In the world of soda, there’s a difference between regular cola and diet cola. You go to the ice cream shop, and there is an assortment of flavors. Why do differences like this exist? To give consumers choices. People are looking for different experiences. The world of cannabis is no different. Not every cannabis plant is the same. When you buy cannabis seeds to grow marijuana plants for personal use, not every plant being grown is the same. Heck, you might even be growing different types of cannabis strains yourself. What does this assortment of cannabis strains entail? There are multiple ways to differentiate cannabis strains. For example, different aromas and flavors. We’ve got skunky strains, fruity strains, spicy strains, and so on. Then, there’s sativa and indica. These are two different types of marijuana, but what are sativa and indica all about? The difference in sativa and indica is not insignificant. In fact, there is probably the no bigger way in which marijuana plants are differentiated than whether or not a strain is a sativa or an indica. So let’s dig into the major difference in sativa and indica strains, and why you will want to know the difference.
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Compare Our Cannabis Seed Strains
| STRAIN | BLEND | THC | USE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burmese Kush Feminized | 50% Sativa/50% Indica | 15% THC | Anytime |
| Bruce Banner Feminized | 40% Indica, 60% Sativa | 25% THC | Daytime |
| Amnesia Feminized | 10% Indica, 90% Sativa | 20% THC | Daytime |
Is there a physical difference in sativa and indica plants?
You can indeed eyeball a cannabis plant and identify if it is a sativa or an indica. That is if you know what to look for. It’s time to get a little knowledge of these two different types of cannabis. They are indeed different plants. Cannabis sativa and Cannabis indica are both types of cannabis, but they are different types of plants, like how there are different types of big cats. Sativa plants are naturally found in hot climates, such as in Central America or Africa. You can often identify them by their height. Sativas grow tall and slender. If you are growing sativas indoors, you likely will need to top your plants. Indicas are found in mountainous regions around Europe and Asia. In particular, indicas are associated with the Hindu Kush region. Do you know those Kush weed strains? They are basically exclusively indicas, or descendants of indicas. These plants are shorter and stockier, with thicker, denser growing patterns. Given the climates they grow in, indicas tend to be more resilient plants as well.
What’s the difference in sativa and indica’s impact on you when you smoke them?
OK, physical differences are one thing. If those were the only differences in sativa and indica plants, though, people wouldn’t make that big of a deal about it. However, smoking sativa is strikingly different from smoking indica. These experiences are stark. Sativas are uplifting. They energize you and often improve your mood. Some people say smoking sativa makes them feel euphoric. There are those who use sativas to stoke creativity, and sativa smokers are often fans of waking and baking. These strains are also known for their heady high. Of course, on the flip side, that means overindulging in sativas can really cloud the mind and impair your mental cognition. Overdoing it on sativa is also what leads to marijuana’s reputation for causing paranoia. As with anything, you need to exercise discretion when using marijuana. Indicas, conversely, are known for being relaxing. They chill you out and mellow out your mood. Instead of being used by wake-and-bake smokers, indicas are favorites of nighttime smokers. Using indica strains helps you sleep, or simply relax. They also provide more of a body high. If you want to feel a to-the-bone stone more than a head trip, an indica could be right for you. Now, akin to our advisement related to sativas, overindulging in indicas could lead to a pretty serious case of couch lock. If you need to be productive, an indica can make that difficult.
Is there a difference in sativa and indica’s medical usage?
Some people use marijuana for fun, or to be social. Others use it for medical purposes. Both sativas and indicas can help you with your medical concerns, but with different ones. Sativas tend to be used for stress and anxiety, and also the symptoms of depression. Indicas, meanwhile, are often used for sleep issues like insomnia as well as pain issues, be it in your joints or your muscles. There are also those who use indicas for nausea or a loss of appetite.
Where do hybrid strains figure into the picture when it comes to the difference in sativa and indica?
You can still find some true, pure sativas and indicas. For example, we sell seeds for the sativa Durban Poison and the indica Critical Purple. These days, though, most strains that are grown and enjoyed are hybrids. These hybrid strains are a combination of sativa and indica parentage. As marijuana growers work to improve strain quality, they have turned more and more to crossbreeding strains and creating hybrids. Marijuana users certainly have no complaints about that. The intent is to give you the best of both worlds. We’re talking strains that relax you