Not accurate whatsoever. It’s not at all based in science, and when cannabis is actually tested, they’re cherry picking samples.
Edit: source!
Lots of good info in that source. TL;DR -
The observed data does not support the classification between indica and sativa as it is commonly presented in current cannabis culture.
It's all 100% bullshit pseudo science that gets regularly regurgitated by rec stores and sadly "medical" professionals and caregivers.
There could be some sort of correlation but nobody understands it or can say for certain.
I'm like pretty certain it's mostly placebo so just keep telling yourself it does what you want it to and it should keep doing that.
I buy "sativa" gummies fairly often and after taking them, I get active. I wanna clean, I wanna focus on tasks, I wanna paint and draw and sing.
My roommate is weed clueless, but enjoys it, took some, and got a mild couch lock. He likes to take em to calm down to sleep when he's stressed. I think companies will try to pitch you otherwise, but I think that's mostly to, well, sell you two bags of grass instead of one.
Sativa vs indica is the biological distinction. Personally I don’t believe it has much impact on effects. The active cannabinoids do more so. Aka CBG/A couch lock, THCV energy.
I'm pretty sure the biological distinction speaks to the cannabinoid levels, although maybe not at a 1:1 relationship.
It doesn’t, like at all. This is akin to seeing a smart tall person, and assuming all tall people are smart.
The plants stature has very little bearing on the cannabinoid content. This is common sense, but thanks to the illegality of cannabis, we’re still very ignorant overall.
I can dig up some peer reviewed studies later when I get home; there’s one I remember where a 100% “indica” actually grouped as pure sativa.
This isn’t to say there isn’t a difference in effects, just that genetics does not control the cannabinoid profile. Nurture plays a huge role in nature vs. nurture.
Would twins raised in different parts of the world turn out identically?
Edit: here’s one study that shows indica/sativa is basically useless from a medical standpoint
The cannabinoid profile is genetic, as in the plants genes determine which terpenes it produces at (more or less) what concentrations. And the parent plants only pass on what they have to offer.
Its just that the traits we visually see and identify with a sativa or indica "genetic line" like leaf type, growth structure, nodal spacing, and flower time, are not genetically linked to the cannabinoid profile. As in, these traits are equally dispersed genetically in the overall population, and you can really only rely on parent to child genetic inheritance, not any sense of trait linkage from a lineage of a suite of traits.
Maybe once upon a time they were. But cultivated weed is so well interbred now that any history of genetic linkage has long since been broken.
It really really doesnt help either that growers and budtenders do not use those words the same way. A sativa in the greenhouse is not always called a sativa on the shelf at the dispensary.
I think companies will try to pitch you otherwise, but I think that's mostly to, well, sell you two bags of grass instead of one.
Well twist my arm then
Indica gummies are fucking amazing for getting to sleep and/or relaxation. Pretty good for pain relief too.
Source: old bones and injuries! And proximity to Ann Arbor Michigan :)
THC and CBD are mind altering substances. Their concentration and ratio are what determine effects. We don't measure alcohol strength by the grains used to make it; we measure it by alcohol content. You can buy indica with 30% THC and 0% CBD and indica with 0% THC and 30% CBD and they're going to have way different effects in the same way you can buy grain alcohol at 2% and 40%.
That being said, there isn't a lot of studies on what ratios give what affects and in what dosages. Because of that, it isn't bad to see how people rate a particular product, assuming the product always has the same amounts of THC and CBD.
I've become more receptive to this take. Ultimately the differences between sativa and indica are physical and more related to growth and structure. Having dense flowers doesn't effect the contents of it.
On leafly? Basically useless.
Unfortunately, you will need to taste test a strain yourself to see how it effects you.
Theres no hard evidence on why different strains produce different experiences. Some think it is the terpene profile, or the plant age at harvest, or your mentality and expectations and mood, or your personal bodily chemistry, etc.
Maybe its one of these, maybe its a mix. Maybe its something we havent considered.
Sadly, this means no website or budtender can accurately tell you how a strain will make you feel.
In my personal experience? Strains with similar terpene profiles have similar-ish effects. Sour, heavy citrus strains give me headaches and make me anxious, while pine heavy strains make me sleepy and mellow. I trust my nose with strains I do not know.
Try and find a pattern that works for you. Stick with it until the science can catch up.
I'm not sure where leafly pulls data for its effects, it could be terpene profile, customer review, or even minor cannabinoids.
Terpenes can influence a high to feel certain ways, find out what terpenes have the effect you are looking for and target those.
Of course, everyone is unique, so what works best for you for certain effects may differ. However with a little bit of trial and error, and paying attention to the characteristics of how that strain affects you will help you dial in what to look for :)
Search for strains high in THCV. That is the active cannabinoid you are searching for my friend.
I think it's a nature vs nurture issue, it can be accurate under ideal conditions, but grow conditions vary. With a grain of salt, strains seem to be sort of accurate, but also wildly variant, kind of like dog breeds.
Depends on the grow also. If it’s all clones from a mother plant. This wouldn’t happen.
Yeah, kind of, all I do is clone, different conditions result in different buds, eg duration will definitely change the compound distributions
what I find that works is asking the budtenders, they usually use the products and know which are couch-locky and which aren't. i ignore the numbers and the smell and the size and just ask the folks who use the stuff.
when i tried to just buy by the numbers i was rarely as satisfied as this method and usually end up spending less. One of the times i find tipping to be appropriate, too
YMMV, I know what the old addage says but for me sativa = headaches while indica = hours working in front of the computer. I think it's what your habits are while smoking. I know people who can drink and code but I can't even use a mouse while on alcohol.
It’s all subjective. All of our bodies and minds are different and might have slightly different feelings that come out as extremely different effects. Sativa vs indica to me only matters when the strain is high in thcv. Thcv is like ADHD meds for me. So much so I don’t take my meds on the weekend I smoke Durban poison in the mornings and again in the afternoon to keep me up. Other strains can straight up make me feel gravity and have to sit down. So there is a vast difference. But sativa vs indica is an archaic and old definition of the plants biology not its effects imo.
I made a fun little chatGPT bot to help with questions like that. https://chat.openai.com/g/g-ZoUQIISf6-terp-genie
You’ll in general react to different strains differently. I find that recommendations generally steer me in the right direction, but it’s not the word of god.
Sativas tend towards more energy and brighter highs, but can just as easily have you in the couch.
Indicas tend the opposite, being more mellow.
However, there’s no pure strains of anything anymore, so they’re more trends rather than concrete fact.
Try a bunch of different ones and find something you like. Just like alcohol, you won’t like everything, so try something else.
Personally I prefer indica dominant strains even for energy, as sativas tend to trend towards paranoia for me specifically
Reviews are ok, but honestly..the best way to look at it
Indica = couch lock sleepy time smoke
Sativa = party time energized smoke
Hybrids will vary obviously.
Pretty much the only thing you can trust is indicas will probably make you sleepy, sativas will probably make you not sleepy and hybrids will be somewhere in between. Keep in mind though there are overlaps and you might not get an indica that makes you sleepy. The terpenes won’t make a much of a difference other than flavor.