Indica vs. Sativa: What’s the Difference?

Cannabis indica and Cannabis sativa are two types, or strains, of the cannabis plant. The dried leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds of cannabis are what make up marijuana, or weed. Cannabiz plants have over 100 compounds, including tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which causes a “high,” and cannabidiol (CBD), which does not.

As plants, the two strains look different. Indica is a shorter plant with broader leaves and a woody stalk. Sativa is tall with thin leaves, and they grow more quickly. There are also many types of hybrid plants with properties of both strains.

Sativa and indica are closely related, but they have differences. Each has a different ratio of CBD to THC, and that can change how they affect your body. But plant strain is only one of the things that impact this. Certain terpenes (compounds behind how some plants taste and smell) can affect mood, energy, and come in different quantities in different strains.

Even though the strains are different physically and chemically, experts say you can’t look at a cannabis plant and predict how it will affect your body. These plants have been bred and hybridized for so long that some researchers now say there isn’t a clear distinction between the two.

In fact, one study found that strains labeled as indica were just as closely related to strains labeled sativa as they were to other indica strains.