Indica

Indica is a term often used to describe cannabis strains and products with powerful sedative, relaxing and physical effects. In botanical terms, indica cannabis plants are generally small, with broad leaves and shorter growth cycles than their sativa counterparts. Indica varieties are well-suited to growing in cooler climates due to their shorter flowering periods.

Find out more about indica

In the weed world, cannabis indica and cannabis sativa are strongly associated with their perceived effects on the human body. According to the classic definition of indica strains, which turns out to be too simplistic, indicas tend to produce a strong physical high as opposed to a more cerebral one. For most cannabis consumers, the term indica evokes memories of haze, confinement and deep relaxation.

The industry uses these definitions of popular culture to help market cannabis varieties and thousands of other cannabis products. But while the effects typically associated with indicas may have originated in the plant, there is no real correlation between these effects and the physical structure of today's cannabis plants.

The terms indica and sativa are far more useful to growers than to consumers. In cultivation, these terms are commonly used to describe the plant's morphology, or physical characteristics, and its growth cycle.

Taxonomic history of cannabis indica

The taxonomy of cannabis as we know it today begins with French biologist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, who identified Cannabis indica in 1785 as a distinct species from Cannabis sativa, as classified by Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus 32 years earlier. Lamarck based his classification primarily on morphological differences from Linnaeus' C. sativa plant. He noted, however, that C. indica was a more potent alcohol than C. sativa.

The transition from Lamarck's classification to today's popular definition of the indica cannabis plant occurred in 1974, when American biologist Richard Evans Schultes applied Lamarck's term to cannabis plants in Afghanistan. These plants were different from Lamarck's Indian plants, featuring a shorter stem and broader leaves.

Schultes' classification of C. indica ended up having a huge impact on the development of modern cannabis taxonomy, by linking the indica variety to a distinct geographical origin. This classification would later be emulated by Florida State University biologist Loran C. Anderson, who designated Afghan plants as C. indica and Indian plants as C. sativa.

Today, we reserve the indica label for short, wide, bushy plants of Afghan origin. Most experts recognize only one species of cannabis, and the question of whether indica is a subspecies of Cannabis sativa remains highly controversial. Meanwhile, the consumer market still recognizes two varieties - indica and sativa.

What's the difference between indica and sativa plants?

As noted above, although popular definitions of cannabis subspecies posit a number of fundamental differences between indica and sativa varieties, This distinction is particularly useful in the context of cultivation. Differentiating plants according to their growth characteristics and physical make-up is a useful and effective cultivation practice, even if it is not as useful for consumers.

The real difference between indica and sativa varieties lies in their observable characteristics during the growing cycle. Indica strains tend to grow into short plants with thick stems. Similarly, indica cannabis plants tend to produce broad, dark-green leaves. Indica cannabis plants also mature much faster than sativas, with flowering times of 35 to 65 days, and grow well enough in cold climates with short seasons. Their buds tend to be denser and more compact than sativa buds. The most popular indica varieties are Hindu Kush, Northern Lights and Blueberry.

Sativa plants tend to have longer flowering cycles, fare better in hot climates with long growing seasons, and are taller with narrow, light-green leaves. The most popular sativa varieties are Jack Herer, Durban Poison, Green Crack and Sour Diesel.

Traditional taxonomy has also attempted to identify differences in the chemical compounds produced by common indica and sativa varieties. In nature, indica plants tend to produce more THC than sativa strains.

Cross-breeding has dominated the last 50 years of cannabis cultivation, virtually eliminating the possibility of encountering pure indica or sativa strains. On the contrary, the way plants are classified today generally means that the plant is predominantly one or the other.

What are the effects of indica varieties?

While indica/sativa taxonomy is effective for growers, it doesn't help consumers predict the effects of a given cannabis plant. Human intervention has radically altered the chemical composition of cannabis. In the days of Linnaeus and Lamarck, the effects of C. indica and C. sativa plants probably corresponded more closely to their physical characteristics. Today, a plant's appearance gives no indication of the type of effect it will produce.

Within the cannabis community, indica plants are often characterized as having sedative effects, which typically lead to an intense body high, while sativa varieties are considered stimulating and produce more of a head high.

In an interview published in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, Dr. Ethan Russo, a psychopharmacology researcher and board-certified neurologist at the forefront of cannabinoid research, explained that «the sativa/indica distinction as commonly applied in lay literature is utter nonsense and an exercise in futility.» In reality, the effects of cannabis are based on the unique chemical profiles of each variety rather than a genetic lineage.

For example, a landrace cultivar indica line grown in a new environment could potentially produce a unique chemical profile that would induce stimulating effects.

Moreover, the effects of cannabis have more to do with the composition of a user's individual endocannabinoid system than with a plant's genetic lineage. Individuals may have different experiences depending on how their endocannabinoid system reacts to the consumption of a given cannabis plant. One user may report an indica-like effect from a plant of indica lineage, while another will report a stimulating sativa-like effect from the same plant.

If you visit your local dispensary today, you'll probably be confronted with products labelled either indica, sativa or hybrid. The addition of hybrid strains to the cannabis lexicon is a sign that cannabis marketing is catching up with reality. All modern strains are technically hybrid varieties.

Hybrids and ruderalis - it's not just indica versus sativa

To conclude, there are a few additional factors that further complicate the standard distinction between indica and sativa. One is the long history of cross-breeding and genetic manipulation of different types of variety. The other is the existence of another type of cannabis called C. ruderalis.

As mentioned above, the long history of cannabis selection among skilled cannabis growers has virtually eliminated any pure indica or sativa varieties. Instead, we have a rapidly growing number of new strains that are more accurately described as hybrids, among which there are sativa-dominant strains (sativa dom) and indica-dominant strains (indica dom).

When growers and breeders create hybrids, they are able to produce certain varieties that highlight specific characteristics, create variable effects and produce particular concentrations of THC, of CBD and other cannabinoids. For example, some of these unique new strains may focus on producing a particular CBD/THC ratio to produce the desired medicinal or recreational effects.

The key idea here is that an educated approach is less about pitting indica against sativa and more about understanding what you're looking for in your experience and how to find the right hybrid strain for you.

Cannabis ruderalis further complicates the traditional distinction between indica and sativa. It is generally accepted among academic research institutions, as well as others in the industry, that ruderalis varieties are their own plant species rather than a subspecies of C. sativa.

Ruderalis plants have a very low THC content. Devoid of psychoactive properties, these plants are not used for recreational purposes. However, despite their low THC content, ruderalis plants often have high levels of CBD. This makes them potentially suitable for medicinal patients and wellness consumers seeking THC-free CBD.

Conclusion: cannabis indica vs. cannabis sativa

Research has yet to catch up with the wealth of cannabis varieties in circulation today. Terpene and cannabinoid profiles play an increasingly important role in product marketing, as the average cannabis consumer becomes better informed about the complex nature of the cannabis plant.

As Dr. Ethan Russo explained, the reason most indica varieties are associated with feelings of sedation has more to do with the concentration of the terpene myrcene than with the cannabinoid content or structure of the plant.

Ultimately, the terms indica and sativa are far more valuable to growers than to consumers. Until we collectively develop a new taxonomy to give people a better idea of the effects to which they are exposing themselves, it's important to remember that indica plants are not derived from pure lines and are not guaranteed to produce indica-like effects. Likewise, today's sativa varieties won't necessarily always produce the stereotypical sativa effects. In fact, the distinctions between indica and sativa have faded to the point where most cannabis is best described as a hybrid.