Cannabis Sativa L and its different species

Cannabis-Sativa-L-y-sus-diferentes-especies Laboratorios Beemine

In the previous article “The Cannabis Myth” we understood well the difference between the terms Hemp and Marijuana, the simplest and most socially used classification. This division comes from a social and linguistic taboo whereby a distinction is only made between varieties used primarily for food and industrial purposes (hemp) and varieties used as recreational drugs (smoking, vaping, etc. Marijuana). Not many people know that within both categories are also included the varieties from which therapeutic CBD oils (hemp) and CBD-THC for medicinal purposes (marijuana) are extracted. In today's article we are going to explain the most appropriate and accurate classification to normalize the use of the term Cannabis. With this we are going to break the myth that Cannabis only refers to psychoactive varieties of the Cannabis Sativa L. plant. Just as we would not classify citrus fruits by their taste (sweet, sour, bitter, etc.), distinguishing only between hemp and marijuana is an understatement! In this diagram we can see how within the Cannabis Sativa L. species we find 3 subspecies: Cannabis Sativa Sativa, Cannabis Sativa Ruderalis and Cannabis Sativa Indica. Graph of sativa, indica, ruderalis and hydrides

Graph of sativa, indica, ruderalis and hydrides

Cannabis Sativa Sativa (<0.2% THC) is one of the most fibrous strains or varieties. Thanks to this quality, plants in this category have been used for hundreds of years to make clothing, footwear and paper. More recently, it has been used to make biodegradable plastic and fuels. The cosmetics industry has begun to include, more and more, cannabis extracts and oils for the manufacture of creams and all kinds of products with numerous benefits (antioxidant, moisturizing, nourishing, etc.). Finally, In this category we find the plants from which CBD oil (Cannabidiol) is extracted and different foods (hemp seeds, hemp oil, hemp protein, etc.). Cannabis Sativa Ruderalis , a variety that grows mainly in southern Siberia and northern Kazakhstan, is widely used to make incense and essences by hand. In addition, due to its high CBD content, it also has a medicinal use. Cannabis Sativa Indica is popular for its recreational (>+0.2% THC) and therapeutic use, being increasingly used for the production of oils with high CBD and THC content in countries such as the United States and Canada. In this last graph we can see the 3 subtypes again. CS Ruderalis is a variety halfway between CS Sativa and CS Indica, although its THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) content is usually below 0.2%. Cannabis Sativa Sativa is almost completely devoid of THC, which leaves Cannabis Sativa Indica as the only variety used as a recreational drug. Here it is necessary to clarify that within the jargon of recreational users of Cannabis Sativa Indica, “Indica” are strains with a high content of the non-psychoactive compound CBD (Cannabidiol) and lower in THC, which produces more relaxation and drowsiness in its users, and “Sativa” refers to strains with a higher THC content and that induce effects of euphoria, energy and creativity. Literature:

Walther Otto Müller - From Franz Eugen Köhler's Medizinal-Pflantzen . Published and copyrighted by Gera-Untermhaus, FE Köhler in 1887
Rosenthal, Ed. «Flowering Ruderalis» . Cannabis Culture Magazine
Pellati, F., Borgonetti, V., Brighenti, V., Biagi, M., Benvenuti, S., & Corsi, L. (2018). Cannabis sativa L. and Nonpsychoactive Cannabinoids: Their Chemistry and Role against Oxidative Stress, Inflammation, and Cancer. Biomed Research International , 2018 , 1-15. doi:10.1155/2018/1691428