Sativa or Indica for Anxiety – Which Strain is Right for You?

This guide is designed to help you choose the best strain for anxiety and focus. After all, the wide selection of weed strains in the Canadian market today can be pretty confusing, especially for first-timers. But even the country’s seasoned weed enthusiasts still find it challenging to choose between Indica vs Sativa edibles.

 

Plus, both beginners and experts alike find it hard to decide the worst strains for anxiety. But if you want to avoid wasting time dealing with the same problems, then dig into our Indica vs Sativa vs hybrid guide below. Our objective here is to help you quickly decide whether Indica or Sativa is the right strain for anxiety. So let’s start now!

 

What Does Indica Do to You?

Indica is a breed under a group of plants called marijuana. This is a particular group of the cannabis plant family. Known by botanists worldwide as cannabis Indica, it contains organic compounds that interact with the human CNS (central nervous system).

 

Among these, naturally occurring compounds is THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). Scientific evidence from countless research studies over the past several decades indicates that this compound produces psychoactive effects when interacting with the human CNS. Depending on the amount of THC consumed, these effects can manifest as a range of mild euphoric to moderate psychedelic episodes.

 

Meanwhile, relevant research and tests over the years point out that dried buds of Indica strains promote stronger relaxing muscular and skeletal effects to most lab participants compared to Sativa strains. What this means is, Indica buds are known to produce a more potent body high than a mind high.

 

What Does Sativa Do to You?

On the other hand, Sativa is another breed of marijuana. Known as cannabis Sativa, these plants produce different Sativa strains. The production of strains, be it Sativa or Indica, is done through organic processes and well-accepted methods for agricultural, farming, and gardening applications.

 

Sativa breeds of cannabis plants also contain THC. And other compounds that interact with the human CNS are also found in these plants. The THC in Sativa buds are also known to produce psychoactive and psychedelic effects when interacting with the human CNS.

 

But the psychoactive and psychedelic effects of Sativa strains are quite different from those of Indica varieties. Instead of relaxing the muscles and bones of an individual like what Indica strains do, these produce a more potent mind high. Lots of research studies over the last several decades corroborate this.

 

The specific effects of this mind on the Canadian weed lovers we’ve interviewed over the past several years vary from person to person. Many say this mind promotes intense concentration and creative inspiration. Meanwhile, others claim they get focused motivation and a deeper understanding of stuff and events around them. But almost all of them say these Sativa strains have been helping them manage stress and fatigue.

 

What Do Hybrid Strains Do to You?

As its name implies, hybrid strains are products of organic cross-breeding processes done to Sativa and Indica varieties. Simply put, these strains are a combination of Sativa and Indica in various concentrations.

 

Just like Sativa and Indica, these also contain similar compounds. THC is just one of these compounds, and the THC found in hybrid strains is also known to produce psychoactive and psychedelic effects when interacting with the human CNS.

 

But due to the combination of Sativa and Indica varieties to produce these hybrid strains, many Canadians say they get a mix of Indica’s body high and Sativa’s mind high. And more recent research studies indicate that the concentration of Sativa and Indica in a strain can effectively dictate the magnitude of its body and mind.

 

For example, a hybrid strain with a 40% Sativa and 60% Indica blend has been known to promote a stronger body than a mind high. But still, the mind high is present, according to many Canadian hybrid weed lovers we talked to for the past several months. Combined, they also say this for them promotes a unique experience. And keep in mind there’s a huge variety of hybrid strains in the Canadian market today. Simply put, you’re now able to access a broader range of Sativa-Indica blends. Here’s our highly recommended list this year across all of our hybrid strains.

 

Sativa vs Indica Edibles — What Do These Do to You?

Edibles in this context are cannabis products developed for eating and mixing with culinary recipes. There’s a huge assortment of cannabis-infused edibles from beverages to dishes and snacks in the Canadian market today. This gives you a more diverse set of options. However, it can be pretty confusing sometimes to identify which products are the most suitable ones for particular applications.

 

As its name suggests, Sativa edibles are edible products infused with the essence of dried buds or CBD oils derived from Sativa strains. THC levels per pack of 1000mg edibles in Canada are limited to a maximum of 0.3%. Many regular Canadian consumers of these edibles say they get mild to moderate mind high after eating these products, and this is a little stronger than the body high that they feel. But they also mentioned that this depends, of course, on the Sativa-Indica concentration in the product.

