INDICA VS. SATIVA: IS THERE REALLY A DIFFERENCE?

For many years, cannabis has been categorized by producers and consumers by its physical characteristics and its predicted effects. Even those unfamiliar with cannabis have likely heard the terms “Indica” and “Sativa” used when referring to various cannabis strains. Yet, what do the terms mean, and how did they come to permeate cannabis culture?

In terms of drug effects, at least anecdotally, cannabis products classified as Indica are commonly associated with having calming or sedative effects. While conversely, cannabis plants classified as Sativa are associated with greater perceived intoxicating and energizing effects.

Historically, the distinction between Indica and Sativa dates to the late 18th century, when French biologist and taxonomist Jean-Baptiste Lamark received cannabis samples from a colleague in India. While at first glance these new samples had a similar appearance and aroma compared to the Cannabis Sativa samples Lamark had previously studied; he did note distinct differences between the shape of the plant’s leaves, stems, and flowers. In particular, he noted that the samples from India had significantly broader leaves. As a result, he named this new type of cannabis “Indica”, the Latin name for India, from where these samples originated (Erkelens & Hazekamp, 2014).

While the terms Indica and Sativa that Lamark coined over 200 years ago have had a lasting impact on how cannabis is still categorized, recent research has shown that these terms largely ignore scientifically derived chemotypes. In other words, these terms do not accurately reflect the diversity of commonly cultivated cannabis. Scientifically speaking, a chemotype is a more precise way to identify subspecies of plants that grow, appear, and smell alike but are chemically distinct from each other. Consequently, chemotypes give us a more accurate description of cannabis subspecies and the effects they may have.

When looking at the chemotypes of cannabis, the compounds within the plant that contribute to these chemical differences are cannabinoids (i.e., compounds that interact with the body’s endocannabinoid system) and terpenes (i.e., compounds that make up plant essential oils). You’ve probably heard of the two cannabinoids that receive the most attention cannabidiol (CBD) and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), but there are also terpenes that are commonly included in chemotypes such as alpha-pinene, beta-caryophyllene, and limonene (Atakan, 2012; ElSohly & Gul, 2016).

It is the relative amounts and potentially the interaction of these components together, commonly known as the “entourage effect”, that determines the effects of cannabis (Piomelli & Russo, 2016). So, it doesn’t matter if the strain is Indica or Sativa but rather what’s inside the plant itself. That being said, science still has a long way to go in understanding these interactions (Anand, Pacchetti, Anand, & Sodergren, 2021). In the largest analysis of U.S.-based commercial cannabis of its kind to date, researchers reported that while they could reliably identify various chemotypes across almost 90,000 samples, those chemotypes didn’t consistently align with the commercial labeling of strains such as Indica, Sativa, or hybrid (Smith, Vergara, Keegan, & Jikomes, 2022).

Furthermore, other research has shown that the physical characteristics that were originally used to differentiate Indica (broader plant leaf shape) from Sativa (narrower plant leaf shape) from Sativa are no longer consistent within strains. Which may be the result of generations of plants crossbreeding (Vergara et al., 2021). This study and many others like it are increasingly telling us that the use of the names Indica and Sativa may not be as meaningful as many people think.

Legal markets, like Colorado, that offer cannabis products require that products be labeled with specific information on product content, such as the exact THC content. Because the distinction between chemotype and strain isn’t always clear to consumers, and cannabis products are still primarily marketed by their strain name. Additionally, most states that sell legal cannabis don’t require producers to report full-plant chemotypes, and as a result, other compounds like CBD and terpenes may not be accurately reported or even reported at all. If we can start focusing more on the cannabis chemotype rather than the strain name this could help consumers and researchers more accurately identify cannabis products and their predicted effects. So, the next time you’re picking out a cannabis product don’t ask for Indica or Sativa, but rather, THC or CBD!

Contributing Authors: Molly Gerlicher, Renée, Martin-Willett, Charleen Gust, & Jonathan Lisano

Check out the studies below for more information:

Anand, U., Pacchetti, B., Anand, P., & Sodergren, M. H. (2021). Cannabis-based medicines and pain: a review of potential synergistic and entourage effects. Pain management, 11(4), 395–403. https://doi.org/10.2217/pmt-2020-0110

Atakan Z. (2012). Cannabis, a complex plant: different compounds and different effects on individuals. Therapeutic advances in psychopharmacology, 2(6), 241–254. https://doi.org/10.1177/2045125312457586

ElSohly, M., & Gul, W. (2016). Constituents of Cannabis Sativa. In R. G. Pertwee (Ed.), Handbook of Cannabis, 3-23. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199662685.003.0001

Erkelens, J. L., & Hazekamp, A. (2014). That which we call Indica, by any other name would smell as sweet. Cannabinoids, 9(1), 9-15.

Piomelli, D., & Russo, E. B. (2016). The Cannabis sativa versus Cannabis indica debate: An interview with Ethan Russo, MD. Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, 1(1), 44-46.

Smith, C. J., Vergara, D., Keegan, B., & Jikomes, N. (2022). The phytochemical diversity of commercial Cannabis in the United States. PLoS ONE, 17(5), e0267498. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0267498

Vergara, D., Feathers, C., Huscher, E. L., Holmes, B., Haas, J. A., & Kane, N. C. (2021). Widely assumed phenotypic associations in Cannabis sativa lack a shared genetic basis. PeerJ, 9, e10672.