Cannabis Strains and Effects, Part 1, the Primer.

Not everyone will have the same experience as myself. We all have different needs and react a little different to each strain, but after a while you will observe a reoccurring theme with certain strains as I do. Pay attention to your own body’s reaction. Keep a log. Let me say this again – keep a log of all your cannabis medicine!

Generally speaking, Indicas can be more effective for relaxing, sleeping and chilling out. Sativas spark creativity and can motivate you to get active and/or focus. The pure strains of either are hard to come by if you can find them at all. Since cannabis has been crossbred for many different uses over the millenium, and especially in the last half century for taste and high, you can well imagine that the strains available today may and will have properties of both species. The previously mentioned species, Ruderalis, does not share the same medicinal qualities, but offers growers a chance to bring in Ruderalis characteristics, like short/accurate flowering time and the ability to practically grow out of a rock, (useful DNA for geneticists). It’s very hardy and grows in the worst of conditions. It is the only auto- flowering variety of the three species, meaning it works on time, not light.

Certain characteristics are expected from different strains, but not guaranteed, partly because of genetics and partly because of the way we all can react differently to any medicine. But for the most part, finding a strain that you like and staying with it will produce very similar results for you. For me, there really is no fun in eating the same brand of chocolate chip cookies all the time, nor is there much fun in using the same kind of marijuana over and over again. I encourage everyone to experiment. Even though I find that “blue” in the name will pretty much ensure a good time for me, I like to try others.

Don’t be alarmed or confused if you find your experience to be somewhat contradictory from what is often said about a particular strain. It’s okay and it does happen. However, if someone indicates that a strain will literally knock you off your feet, listen and be careful, start with a small dose, then wait at least 45 minutes to an hour to see how you will react. Do not throw caution to the wind because you may regret it later. I was happy to learn when reading another author’s reaction to strains that are too indica dominant, that he, and other folks have had the same experience as myself, (as with the green Christmas cookies). If this happens, just go lay down and take a nice long nap until it’s mostly run it’s course. That can happen, and sometimes that’s the point. Ask any person with insomnia or too much pain to sleep.

When considering or investigation medical cannabis you’ll find the names can be quite amusing, offensive and creative, but they usually all mean something to those who know their cannabis strains. For example, follow this line:

NM Blue Sky was developed in New Mexico, has a lineage in the Blueberry strain.

Blue Widow has a lineage in Blueberry and White Widow.

White Widow got its name from its white appearance from all the sugary looking resin (aka trichomes) on its buds.

Island Sweet Skunk comes from Vancouver Island, BC, Canada is a cross between a Skunk variety, and another BC strain called Sweet Grapefruit. There you go, Island Sweet Skunk.

See a trend? Exploring the genetics can be fun for the curious, yet tedious and confusing for people who don’t really care. No worries, there will not be a test later, but knowing the trend of of what strains work for you can be helpful in deciding what to try next, or you can make it a craps shoot and go for trying it all! You get to make the rules. You are in control of your own medicine choices.

Another thing to consider when choosing what works best for you is the other organic chemicals inherent in the cannabis flower. At this writing there have been 80+ cannabinoids present in the cannabis flower, many that have just been identified in recent years because of the ban on research. Who knows how many recognized cannabinoids there will be by the time I’m finished with this project.

Of the most intriguing cannabinoid discoveries, CBD (cannabidiol) is showing promise of great medical benefits, but there are a few more we know right now are useful as well, such as CBC (cannabichromene), THCU (tetracannabiuarin), CBN (Cannabinol), and CBG (Cannabigerol). CBD is really the up and coming thing. Largely ignored by seed breeders for decades because the big push was for fun flavors and big highs, CBD is getting more and more press everyday as new discoveries for its uses, of which the list continues to grow.

Again, there won’t be a test on this later. I just want to excite readers that the list of medical cannabis strains will only continue to grow! Knowing the names of all the components won’t help much at this point, because there isn’t enough common knowledge about the cannabis components and their properties, nor is there a complete list of all there is to test for at this point, but the science is out there and continues to surface.

Next up – my cannabis strain reviews, A-H.