 

On the other hand, Indica edibles are infused with CBD oils or the essence of dried buds from Indica strains. As expected, lots of the weed and edible lovers we’ve interviewed about this say they get a stronger body high than mind high. And, they say this also depends on the blend.

 

Meanwhile, hybrid edibles are mixed with these compounds from cross-bred Indica and Sativa varieties strains. And also, as expected, these promote a more balanced body and mind, according to many Canadian edible consumers all around the country.

 

Indica vs Sativa vs Hybrid Strains — Which is the Best Strain for Anxiety and Focus?

Many Canadian researchers, medical specialists, weed lovers and advocates all around the country argue that Sativa strains are the most suitable varieties for managing anxiety and promoting better focus. They claim they attribute this to the stronger mind high that can be expected when taking Sativa buds and edibles.

 

But many of them also say the best strain for anxiety and focus in Canada this year can vary from person to person. So they claim hybrid strains are much better because it allows an individual to choose the right combinations of Indica-Sativa concentrations and THC levels that work for them and their particular conditions.

 

For example, a 60% Sativa and 40% Indica strain is just about a well-balanced variety for promoting much better focus for individuals who often lose this because of the physical pains they constantly feel due to certain conditions. Think about it. It makes sense for us to lose focus time and again when dealing with continually distracting physical pains due to conditions like scoliosis-healed surgical operations due to accidents and injuries, among other similar problems. And it also makes sense that getting the body high from the compounds of Indica-derived weed or edibles can help us manage this discomfort. And in combination with the mind high of the same Sativa-blended strain, we benefit from having more focus.

 

However, finding hybrid strains and edibles with the best Sativa-Indica concentrations for individuals with both physical and mental health conditions becomes more challenging. That’s because their mental health issues may result in higher than average anxiety and distracted behaviour. For example, someone with schizophrenia and constant back pains due to healed injuries or similar would likely need a different body and mind.

 

Many researchers and product developers in relevant fields argue that sometimes, what works more for an individual with similar physical and mental health conditions as described earlier is using an Indica strain first, then following it up with a Sativa strain. But they also say in a few of the participants at their clinical tests, they were able to effectively manage the effects of their mental health conditions after taking Indica strains and without following this up with Sativa strains. According to these groups of researchers and medical professionals, the likely reason behind these latter results is that the mental conditions of these participants could primarily be aggravated or even directly caused by physical discomfort, real or imagined. 

 

But when we talked to the same experts about hybrid strains for managing anxiety and promoting focus across the same individuals in their clinical tests, many of them mentioned that most veteran weed consumers in the same group experienced much better results in this regard when they used Indica-dominant strains. So with an 80% Indica and 20% Sativa concentration, Island Pink Smalls Strain is what we recommend for seasoned weed lovers.

 

So at this point in this guide to the best strains for anxiety and focus across Canada today, let’s put our discussions into simpler to follow, easier to understand perspectives. Let’s start!

 

Can Indica Strains Help Manage Anxiety & Promote Better Focus?

The quickest answer to this question is yes and no. This is based on the stuff that we shared earlier. So yes, Indica strains can effectively manage anxiety and promote focus, especially for a specific group of individuals with particular physiological conditions. That’s because, for Canadians who experience bouts of mild to moderate anxiety or get distracted from time to time, these might be due to or aggravated by physical discomfort. And, since Indica strains are known to relieve physical pains, stress and fatigue, many of these individuals are likely to experience none to fewer episodes of distracted focus or bouts of anxiety after taking Indica strains. And according to the Canadian medical professionals with expertise in relevant fields we talked to, the data from their lab tests indicate that following this up with Sativa strains often produce much better results for the said objectives across a majority set under the same group of individuals.

 

Meanwhile, it’s a no in certain situations. That’s because individuals taking Indica strains to manage anxiety and promote better focus might have mental health conditions that are neither directly caused nor even mildly aggravated by any physical discomfort or pain. So in these instances, many of the same expert researchers say they often recommend Sativa strains more than Indica strains to these individuals.

 

Are Sativa Strains Any Good in Managing Anxiety & Promoting Better Focus?

Again, the shortest answer to this question is yes and no. That’s because this varies from person to person due to the diverse nature of their current physiological conditions. Factor in their current state of body and mind that isn’t related to their existing health conditions, and you’ll get a mix that often makes it quite challenging to predict the effects of Sativa strains on these individuals.

