If you’re reading this post, you are probably aware that your brain makes its own marijuana. In fact, it may make five different molecules that mimic the actions of marijuana; one is called anandamide. Anandamide has many roles in the brain. It controls feeding, feelings of hunger, happiness, and euphoria. Thus, it’s not surprising that over 3000 years ago, the sacred Indian Vedas texts referred to marijuana as "a source of happiness, donor of joy, and bringer of freedom." What’s also interesting about anandamide is that it’s found in nature. Plants make it for a variety of purposes, mostly to defend themselves against being eaten by bugs. For example, anandamide is also found in the pods of cocoa plants that are used to produce cocoa powder and delicious chocolates.

Our bodies also convert chemicals that we consume into compounds that mimic the actions of anandamide. Two of them can be easily found in your local drug store. One is ibuprofen (Advil or Motrin), and the other is acetaminophen (Tylenol). This is how it happens.

Ordinarily, when anandamide is released in the brain, it is quickly inactivated by being vacuumed up into a nearby cell or by being metabolized by specific enzymes. One of these enzymes is called cyclooxygenase. Ibuprofen inhibits this enzyme from working. Thus, taking ibuprofen should enhance the........

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