If you’ve read a little about marijuana, or if you enter most dispensaries, you might see the words indica, sativa, and hybrid. Generally, most people divide marijuana into these three categories.
Indica, which originates from the Hindu Kush mountains of India, is believed to have a relaxing effect on the user. Sativa has a more energizing effect, while hybrid is a combination of the two.
Keep reading to get you started on your strains education!
The terms indica and sativa derive from the biolgical classification of these species, which is based on physical characteristics. Cannabis indica plants are shorter and have broad, dark green leaves. Cannabis sativa plants grow taller and develop thinner, pale green leaves.
In the past, people used these terms to differentiate the cannabis plants in terms of their effects and THC or CBD content. An article in Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research seems to dispel these claims.
Previously, people believed that Cannabis indica plants contained higher levels of CBD. As a result, cultivators and dispensaries marketed indica-derived strains as a product that would lead to a more ‘relaxed high’.
Conversely, Cannabis sativa-derived strains that contained higher levels of THC would provide a more energetic high.
Many experts caution against this generalization, noting that even if this classification scheme were true, there is no way to be sure of the accuracy of any strain name.
Hybrids come from breeding (“hybridization”) indica and sativa plants together. For centuries American farmers have sought to increase the quality of their crops by hybridizing them with different varieties from around the world. Similarly, modern cannabis breeding as we know it began on the west coast of the United States and Canada in the mid-’60s – and it hasn’t stopped. Farmers mixed mold-resistant equatorial sativas with fast-flowering, subtropical indicas for a more viable commercial crop.
Everyone’s personal chemistry is different and discovering the cannabis effects you like is often a matter of trial and error. That said, hybrids are great for beginners, who might not know how cannabis makes them feel, or know how they want cannabis to make them feel. Hybrids can also be great for medical cannabis patients who are going to be using the product regularly and need “balanced” effects they can tolerate all day long.
Since cannabis is more readily available today than ever before, people need clear, accurate information on the effects of different cannabis strains for medical and recreational purposes.
Knowing the composition and physiological and mental effects of cannabis plants can help people and clinicians choose the most appropriate product.
Cannabis farmers crossbreed cannabis plants to create new strains that have different levels of THC, CBD, and many other physiologically active compounds.
Each plant may have different medicinal and recreational purposes. Researchers need to carry out further studies to better understand this complex plant and its effects on humans.
article provided by: medicalnewstoday.com
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/marijuana-strains#what-are-marijuana-strains