Indica vs Sativa – Everything You Need To Know

[0:07] What's up you amazing listeners. I'm your host Chronic from the Cannabis Chronicles on Instagram and YouTube, and I'm back with an all-new episode of this amazing podcast brought to us by Homegrown Cannabis Co. Be sure to head over to www.homegrowncannabisco.com to snag your top-notch cannabis seeds to start your cultivation journey. In today's episode, we're going to be going over everything you need to
 

[0:32] know about indica versus sativa, and why calling these plants indica and sativa really aren't the proper names for these wonderful plants. So sit back and pack a nice fat bowl of some indica or sativa, or drop a tasty dab to match, and let's set sail into some amazing cannabis education. Let's begin. In this first segment, we're going to dive into indica and the trace of the actual
 

[0:58] word within the cannabis community, why we use it today, and why we should actually be using mountain strains, mountain variety, or mountainous regions to classify plants that are indica in shape. The reason being is because not all plants are actually indica. Indica came from a word used by a French naturalist, Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, the first European botanist to classify this type of
 

[1:25] cannabis in 1785. Jean-Baptiste Lamarck received his samples from India and dubbed the plants that came to him alongside it that were similar in shape and size, cannabis indica in recognition of that fact. So by genetic standards they actually weren't indica, and not all indica are actually indica by any means. We just called it that over the last 100 years or more, as we haven't had
 

[1:51] available science to study or understand, and most importantly, breed various strains or discover various land races over time. So time really made us understand that cannabis sativa and cannabis indica really weren't classifications that botanists and cannabis really care to use, as the regions the plant comes from land race-wise is much more vital information to how plant's genetics will work.
 

[2:16] So just because a plant is stout in shape with massively thick leaves and makes couch-locking effects doesn't mean the plant is from India, which is what indica essentially means. Now, these plants actually just have a genetic background that came from a mountain region where it needed to be stout, large-leaved, and generally darker to retain heat and resist intense environments with high winds.
 

[2:38] Now, however, it would absolutely confuse the general population if we didn't classify effects of this plant in a simplistic way for users to understand, which is why we still use indica and sativa today. It helps us understand that with indica effects or those mountain-grown strains, you should find more of a body or a heavy couch-locking effect from terpenes present in many of these lineages.
 

[3:03] Cannabinoid compounds also make a difference in effects as well as CBD, CBG, and various other compounds. Now, not all mountain-grown strains are full-blown indicas in effects either. We have found some mountain strains that are sativa in shape, form, and effects, however, by standards of where they are grown naturally, they would be considered indicas. Which is quite funny with cannabis and cultivation,
 

[3:26] isn't it? Which is why I prefer to use regions to classify cannabis and where they come from, especially if I'm really trying to understand the effects I'm trying to seek. The best way I can teach this is for indica to follow the story of hash and where its origins come from in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Lebanon, and all throughout the Middle East and Asia.
 

[3:44] Hash makers almost always grew some form of indica as you would call it today, or mountain varieties such as Afghan, Pakistani, or Lebanese strains which are very dark in color, so purple they come across almost as black. This helps with the intense heat during the day as they are able to not be burned, yet they retain all the heat for the night which is
 

[4:03] intensely cold. These strains adapted to living in this intense environment, which is pretty cool. These early hash makers learned through processing hash through various methods such as silk screening through granite planks that were cold, and essentially cold-pressing hash together and then washing it through silk screens to clean it, or other old-school methods that hash connoisseurs such as Frenchy Cannoli has shown us. Which I would like to take a second and give
 

[4:27] Frenchy a piece of this episode in memoriam for everything he's done for not only teaching me through hash videos, various interviews, but I also want to thank him for his passion he brought through the cannabis community with hash. I want to give him a massive thanks for everything he will forever have left us with for years to come, as hash is a lost art
 

[4:46] form that many new cultivators and enthusiasts really don't understand, that cannabis is really alive today because of those early hash makers. Hash was really a massive key to the survival of many key land races that have created such impactful strains that we all know and love to this day, and Frenchy knew that. Frenchy sought to really teach quality and true hash knowledge
 

[5:05] and history. You will forever be missed by many, including myself. May you rest in a glorious field of golden hash. Much love from a fellow hash lover, Frenchy. I truly advise all of you to really get into the history of hash, which I could talk about for hours, and that includes Frenchy. However, we don't have hours. So to sum up what I really was
 

[5:25] trying to portray in this episode and in this first segment about indicas versus sativa, well, for the indica part, it just describes early samples found from those Indian land race strains. However, indica really isn't that great of a classification term for botanists to use when classifying cannabis genetics, which is why we always go back to parent plants and lineage when referencing breeding.
 

[5:46] Those genetics are far more important than if the plant looks like sativa or indica or feels like either, as really the effects of a head high or a couch lock can really be expressed by trichome age with almost all plants. I'll break more into that in the next segment when we discuss sativas. For now, be sure to enjoy this break with
 

[6:04] @nanehammer420 from Instagram to tell you all the latest Homegrown Cannabis Co. information. Stay tuned When Isaac Newton coined the phrase, "Standing on the shoulders of giants," he was talking about the amazing minds that came before him. It's a phrase that embodies the Homegrown collaboration with Steve DeAngelo, Kyle Kushman, Nikki Lastreto, and Swami Chaitanya. They are your giants. These legends are sharing more than just their vast
 

[6:30] amounts of knowledge. However, they also have a range of homegrown seeds we have lovingly christened Cultivars with Character. Each seed is a personal favorite, especially chosen pheno selected for resilience, reliability, and ease of growth. Basically, they're more forgiving phenotypes of classic, time-honored cultivars with all of the quality. My advice? Choose their seeds, stand on their shoulders, and aim high.
 

