Choosing Between Sativa and Indica
Looking for weed delivery in DC, Maryland or Virginia? First decide which strain type is best for you.
What is the first decision you make when choose a cannabis strain to test? Most people searching for weed in DC, Maryland, or Virginia buy weed for a specific effect. When getting Washington DC weed delivery, you first should know whether you are looking for an Indica or Sativa strain. Indica strains are for resting, unwinding, calming out, or going asleep. Sativas are know for being for stimulating, invigorating, and buzzing. Is this, however, always the case?
The Very First Thing You Discover
One of the most fascinating aspects of cannabis is that we are constantly learning new things about this amazing plant. This new information not only alters how we think about cannabis plants, but it also compels us to adapt how we talk about it. If you haven't noticed, the cannabis market is shifting away from the Indica vs. Sativa debate. There are many legitimate reasons for us to want to move away from these terms; unfortunately, Indica and Sativa hold a large space in the cannabis culture and carry a lot of meaning. Finding a replacement for them is no small task — let alone convincing people to use them. So, before we can talk honestly about finding replacements for these terminology, we need to talk about what Indica and Sativa have meant up to this moment.
If you want to get technical with the language, they are going to have different phenotypes (physical characteristics) and chemotypes (the chemical profile that dictates effect). I was told that Sativa plants are tall and thin. The plant takes longer to mature and produces wispy flowers. Indica plants, I was told, are short and stocky. They reach maturity quicker than Sativa plants and produce flowers that are dense. Sativas offer uplifting and energetic effects, and Indica products produce effects that are sedative. When you breed the two types together, you get a third type of plant called a Hybrid, and the physical characteristics and chemistry of the plant fall somewhere in the middle with varying effects.
Indica vs Sativa is being used by initiative 71 compliant businesses like Lucky Chuckie to help customers understand how the cannabis product is going to make them feel. This is problematic for two reasons. First, there are roughly 500 different compounds that contribute to the effects of cannabis. The effects are dependent upon the quantity and ratio of these chemicals (cannabinoids and terpenes) and how these chemicals interact with each other. This interaction is referred to as the entourage effect. This result is a large spectrum of experiences — not just sedative or uplifting! Second, even if your budtender has experience with the product you intend to purchase, it will not affect you the same way. It’s important to note that cannabis works by engaging a person’s endocannabinoid system, and everyone’s system is unique to them. In other words, each person’s cannabis experience is going to be unique.
The effects-based understanding of Indica vs Sativa, or Hybrid is how most people use these terms today and represents the position from which we are being asked to move; however, it is not the only way Indica vs Sativa has been used.
Things to consider
The two main types of cannabis, sativa and indica, are used for a number of medicinal and recreational purposes.
Sativas are known for their “head high,” an invigorating, energizing effect that can help reduce anxiety or stress and increase creativity and focus.
Indicas are typically associated with full-body effects, such as increasing deep relaxation and reducing insomnia.
The most important difference between these two subspecies of cannabis, however, is in their medical effects and how they influence energy levels and productivity. Indicas tend to decrease energy and are better for consumption in the evening or at night, after the conclusion of the day’s work and activities. Potent indica strains may give some patients what is called “couchlock,” a condition in which they become so relaxed that they care barely get up from the sofa.
Sativas, on the other hand, are uplifting and cerebral, enhancing creativity and productivity. Indicas provide what has been called a “body high,” while sativas deliver more of a “mind high.” Unfortunately, sativa plants require longer to grow and yield less medicine (flowers) than indica varieties. This is why indica strains have traditionally dominated those available on the black market, where there is no concern for patient need and the sole focus is profit.
Who should use indica?
Those looking to:
· Increase their appetite
· Improve their sleep at night
· Help treat their pain
· Relax after a long day of work
· Calm their nerves
· Disconnect from racing thoughts
Who should use sativa?
Those looking to:
· Wake and bake
· Tackle their chores
· Get organized
· Tap into their creativity
· More innovative thinking/working
· Act more social
How to choose between indica vs. sativa?
It’s difficult to provide a definitive way to choose which family of strains is best for you. Although user testimony can give wonderful, informative insight, it cannot tell you how you will uniquely feel under the influence of indica vs. sativa strains. It’s been said: indica strains tend to bring forth tranquil effects, while sativa strains bring about more energy and creativity. More to that point, many experience a more cerebral high with sativas compared to that of indicas and their body highs. These very rudimentary distinctions may be a newbies best means of choosing between indica vs. sativa, but the importance of exploring beyond this threshold cannot be understated.
To sum it up
While diving into the world of cannabis and all its unique intricacies can be enlightening and informative, there’s still so much to learn from a scientific standpoint. And though dispensaries can more simply organize their products, this categorization of sativa vs. indica is probably much less cut and dry than once assumed. Fortunately, with such increased interest in cannabis and its laundry list of potential benefits, constantly updated research continues to propel us toward a more educated understanding of these major strain classifications. From there, novices and cannabis connoisseurs alike can continue to make more informed choices on what strain or terpene / cannabinoid profile is best for them.
