Welcome to our Indica, Sativa, and Hybrid guide. If you browse any cannabis retailer's store or site, you are certain to see these terms. They have an easily summarized set of meanings:
- Sativa: Stimulated high.
- Indica: Sedated high.
- Hybrid: Balanced high.
Cannabis users and producers have used these terms for many years. However, there is a push within the cannabis industry to move past this terminology into a more scientifically accurate way of describing cannabis effects: cannabinoids and terpenes. It is the combination of these two types of chemical compounds that truly defines a cannabis product's taste and effect.
What is a Cannabinoid?
A cannabinoid is a natural chemical found within a cannabis plant. Cannabinoids are the dominant factor in determining how a product will affect a user. A CBD vape, for example, that is formulated with Strawberry Cough terpenes will affect a user much differently than a Delta-8 THC vape with the same terpenes. This is because the base cannabinoids have different physiological effects on the endocannabinoid system, with CBD producing a sense of ease and Delta-8 a euphoric high. There are over 100 cannabinoids in existence, and we are understanding more about them as research progresses. Terpenes are also a part of this picture.
What is a Terpene?
Terpenes are another type of plant compound found within cannabis plants. However, they are also found in non-cannabis plants and are used across multiple industries, from food products to perfumes. Plants produce different terpenes for different reasons. Some terpenes repel predators, while others attract pollinators. Scientists have not fully understood the nature of the relationship between terpenes and cannabinoids and how they work together. We do know that without terpenes, our vapes would have no flavor. To use Strawberry Cough as an example again, its dominant terpenes are:
- Myrcene (herbal)
- Pinene (pine)
- Caryophyllene (pepper)
These terpenes work together with Delta-8 THC in our new 1800 MG Strawberry Cough vapes to produce a talkative, energized euphoria that gives way to sedated bliss with heavy enough use.
Indica, Sativa, and Hybrid: An Inaccurate Model?
It is important to note the origins of these terms in our Indica, Sativa, and Hybrid Guide. A French biologist, Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, coined the following names in 1785 to differentiate cannabis types:
- Cannabis Sativa: a taller and more fibrous plant found in warm climates.
- Cannabis Indica: a shorter, more psychoactive plant found in cold climates.
These names originally referred to the plant's structure, not to its effects. While it is still an easy way to describe a product's effects on a person using these terms, understanding a product in terms of cannabinoids and terpenes will give you a more fine-tuned understanding of how it may work for you.