Indica vs Sativa for medicinal purposes

Please Help Us Study Medical Cannabis

Hello, My name is Won Choe, 4th year Medical Student from the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific, Western University. I'am currently conducting a series of investigations to document the properties of medical cannabis under the supervision of Dr. Daniel Pearce, D.O. Associate Professor of Internal Medicine, a clinical researcher and HIV specialist who has written many medical cannabis letters at Western University, Pomona, California.

Many people have experienced different effects from the two marijuana species. We would like to get a good idea of how the people view the differences between Indica and Sativa by administering a survey. We will have the people who participate in the survey mark which species is better at relieving or causing nausea, pain relief, euphoria, sedation, medical ailments, etc…

We plan on using this information to support a grant application for the next trial: The second trial will have participants come into a facility and after using a pure indica or sativa, they will be given a similar survey to answer the effects the cannabis has produced. This will help us to better serve the medical patients who are under cannabis, by administering a specific strain (indica vs sativa) that may help better with their ailments.

This is an anonymous survey so we won't know anything about you other than you have agreed to fill it out. By clicking on the link below, it will directly take you to the survey at surveymonkey.com. If the link is not working, then please copy and paste. Thank you for your participation in this survey and it should take about 10 minutes to complete it. This survey will also help patients in the future who may benefit from medical cannabis.

Thank you very much for your participation

<a href="http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?s...w_3d_3d">Click Here to take survey</a>

Done!

allencc I started your survey but it is flawed and will not give you the answers you are looking for.

For example, the first real question - rate indicas as a family for relief of pain. The spectrum of effects within indicas will go from "virtually no relief at all" to "I can't feel my hair!".

Most people think of indica for pain relief but many people find that a potent sativa like Super Silver Haze will be just as, or more, effective for pain releif than a potent sedative indica stone like Medicine Man - going upstream to effect perception of the pain.

In general most indicas will be a sedative stone while most sativas will be an up high, but the effects of the strains within each family can vary drastically.

I feel that you will have to get more specific, learn more about the strains, to find any real insight.

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I may be presumptuous, but here's an excerpt from an article written by one of the most knowledgable breeders in the world, and the next post some strains with effect descriptions. I'm currently looking for specific types of effects to treat depression and bi polar disorder so you won't see a broad spectrum of effect variety, but it'll give you an idea.

Good luck

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Know your own stone

by DJ Short (01 Sept, 1999)


An educated and descerning palate is a key requirement in breeding and appreciating cannabis.

Spectrums of experience

The first spectrum to consider is the "up and down" experience. "Up" refers to the stimulating aspects of cannabis, while "down" refers to sedative qualities. Up pot tends to liven the disposition and stimulate the emotions, inspiring sociability and talkativeness. Down pot tends to produce sedative and depressant effects. Some people refer to stimulating pot as being a "head" high and sedative pot as being a "body" high, yet although partially true this is also misleading.

Body and head highs are the next spectrum of the cannabis experience. Generally speaking, head highs are stimulating and body highs are sedative, but not all are. Some body highs are stimulating and some head highs are depressing. I once sampled a terribly paranoia-inducing head pot that inspired great couch lock qualities. I called it Boo-Goo.

Early to late harvest will affect the head to body spectrum expressed by a certain plant, with the later harvest tending to produce more body and sedative effects. However, I believe that certain aspects of this spectrum to be genetically inherited.

Next to consider are aspects of duration. Some cannabis tends to be short-acting (15-30min) whereas other varieties last much longer (6-7 hours). Once again production, harvesting and curing techniques can influence aspects of this spectrum, but much of this effect is inherited.

For me, the most important aspect of the cannabis experience to consider is tolerance. This refers to the product's ability to provide the same experience via the same amount over time &#8211; the burnout factor. By "over time" I mean the long run: months, years, decades...

Most of the cannabis I see on the market today has a terrible tolerance factor &#8211; a quick burnout time with the product's novelty lasting less than a week. Luther Burbank's model of breeding needs to be employed here and no expression of tolerance to your product is to be tolerated. An example of where intolerance to tolerance is tolerated &#8211; enough already!

Another aspect of tolerance is "ceiling." This refers to how high (or far) one is capable of going with the variety. How many hits can you consume until more hits are unnoticeable? Most indicas have a low ceiling of less than 10 hits. For me that's usually around 5 hits in one smoking session. If I smoke more than 5 hits of a strong indica I will either not notice the post-ceiling hits, or I will fall asleep.

