What Is the Difference Between Indica and Sativa?

Indica and sativa are both categories of cannabis strains, but they have very different properties and effects. Here are some of the key dissimilarities between indica and sativa strains.

Background – The Growing Process

Indica strains are short and bushy and are usually grown indoors. Sativa strains are tall and thin, and more suitable for outdoor growing. Indica plants have a shorter maturation cycle than sativa plants and produce greater yields. The two types of strains are also grown in different parts of the world.

How it Affects You – The Physical Effects

Indica strains tend to have a sedative effect on their users. Sativa strains, however, have more of an uplifting effect. Furthermore, while an indica tends to affect the entire body, the effect of a sativa is more limited to the brain.

How it Helps You – Symptom Treatment

As you might expect, given the widely divergent physical effects of indica and sativa strains, the two types of strains are also used to treat different symptoms in patients. The sedating indica, naturally, is used to treat insomnia. It’s also used to numb the body to pain and muscle spasms. It can even be used to treat anxiety.

Sativa, on the hand, uplifts the user, and is thus, not surprisingly, used to treat depression. The effects on the brain can also be useful for helping with concentration issues, be they caused by fatigue or by ADD/ADHD. And ADD/ADHD aren’t the only disorders treated with sativa strains. Mental health disorders such as bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder are also typically treated with a sativa.

Check out our indica herbs and indica concentrates as well as our sativa herbs and sativa concentrates online.

A Note on Hybrids

Hybrids are formed by cross-breeding sativa and indica strains. Depending on which traits they inherit from each parent strain, they may exhibit physical effects and treatment uses associated with either indica or sativa strains. Most hybrids are either indica-dominant or sativa-dominant. Check out our hybrid herbs and hybrid concentrates to see what hybrid strains have to offer!

Do you tend to prefer indica or sativa strains? Let us know in the comments below!