Where to Buy Indica Strains Online?

Most people see the word “indica” and think Ambien. For so long we’ve equated the effects of indica cannabis strains to being couch-locked. And while it’s true that some indicas may tuck you in for the night, it’s even truer that you can’t just generalize an entire third of weed plants under one single high. So, where to buy indica strains online?

There are thousands of indica strains; some may feel relaxed and happy, others may feel drowsy and tired, some even make you feel the complete opposite. It all depends on your body, and knowing your body is knowing that finding the right strains is up to you. Here are seven of the best indicas to get you started.

The age old question: indica or sativa? In a cannabis dispensary or coffeeshop, indica strains tend to be more popular (don’t get us wrong, we love sativas too!). Oftentimes, indicas are also believed to be more potent, but this isn’t necessarily the case. However, the blend of terpenes, cannabinoids, and other compounds found in indica strains tends to induce more relaxing and physical effects as opposed to sativas, which are more energetic and cerebral.

With more than 1,000 strains of cannabis having been bred during the past several decades, it is critical that patients are aware of the different types of efficacy available to them in terms of cannabis medicine. Some varieties of cannabis are most appropriate for particular diseases and ailments, but not others. Choosing the right strain is critical to ensuring that patients receive the best therapy possible.

Cannabis is a species of flowering herb that is split into three subspecies: Indica, sativa, and ruderalis. Ruderalis plants are small and yield relatively little medicine; what they do provide lacks potency and is generally not appealing to patients. Because of this, ruderalis strains are typically avoided by breeders and cultivators; the focus of the medical cannabis community is on indica and sativa strains.

Indica and sativa plants differ not only in their physiological effects, but also in their appearance. Indica plants are short and stocky, featuring leaves that are broad and “chunky.” Sativa plants tend to be taller and skinnier and may even be lanky in appearance, with leaves that are thin and pointed.

Differences Between Cannabis Plants

Sativa and Indica are wildly different from each other –from the plants’ appearances and growing styles to the cerebral effects you experience when consuming.

Typically a Sativa plant is taller with larger leaves. These plants also produce highs that provide mental stimulation and a clear-headed high. Indicas typically grow shorter and bushier and produce a high that will help you sleep and relax.

We have no idea exactly how long cannabis has been growing on Earth, but we do have evidence of humans using cannabis thousands of years ago in the East. The original cannabis landraces have been traced all the way back to Central and Southern Asia.

Wild cannabis was also found from the Middle East all the way to China and Mongolia. Despite growing in similar latitudes across the globe, these varieties of cannabis began developing differently.

Cannabis, like every other living being, has had the chance to evolve and adapt to the environment. Sativas and Indicas grew apart from each other because of the different climates. The geography ranges from the lowlands of the Hindu Kush valleys, the foothills of the Himalayas, and the peaks of the Rif mountains in Morocco.

Cannabis is a highly heterozygous, wind-pollinated dioecious plant, and a lot of cannabis strains are cloned in order to maintain their genetic identity. Strain names are assigned to these plants even as they are grown from seed, unlike apples and grapes for example.

A cannabis strain name doesn’t always mean that the plant is genetically unique, either. Scientists have found that in 6 of 17 comparisons (35%), some cannabis samples were more genetically similar to strains with different names than to samples with identical names. They go on to conclude that the genetic identity of a marijuana strain cannot be reliably guessed by its name or reported ancestry.

Finding Purity

Odds are you’ve been to several dispensaries that have their Sativa, Indica, and hybrid strains proudly displayed on a spectrum. Some friends and coworkers have probably claimed that these broad descriptions definitely describe the effects. For example, a “pure Indica” will help you get to sleep and that “100% Sativa” that will give you mental clarity and a nice head buzz. While these strains are often very close to original Sativas and Indicas, you’ll usually find they are all hybrids after tracing the lineage using genetics. The pure Sativa or Indica qualities have been bred out in order for us to get the potency we desire.