Some sativas have a very high ceiling, or seem to have none at all! This means that the more you consume, the higher and further you go. Oaxaca Highland Gold, Black Magic African, and Highland Thai were some of the herbs I've tried with very high or no ceiling.

The final aspect of mental effects to consider when sampling strains for breeding is the tendency to produce anxiety. Certain strains of cannabis increase anxiety while others decrease it. This is also true for other emotions, which some strains may suppress while others may augment their intensity. Generally stimulating and head varieties are the ones that can produce unwanted anxiety, but this is not always the case. Quickly cured buds or an over-early harvest are contributing factors to anxiety-increasing pot, but this trait is also genetic in nature.

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A mostly Sativa list. I've been looking for up highs mostly, and one strain for a nice euphoric and/or trippy stone.

AK47 - Serious Seeds: Rocket Fuel. Up, soaring, not functional. One hit, incredibly potent. Stinks like cat piss and dead skunk. Or perhaps smells as if a cat pissed on a skunk and the smell was so bad the skunk died, then the cat dragged the skunk into a garbage bag and left it in the sun for a week. Get odor control if you're doing this strain.

Alaskan Ice - Greenhouse: one of the strongest cannabis plants ever bred .. a cross of original Green House White Widow and Pure Haze ... has all the well known characteristics of the White Widow, with a much higher THC content and a very sativa-like effect, energizing and very trippy. CBD level is also very high at over 1%, giving it a complete physical effect that follows the first burst of high. The taste is spicy and hazy, with a very well balanced bouquet in between the White Widow and the Haze flavors.

Arjan's Haze #3 - Greenhouse: Euphoric, cerebral high with trippy undertones.

Big Bang - Greenhouse: Very known for its medicinal properties, it is sold in the Dutch pharmacies as prescription medicine. Relaxing and calming effect.

Big Laughing - Dr Greenthumb: instant mood changer, you will not be able to stop laughing, up silly high, very potent. Easy to grow, forgiving, very low odor, 9 weeks flower. Amazing spicy wood taste, you never want to exhale. My favorite strain.

Blueberry - DJ Short: Very fruity aroma, and taste of blueberry. Produces a notable and pleasantly euphoric high. Highest quality and is very long lasting. A classic.

Blue Moonshine - DJ Short: the White Widow of the blue family. Potent and narcotic.

Bubblegum - Serious Seeds: uplifting, euphoric, clear, social. I'm at 8 weeks flower: easy to grow, great yield, low fruity smell, great taste in early testing, potency is good and going to be great. I highly recommend this strain. Bag appeal is phenomenal if you're into that kind of thing.

Cheese - Big Bhudda: appealing fruity fresh smell, uplifting effect, highly pungent hence its name! No ceiling high, little tolerance build up.

Cheese S1 Feminized seeds from original clone - Dr Greenthumb: Uplifting high that lasts four hour, unusual cheesy smell with deeply pungent earthy taste.

Durban Poison - Dutch Passion: The plant produces a Thai-like aniseed smell similar to licorice. A husky, earthy taste pleasant to the smoker. Durban Poison is well known for it's "up - feel good" high that produces an energetic, trip effect. A good beginner strain, inside or out, does well under artificial light, 8-9 week flower, 100% Sativa.

F13 - DJ Short: F-13 a Holy Grail plant of four-star excellence. Previously unreleased, a very desirable product and potential breeder. A more sativa hybrid of medium height with long, spear-shaped, dense and resinous buds and an earlier finish-time than most sativa. The superlative quality of the finished product is remarkable: A clear, clean, crisp head of the kindest order. This girl really rings the bell every time! Not for the couch-lock crowd, this heady sativa is for those who truly enjoy its stimulating yet comfortable appeal. A real day-brightener. DJ's personal favorite from this batch. Grow Location: Indoor Flowering: 7 - 9 weeks Yield: Average

Flo - DJ Short: Unique motivating high.

Jack Flash (Jack Herer) - Sensi: Exotic high, powerful on body and mind. Trippy. The best Jack Herer is often passed around a select circle of friends - an example of one of those things that money just can’t buy. The trait common to all Jack Herer phenotypes is a dazzling double-edged potency - a stratospheric cerebral high underpinned by a breathtaking body-buzz with seismic power. Smokers should be prepared to feel the earth shake beneath their feet - which can be a very pleasant feeling when your head is firmly in the clouds. The cat's meow.

