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Indica and Sativa are what most people are familiar with, and they're a useful place to start. They sit on opposite ends of a spectrum that clusters phenotypes and their associated properties.
Effects
Top Terpenes
Phenotype
Ideal grow conditions
Indica
Body high, couch lock ("indacouch")
Myrcene
Linalool
Short, stout leaves
Shorter veg cycle b/c indigenous to climates with less sun (Afghani)
Sativa
Energized, euphoric
Caryophyllene
Pinene
Limonene
Tall, long leaves
Longer veg cycle b/c indigenous to climates with lots of sun (Western Americas)
This spectrum describes phenotypes, and they’re a function of their surroundings. Plants grow differently depending on the sun, soil, air/wind, water, and the balance of nutrients throughout them. Branches will grow thicker or thinner, produce denser or looser buds; and chemicals will express and develop differently based on their ecosystem.
You’ll see variance within the same exact plant — and cultivators process buds from the same plant into different forms, sold as different products and marketed as different brands.
Phenotypes are similar to recipes, and genetics are like ingredients. Every plant is a different expression of its unique genetic code, so mass producing a consistent product requires a precise method of selecting one phenotype of a genetic combination, cloning it, and replicating grow conditions as best as possible.
Genetics are encoded in a plant’s seed, passed down through generations, and they produce ingredients that define your experience, including which cannabinoids and terpenes grow in the buds.
A common analogy:
Cannabinoids are the engine; Terpenes are the rudder.
Cannabinoids interact with endocannaboid receptors to engage your endocrine system, which controls hormones and mood.
Terpenes are the same chemicals found concentrated in essential oils and other wellness products — and one magical property of weed is the range and abundance of botanical terpenes that grow naturally in cannabis plants. Further research is needed to understand how they really work; but we know that smell is the only sense that’s fully developed in the womb, and the building blocks of nature’s fragrance are all found naturally in cannabis plants.
Deconstructing the Hybrid
Deconstructing the Hybrid
While Indica and Sativa represent two poles of experience, the vast majority of modern marijuana has been crossbred to include elements of both, and the results are a land of contradictions and opportunity.
Sativa effects are primarily mental, and can be focused, creative, euphoric, and blissful.
Indica effects are primarily body, and can be relaxed, calm, energized, and sedative.
It’s possible to be both calm (body) and energized (mind), and vice versa.
The key to understanding your preference is by listening to your body before and after consumption, and using a combination of cannabinoid info, terpene profiles, and genetic makeup to hone in on increasingly intentional consumption.
While everyone’s experience is unique, defined by your personal chemistry and the complex cocktail of terpenes, the following framework has helped me put some basic structure around my own reflections and fill out my understanding.
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