Recently, a pair of Canadian scientists published a new study on the matter in the peer-reviewed cannabis journal PLOS ONE. They found Indicas and Sativas may have been clearly distinct a long time ago, but the constant cross-breeding over the years has created more hybridization than anything else. Now it’s almost impossible to tell which traits belonged to the original landrace cannabis.

The findings were published in the journal as follows:

“Although the taxonomic separation of the putative taxa C. sativa and C. indica remains controversial, a vernacular taxonomy that distinguishes between “Sativa” and “Indica” strains is widespread in the marijuana community. Sativa-type plants, tall with narrow leaves, are widely believed to produce marijuana with a stimulating, cerebral psychoactive effect while Indica-type plants, short with wide leaves, are reported to produce marijuana that is sedative and relaxing.”

“We find that the genetic structure of marijuana is in partial agreement with strain-specific ancestry estimates obtained from various online sources. We observe a moderate correlation between the positions of marijuana strains along the first principal component and reported estimates of C. sativa ancestry. This relationship is also observed for the second principal component.

This observation suggests that C. sativa and C. indica may represent distinguishable pools of genetic diversity, but that breeding has resulted in considerable admixture between the two. While there appears to be a genetic basis for the reported ancestry of many marijuana strains, in some cases the assignment of ancestry strongly disagrees with our genotype data.

As an example, the pair found that Jamaican Lamb’s Bread, which is always reported as a pure Sativa, is genetically identical to a pure Indica from Afghanistan. They went on to write “…a similar level of misclassification was found in strains obtained from Dutch coffee shops based on chemical composition. The inaccuracy of reported ancestry in marijuana likely stems from the predominantly clandestine nature of Cannabis growing and breeding over the past century.“

Popular indica strains

There are many indica strains to try, many of which you may be familiar. Check your local dispensary for these popular indica weed strains.

Purple Punch
Granddaddy Purple
White Rhino
Bubba Kush
Northern Lights
Blueberry
Grape Ape
Blue Cheese

Indica vs. Sativa: Know Your Cannabis Subspecies

Medical Efficacy

The most important difference between these two subspecies of cannabis, however, is in their medical effects and how they influence energy levels and productivity. Indicas tend to decrease energy and are better for consumption in the evening or at night, after the conclusion of the day’s work and activities. Potent indica strains may give some patients what is called “couchlock,” a condition in which they become so relaxed that they care barely get up from the sofa.

Sativas, on the other hand, are uplifting and cerebral, enhancing creativity and productivity. Indicas provide what has been called a “body high,” while sativas deliver more of a “mind high.” Unfortunately, sativa plants require longer to grow and yield less medicine (flowers) than indica varieties. This is why indica strains have traditionally dominated those available on the black market, where there is no concern for patient need and the sole focus is profit.

The fact that patients are given no choice of subspecies or strain when purchasing from the black market is a major reason it should be avoided. Patients should never trust or consume cannabis medicine without knowing its exact strain and that it was properly grown, dried, cured, and laboratory tested for purity and potential contamination.

Origin of ‘indica’ and ‘sativa’

The words “indica” and “sativa” were introduced in the 18th century to describe different species of cannabis: Cannabis sativa and Cannabis indica. The term “sativa” described hemp plants found in Europe and western Eurasia, where it was cultivated for its fiber and seeds. Cannabis indica refers to the intoxicating varieties discovered in India, where it was harvested for its seeds, fiber, and hashish production.

Here’s how terms have shifted since their earliest botanical definitions:

Today, “sativa” refers to tall, narrow-leaf varieties of cannabis, thought to induce energizing effects. However, these narrow-leaf drug (NLD) varieties were originally Cannabis indica ssp. indica.
“Indica” has come to describe stout, broad-leaf plants, thought to deliver sedating effects. These broad-leaf drug (BLD) varieties are technically Cannabis indica ssp. afghanica.
What we call “hemp” refers to the industrial, non-intoxicating varieties harvested primarily for fiber, seeds, and CBD. However, this was originally named Cannabis sativa.