the drug that activates them. When Israeli Dr. Raphael Mechoulam discovered what receptors THC and CBD bind to what did it call it? Cannabinoid receptors. The whole system is the endocannabinoid system.

Don't get caught up in the naming of it. We name the key (compound) and lock (receptor) AFTER we see them interact. I thought the same as you when I first saw stuff like this.

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