There are several strains of hemp and some of them are being mentioned more often than the others. It is always good to broaden our horizons and get to know more about the others, less common ones – about their cultivation, size, healing potential and effects.
Cannabis Sativa
Cannabis Sativa is a relatively big plant which can grow up to the height of 1,5 to 5,5 meters. Foliage is rather scarce and has thin and long blades, seeds from this cannabis plant are smooth, without any stains or marble effect.
Cannabis Sativa has been breeded and cultivated over the years what resulted into cultivating several spieces that contain very low level of psychotropic substance THC (up to 0,3%) or on the contrary spieces that contain more than 30%. If you leave the plant of technical hemp grow freely, it will get naturally back to its original chemical content, which means cca 3-5% content of THC.
Psychotropic effects of Cannabis Sativa are rather stimulating and energetizing, they evoke uplifting and euphoric state, develop thinking and phantasy, the activity itself increases. In slang English this state is often described with the word „high“.
Cannabis Indica
A plant that has its home in India, Bangladesh, Afganistan and Pakistan is of lower height than Cannabis Sativa (1,2 to 2,5m) with higher density of foliage that can be really lush. Leafs are dark-green with broad blades that are also more rounded. Hemp seeds are smooth with marble pattern and flowering phase is usually shorter: 50 to 70 days. Flowers of Cannabis Sativa are firm and Resin-rich, which is good for making hashish.
Effects of Cannabis Indica are narcotic, relaxing and muffling, thinking is calmed, it comes to decline of activity and user may feel the urge to sleep. Before it was thought and stated that in plants of Cannabis Indica, there is a higher content of cannabidiol (CBD) that is responsible for the „sleeping effect“. In reality, cannabidiol (CBD) affects the impact of THC (tetrahydrocannabidiol) and lowers its psychotropic effect. However, the terpens that are to be found in resin, are responsible for the psychotropic and relaxing effect.
Exactly because of its psychotropic and relaxing effects Cannabis Indica is more suitable for healing purposes.
Cannabis Ruderalis
It is rather small plant (30 to 60cm) with a relatively thick foliage. This sort of cannabis grows freely in geographic zone 30° northern latitude, where the winter starts very soon and so the plant has enough time to mature, the flowering phase is very quick and begins earlier, not depending on daylight. This effect is called autoflowering and is now used for cross-breading with other cannabis species (Cannabis Sativa and Cannabis Indica).
This specie has only very low psychotronic effects – contains very low level of THC, cca 3-4%, but contains on contrary many other healing cannabinoids, such as cannabigerol (CBG).
Cross-breading of basic cannabis species
For a plant, such as hemp, there is no precise technology of breading to be estimated. Currently there are many cannabis species which are a result of a several generation of genetic cross-breading of these three basic species. Species that are created like this have therefore very different characteristics. They differentiate according to their cross-breading purpose – low THC content, early maturing, longer flowering phase, quantity of the harvest, psychotronic and healing effect or stronger immunity against illnesses.
Creating of hybrids enables also a combination of unique tastes and effects, what is interesting not only for recreational smokers but also from a medical point of view. It is also possible to influence the ratio of particular cannabinoids which has then an influence on progress and character of the user´s mind-change and the overall healing effect.
