Indica Vs. Sativa: The Great Debate.
Indica and Sativa are the two main types of cannabis. A number of ‘hybrid’ strains exist as well, made up of different combinations of Indica and Sativa. The distinct properties in each are designed to have targeted effects on certain health conditions.
In this piece, we’ll delve into the properties of Indica and Sativa, their appearance, the conditions they support and the things to bear in mind when considering different cannabis strains.
Indica and Sativa Strain Properties:
Sativa strains are known to produce a “mind high,” or a mood-boosting, energising effect that helps you feel more alert. Sativa often has higher doses of THC and lower doses of CBD.
Indica strains offer relaxing effects that may also help to reduce pain, increase your appetite and aid sleep. In this strain, the CBD levels are often higher.
It’s worth noting that terpenes in different strains influence the effects they produce. For example, relaxing terpenes are most commonly found in the Indica plant whereas invigorating terpenes often occur in whole Sativa.
As mentioned, consumers of cannabis can also find hybrid strains. These prolific strains are often grown to produce specific effects. Their effects pull from both Indica and Sativa strains. However, a strain may lean more towards relaxation if it has more Indica in its lineage or alertness if it has greater levels of Sativa.
Do the stains look different?
They certainly do! There are physical differences which help botanists to identify the particular strain cannabis.
Sativa has light green and skinny leaves which grow on tall, slim plants.
Indica has broad, dark green leaves that grow on shorty, bushy plants.
What conditions can Indica and Sativa support?
The first thing to note is that the effects felt by each strain are unique to the individual. Therefore, it’s important to prescribe the right strains for optimum relief of a patient’s condition. Find out how our specialist consultants prescribe the correct strains for each patient here.
Benefits of Sativa: Sativa can be helpful in relieving stress, lessening fatigue and treating depression. Due to its energising properties, it can also improve focus and boost alertness.
Benefits of Indica: Indica helps to relieve pain, reduce anxiety and promote a better quality of sleep. Select Indica strains can also work to improve appetite and reduce nausea.
Even though it’s useful to understand the general effects associated with Sativa and Indica, we can’t always rely on this to understand its effect on a patient. People can experience different effects whilst consuming the same cannabis. The consumption of cannabis is based on everyone’s personal endocannabinoid system. For example, some patients report having Indica-style responses to Sativa strains and vice versa.
Here’s something to bear in mind:
Despite the facts and research provided some arguments suggest that the ‘Sativa’ or ‘Indica’ classification is an oversimplified approach to classifying the complexity of cannabis strains.
It is argued among experts, that labelling cannabis with the quantities of key compounds that have medicinal effects would be a better way of differentiating the cultivars of cannabis.
Why? Because the biochemical content (endocannabinoids and terpenes) are what give a strain its true effect.
Current research also casts an assumption that the Sativa and Indica strains have been crossbred so much that people don’t believe that there is any original of the landrace strains left.
Nonetheless, the known effects of indica and sativa strains are still useful to keep in mind when choosing a cannabis strain with your specialist doctor.
Here’s something to bear in mind:
Some argue that the ‘Sativa’ or ‘Indica’ classification is an oversimplified approach to classifying the complexity of cannabis strains. It is argued among experts, that labelling cannabis with the quantities of key compounds that have medicinal effects would be a better way of differentiating the cultivars of cannabis.
Why? Because the biochemical content (endocannabinoids and terpenes) are what give a strain its true effect. However, some suggest Sativa and Indica have been crossbred so much that people don’t believe that there is any original of the landrace strains left. Nonetheless, the known effects of Indica and Sativa strains are still useful to keep in mind when choosing a cannabis strain with your specialist doctor.
How can you tell if the strain is what is advertised?
All products which are listed on the Mamedica preferred list of medicines (CBPM formulary) are sourced from cultivators/manufacturers who are certified to supply products which comply with a medical grade standard called EU-GMP (good manufacturing practice).
Each product that are released to be prescribed in the UK have to go through rigorous testing. Within that testing process, you can identify exactly what’s in that particular cannabis strain or a particular vape cartridge, in terms of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), CBD (cannabidiol) and terpenes.
We recommend speaking to one of our doctors to learn more about which strain could benefit you, check your eligibility for medical cannabis here.
What strains do medical cannabis prescribe?
Medical cannabis clinics in the UK are legally unable to publish their list of medication options available on their formulary. However, if you do want to learn more about strains MedBud Wiki is a great resource.