[6:53] It's exactly what they're here for. Head over to homegrowncannabisco.com for more details. And we're back from that amazing break with @natehammer420 from Instagram. Be sure to show him some love and check out his unique behind-the-scenes content he does with Homegrown Cannabis Co. In this segment, we're going to be breaking down sativa, so be sure to load up a
 

[7:18] fat bowl of sativa or drop a nice sativa dab to wake up and set sail into this juicy cannabis content. Let's begin. Now, in this last part, I discussed how indica was a word that Jean-Baptiste Lamarck coined as he classified samples sent to him, and it sort of stuck with the community ever since. Well, the same thing happened with sativa.
 

[7:37] Sativa strains should actually be considered coastal or equatorial strains, strains growing on the equator, essentially, as these equatorial strains have those sativa-like traits that we described. Long, skinny leaves, very vigorous growth, stretchy plants, and a very long internodal spacing. Those are your equatorial coastal strains, such as the Hazes or Acapulco Gold, or your Mexican Hazes and Panama landraces. These strains all share those characteristics.
 

[8:02] However, they present various terpenes, compounds, and effects from where they are found in nature. Now, like how indica was classified by someone, the term sativa is a derivative of the Latin botanical adjective sativum, meaning cultivated. The earliest recorded usage of sativa as a cannabis term comes from the English herbalist William Turner's "The Name of Herbs" in the year 1548, in which Cannabis sativa
 

[8:28] was a scientific name given to cultivated hemp. This is when Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus ascribed the name C. sativa to what he considered the only species of the genus Cannabis in 1753. Now, 32 years later, French biologist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck identified Cannabis indica as a separate species from Cannabis sativa, which has led us to this whole community of cannabis enthusiasts using
 

[8:54] the terms indica and sativa. So now that you all know the origins of both indica and sativa, you can begin to understand when seeking strains, you should try to seek strains based on their lineage. Where did that strain come from? How many crosses are present within the strain? What terpenes will be found in compounds, as that's what's truly
 

[9:12] important when consuming cannabis. If you're seeking more body effect or mountain-like strain effect, you would be at a dispensary, and you would consider asking for an indica. But you should ask what strains they have or do some research on the strains on their website prior. Most importantly, you could head over to www.homegrowncannabisco.com and browse dozens of strains yourself and make the perfect decision for yourself
 

[9:37] and grow your own quality medication at home, which is what I recommend. Now, if you're seeking more of that head high effect or sativa or coastal strain, you'll want to ask for sativa. But remember, always look up the strains and the qualities present within those strains, as that's what truly matters. And I always recommend growing your own.
 

[9:56] For real, it's way better than anything you'll get at a dispensary. Some indica-heavy hybrids can and will make you paranoid or energetic if they have specific sativa backgrounds and weren't ripened to a mature enough trichome age as well. So be aware of that. Now let's talk about that for a second, trichome age, and where it comes into play with indica and sativa
 

[10:18] effects or the mountain strains versus the equatorial strains. Trichome age can make really almost any strain have a variety of effects. Most, if not all cannabis strains have the potential to couch lock you or create an energetic or paranoid type feeling to some. This could be due to immature trichome age, which would make that sativa or equatorial energy high, or if you overmature a plant, it can
 

[10:41] couch lock you. Trichome age is very important to note when cultivating, and it's important to test varieties of trichome age with the same plant to find your preferred age for harvest so you can really have a quality medication, which is why we always say to grow your own. So if you haven't listened to the various episodes I have on this podcast, be sure to follow along on whichever platform you're
 

[11:00] listening from so you can browse through them. I have a few more where I go over my preferred harvest times and trichome ages for you all to listen to. Now, that's all for this episode, however, as indica and sativa really are just a general description of what to expect with effects, and they really don't mean much when it comes to plant science.
 

[11:20] Now be sure to head over to www.homegrowncannabisco.com and check out their top-notch cannabis seeds so you can begin cultivating your medicine at home and pick out your own cannabis seeds that work perfect for you. I'm Chronic from the Cannabis Chronicles on Instagram and YouTube, and I'll be back every single week with a brand-new episode of the "Homegrown"
 

[11:39] podcast for you amazing listeners. If you have any questions for me, be sure to head over to www.homegrowncannabisco.community and sign up for free, where you can tag @chronic, that's C-R-O-N-I-C, and ask me any questions you have or simply have a chat. If you need a place to track your grows, be sure to head over to www.homegrowndiary.com and sign up for free.
 

[12:02] Homegrown Cannabis Co. has taken the time to make a seriously easy and amazing way to keep track of your grows. Be sure to check out Homegrown Cannabis Co. on Facebook and give them a like. Follow @homegrownworld on Instagram for daily updates and behind-the-scenes content. And I hope you all have an amazing day. Much love, happy growing, and peace.
 

[12:27] If you enjoyed this video and want to learn more about growing your own cannabis at home, hit that like button, subscribe, and turn those notifications on to keep up to date with the amazing marijuana content Homegrown Cannabis Co. has to offer. See you next time.