Sativa ! Sativa !
On this blog, We are now going to dive deeper into the background and benefits of Sativa. What exactly is Sativa? Where does is come from? What can it be used for!
Marijuana has been in use as a medicinal remedy since BC times. Narconon.org sites early China as being the first documented place to use the herb in medicinal application in 2700 BC. “Marihuana: The First Twelve Thousand Years” dates the plant as one of the oldest cultivated crops, originating in Central Asia. As trade and exploration occurred throughout the world, marijuana seeds took new roots in new soils.
What is Sativa?
Cannabis is an annual, flowering herb that includes three different species:
• Cannabis sativa
• Cannabis indica
• Cannabis ruderalis
Cannabis sativa or Sativa is tall, pale green color herbs that constitute a group of a substance known as cannabinoids. Cannabinoids are mainly of two types:
• Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC): This component causes hunger and has intoxicating properties. Besides, it relieves pain and nausea.
• Cannabidiol (CBD): This component of cannabis doesn’t have any intoxicating properties. It alleviates anxiety, pain, inflammation, and many other conditions.
Cannabis is the most illegally used drug in the world and is associated with various mental health issues. The leaves, seeds, stems, or roots are mainly used for intoxication purposes.
Where Do Pure Sativa Strains Come From?
Any pure sativa (or indica) strain will have originated from specific geographical regions. These include Southeast Asia (Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam), Jamaica, South Africa, and equatorial South America (namely Colombia and Brazil). While many believe that indicas first evolved in the Himalayan region of central Asia, pure sativa strains are known to be native to more tropical, equatorial climates.
Compared to indica varieties, landrace sativa plants are tall and thin, boasting narrow, skeleton-like water leaves amidst an abundance of pistil-covered flowers. While indica strains are known to be traditionally higher in CBD content, pure sativas often boast high THC levels, which is one of the main reasons why the intoxicating effects of sativa strains are so “cerebrally-centered.”
Medical Effects
To be clear, the THC level of sativa marijuana strains has no bearing on their potential medical applications. While sativas have a higher THC and lower CBD concentration than indicas, other chemical components play a part in the intoxicating effects of the strains.
Sativa strains are well known for their psychoactive properties due to the plant’s high concentration of THC. Sativa, however, is not only defined by its THC content as there are many other unseen chemical properties in Sativa strains and hybrids that widely affect the body. THC and CBD may be the best-known properties of cannabis, but the drug also contains phytocannabinoids, terpenes, flavonoids, omega-3 and 6 acids, and many other active chemicals/nutrients. Phytocannabinoids are known to help with chronic inflammation, chronic pain, mood and brain disorders, autoimmune disorders, and many other health ailments as documented by Farma Health. Terpenes in combination with flavonoids, or cannaflavins -distinct flavonoids only found in cannabis, give the strain its synergistic effect, flavor, and color. The combination of the two chemical properties can entirely change your experience with each strain as you may experience focus and acuity with one combination, and relaxed sedateness with another.
