When you drink alcohol, you can expect the same effects to come through every time you sip the sauce. Of course, Tequila can make some drinkers a little crazy and whiskey can make my ex-girlfriend mean, but overall you pretty much know what you’re in for when cracking that beer or pouring that cocktail.
So, why do different strains of cannabis come with a slew of different effects when you consume them?
Some weed can make you energetic, another strain can put you to sleep, and another can give you the munchies. The effects are quite literally endless and it’s a roll of the dice every time you’ve spark one up if you don’t have strain information or prior experience with the particular herb you’re puffing on.
Most Cannabis consumers categorize strain types into three groups: indicas, sativas, and hybrids. While Indicas are known to induce sedation and/or couch lock, Sativa varieties uplift with cerebral effects. Hybrids live somewhere in-between.
Indicas, sativas, and hybrids have many differences, but these variations mainly deal with appearance, grow, and origins. Interestingly, it still remains difficult to gauge possible effects until after consumption.
Indica plants are short with wide leaves and a shorter flowering cycle than its Sativa counterpart. Things like internodal length, leaf size and structure, bud size and density, aroma and smoke are also different. The structure of Indica plants is better suited for cold-climate growing seasons like we experience in Utah.
Sativa plants tend to be larger coming from warmer climates with longer growing seasons. They are taller than their cousins, and their leaves are narrower. Sativas also take on-average four weeks longer to flower.
So, the question remains, do plant types have anything to do with effect? Are Indicas truly sedating, and are Sativas really uplifting? So far, the weed nerds say no.
Widespread interbreeding has largely destroyed any differences in effect between the two, which essentially makes everything a Hybrid, and scientific research says the same. Research suggests that we pay more attention to Cannabinoids. Things like a strain’s THC, CBD, CBN or CBG, and Terpenes.
So, if we’re supposed to abandon this age-old Indica vs. Sativa debate, what’s the best way to select a cannabis strain? The weed nerds suggest we start shopping for terpenes instead of Indica or Sativa to achieve the desired effects.
Terpenes and Cannabinoids bind to receptors in the brain. Potential terpene effects terpene may change depending on what other compounds are present. So far, over 100 individual terpenes have been identified from cannabis plants—all developed as protection from predators and to attract pollinators. Researchers believe each individual terpene may produce its own unique set of physiological effects, such as enhanced relaxation or sharpened focus.
Like fingerprints, we now know every cannabis strain has its own terpene profile, which comes with different effects. We can use these profiles by considering individual affects, and by combining different compounds for a variety of benefits. When we are purposeful, we can create the perfect terpene cocktail.