Kali Mist - Serious Seeds: up, clear, energized, no ceiling. Top sativa today, so says the advertising. Warning: It is reported that women love this strain, both for the pure enjoyment of the experience and for medicinal properties that stand out during menstruation. Be sure to have extra security at your house to keep the women out, you may send them to my place as I would feel responsible for your plight.

Opium - Paradise: Opium’s fragrance and tastes are composed mostly of fruit. Most plants have a creamy tropical punch taste. Opium is a majestic plant, with intense smoke from liftoff to landing. Opium does not leave you crashing on the ground at the end of the ride. Her Sativa heritage registers in every cell of your body, lifting you up with an amazing cerebral high complete with visuals and racing thoughts.

Power Plant - Dutch Passion: Pure Power Plant has a pleasant almost pine after taste and a powerful up social buzz. Large yield, 8-9 weeks flower, VERY odorous in late flowering. The smoke after 15 days of drying and 15 of curing is soft,smooth,sweet,fruity (mainly citrus and orange) with piney undertones. The effect is mainly in the head ,uplifting with a good potency without body effect; very good day smoking, almost inspiring.

Red Diesel - Barney's Farm: up and trippy.

Skunk #1 (Original) - Seedsman: Like the origional Cheese: a sweet smell and taste with a cerebral high.

Strawberry Cough - Dr Greenthumb (S1 of original clone): up, clear, mild, melts anxiety, good all day bud.

Super Silver Haze - Greenhouse: Potent. Potent. Potent. Creepy and powerful on the body. 4 phenos, the best sativa pheno: Smell is fairly strong floral & spicey with a hint of sweetness. Taste is very spicey with a great hazey slightly sweet aftertaste. The high is a stupifying mix of Sativa and Indica effects. The Sativa side is visual mentally confusing (hard to think straight/concentrate) while the Indica is just enough to relax the body (kill the pain) & take away most of the edgy racey paranoia feeling of the Haze.

Super Strawberry Diesel - Elite Genetics: the original Strawberry Cough clone crossed with a Diesel then back crossed with Sour OG Kush for added potency. The taste is of pure strawberry cough drops and strong diesel, with great potency. The Sour OG Kush seemed to add potency while leaving the strong strawberry cough drop flavor/diesel flavor. Matures very fast (9 weeks), amazing taste and potency.

Texada Timewarp - (Peak has been out for a year-who?): up high, beautiful lemony fresh smelling buds. Great producing strain outdoors, very dependable. Can grow to 12' outdoors. TT is from Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada - good for short growing seasons.

Trainwreck - Greenhouse: Effect: Like the name suggests, a real blast. It hits fast, and it hits hard. Stoney on the body, confusing and trippy on the brain. A truly powerful smoke.

White Widow - Seedsman: Unique, refreshing taste, strong skunky smell, mind-blowing, sugary appearance, one of the finest quality highs you could ever experience. A few tokes of White Widow and you’ll be sent into a floating utopia. A light and airy high bursting with energy, White Widow is a classic, psychedelic sativa strain not to be missed.


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http://www.drgreenthumb.com/cannabis...dsEntrance.htm
http://www.cannabis-seeds-bank.co.uk/
http://www.pickandmixseeds.co.uk/
http://elitegenetics.webs.com/Elite%...og%20%2709.pdf
http://www.peakseedsbc.com/seeds.htm

If you're from the States, Attitude has a small Pick n Mix section if you want feminized singles. They ship to the US while the Pick n Mix seedbank does not. Greenthumb ships to the US.

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here is the only possible rational conclusion you can reach.
traditionally sativas bring on a head high while indicas bring on a body stone. while indicas will always hit the body and sativas will always hit the head, each person will feel them differently. the simple answer is that a medical marijuana patient needs to work with his local dispensary to find the strain which works best for them. my roommate and i both have 3 ruptured vertabrae in our back, but use different strains to treat it. thc effects the brain, not the body. therefore any pain relief is perceived by the users brain, not the body. that being said, the chemical balance of the users brain would determine how the strain works as medication.

in short, i am disgusted with medical marijuana laws in the us. dispensaries are basically just pot clubs. there is no diagnosing and recommending. there is no dosage. there is nothing medical about it at all.

to answer your question, it depends on the person. i smoked some pineapple trainwreck with a kid and barely felt stoned while it caused him to have a seizure. pretty big difference..