Cannabis LifeCannabis information in Israel

Indica

Research in the field of cannabis and the plant's uses throughout history indicate that the plant was most likely first domesticated in China (present-day eastern China), and as a result of this domestication, several strains, or "types" of the cannabis plant, developed according to the uses needed at that time: fiber production for ropes and fabrics, medical uses (also for food), and it was also used for rituals and ceremonial purposes.

The accepted scientific consensus is that there is only one species of the cannabis plant, which is divided into three subspecies: sativa, indica, and ruderalis. Another approach holds that there are three different species within the cannabis family, but as mentioned, this is not the accepted view. Whether the three strains are defined as separate species or as three subspecies, the botanical definition is less relevant, and each "type" of cannabis has its own properties.

Ruderalis is not used in commercial medical cannabis cultivation, so the focus is on the other two strains: sativa and indica, which have been studied and found to have stimulating and calming effects, respectively, according to their use.
Sativa is stimulating and energizing, while indica has a calming and even sedating effect.
What is Indica and What Are Its Original Botanical Distinctions?
Indica plants are characterized by their short and wide stature and their dense growth pattern—the plants have dense flowers and broader leaves compared to the sativa strain. Indica plants were developed and selectively improved throughout history for medical or psychoactive uses, and they have a stronger tendency toward high THC levels.
Over the past 30 years, cannabis cultivation has become a commercial agricultural crop, and strain development has advanced so rapidly that the traditional distinctions between indica and sativa have become almost completely blurred.
The Early Development of Indica
Since cannabis was first domesticated, somewhere in the Neolithic period (around the 10th millennium BCE), the evolutionary development of strains was slow, and the main factor in its natural selection was the ability to adapt to climate and topography conditions. In this way, strains called "landrace strains" developed.
Cannabis strains that developed in the northern India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan region tended toward the classic phenotype of the two strains—sativa and indica. One of the indica landrace strains from this region is called Afghan Kush, and many modern indica strains in commercial use are based on this landrace strain.
As a result of these crosses, several "hybrid" strains were created, briefly called PK (Purple Kush or Persian Kush), and as a rule, because they are the product of crossbreeding—they have mixed characteristics and have features of both the sativa plant and the indica plant. The significance of this phenomenon is that one can find a plant with a phenotype typical of the sativa strain but will have classic properties of the indica plant in medical/therapeutic use.
The Effect of Indica-Type Cannabis
Despite, as mentioned, the fact that there is sometimes a contradiction between the morphological characteristics of the plant and its effect, many researchers believe that there is no importance to the distinction between the sativa and indica strains in terms of their psychoactive effect. In both phenotypes, the active substance is THC (and it is the active substance responsible for most of the psychoactive activity in the brain), but the two strains have a different blend of terpenes and cannabinoids, and from this, a different effect and different overall impact on the user is expected, contrary to the opinion of some researchers, and therefore it cannot be treated as merely a myth.
In many indica phenotypes, the terpene "myrcene" (Myrcene) is much more common than in sativa, and some researchers directly link its presence to the calming effects of strains from this subspecies, and it is commonly used medically as a treatment for sleep disorders because of its calming and sedating effect.
Additionally, it has been found that many indica strains have a strong and effective pain-relieving effect, and because of this combination of properties, they are widely used also as a treatment for reducing anxiety and inducing sleep.
Distinction According to Desired Effect
As mentioned, the distinction between the sativa strain and the indica strain in the medical cannabis industry is not always simple, and it is even more difficult when the patient purchases a medical cannabis product in the form of oil extract or flower, and the botanical morphological distinctions of the product become irrelevant.
Therefore, in the medical cannabis industry, the distinction is made by a simple definition according to the desired effect—"sativa" or "indica"—and refers to the actual effect of the product and is not related to the botanical distinction of the purchased plant.

In reality, a large portion of the crops are hybrids and therefore much more diverse in their effects on patients.

Thanks to this fact, the patient can find the strain that suits them, contrary to the original characteristics of the specific cannabis strain. This therapeutic flexibility is a huge advantage for patients with different needs who sometimes struggle to find relief in "classic" treatment methods.

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