 

For example, the same research teams in Canada mentioned earlier say they get much better, more consistent results when promoting better focus across a diverse group of participants in their clinical trials through the introduction of Sativa strains into their systems. However, some individuals in the same groups of participants often experience bouts of mild to moderate anxiety and paranoia after taking these Sativa strains, the medical experts said. And reducing the THC levels of the Sativa strains significantly reduced the said instances across the same individuals.

 

So based on the results of the same set of clinical trials, these experts say they’re likely to recommend Sativa strains with low levels of THC more than Indica strains for anxiety and focus. But many of them also expressed their bets are more on hybrid strains in this regard.

 

Are Hybrid Strains Good for Anxiety and Focus?

Of course, a guide to the best strains for anxiety and focus won’t be complete without detailed discussions about hybrid strains. And to quickly answer the question, that’d be another yes and no. Here’s why:

 

Yes — This is mainly because, according to what we learned from the same research groups in Canada and the results of their recent clinical trials described earlier, this boils down to finding the proper Indica-Sativa concentrations and THC levels in a strain that would be most suitable to an individual’s particular existing health conditions, the current state of body and mind. And due to the broader, more diverse set of options in terms of Sativa-Indica percentages, THC levels, flavours and aromas across the hybrid strain products in Canada’s cannabis market this 2022, you’re likely to get a better chance of finding the right strain for anxiety and focus that fits you best, overstrains whose concentrations significantly lean more towards one of these two options (Indica or Sativa).

No — And this is just because there’s still a chance, regardless of how small it is, that your existing health conditions along with the current state of your body and mind plus other factors like your preferences in terms of flavours and taste all combine to something where many of the hybrid strain products in the Canadian market today won’t be able to help you manage anxiety and promote better focus.

 

How Can You Safely Test Weed Strains for Anxiety and Focus?

Of course, we wouldn’t want to miss the opportunity of reminding you about safety precautions and other measures that can significantly reduce, if not eliminate, adverse effects and risks when you do this. After all, a guide to the best strains for anxiety and focus won’t have good value without this section. So let’s start!

 

1. Consult your physician or a trusted medical professional with expertise in relevant fields across Canada’s cannabis industry. Ask them if it’s safe for you to test out a variety of weed strains in the local market today despite your existing health conditions and the medications you’re regularly taking, if any, as well as your current state of body and mind. They’re in an excellent position to determine the likelihood of you experiencing adverse side effects, such as allergic reactions and other problematic stuff after taking any of your shortlisted weed strains.
2. Once they flash the green light, don’t forget to have a trip-sitter with you when you’re testing out the Sativa, Indica and hybrid weed strains in your list. And of course, choose a trip-sitter that you trust, has sufficient experience handling similar situations, and is prepared enough for emergencies and other unforeseen events.
3. Always test weed strains in a controlled environment with a trip-sitter beside you at all times. This minimizes the risk of accidents and could also significantly reduce the gravity of emergencies and unforeseen events in case they happen.
4. Don’t mix alcohol or coffee while on weed, especially if your body and mind have yet to develop sufficient tolerance to the effects of these combined substances. Besides, do this while testing your preferred weed strains. It will be more difficult for you to distinguish which of these substances are positively or negatively affecting the state of your body and mind when it comes to managing anxiety and promoting much better focus.
5. Don’t operate any machine while on weed, especially stuff that poses severe risks to your life along with the lives and property of others. This includes any vehicle or heavy equipment, tools like power saws and automatic nail guns, weapons like knives and guns or even gun ammo and so on.
6. Keep emergency contact details handy. Your trip-sitter should also have these, or yours should at least be quickly and easily accessible to them. Plus, make sure that you write down emergency responders and facilities nearest your immediate area and focus on including those specializing in relevant emergencies.

 

Recommended Ways to Take the Best Weed Strains for Anxiety and Focus

To conclude our Indica vs Sativa vs hybrid guide for the Canadian market this 2022, let us share the most enjoyable ways we’ve tested for taking weed strains and edibles for managing anxiety and promoting better focus. So here you go:

 

1. Our answer to the Sativa vs Indica edibles debate for anxiety and focus is similar to the stuff we described in the other sections of this guide. But when taking your preferred strains, once you’ve chosen the right one with the help of the stuff we talked about earlier, we recommend testing out if edibles can give you what you want. Besides, you can also factor in other things that might be important to you, such as having a sweet tooth, enjoying weed when mixed with your favourite recipes, discrete ways to take weed and so on.
2. Vaping is also a method that we suggest for taking weed for anxiety and focus. Its effects kick in much faster than edibles, in which the former takes around 5 minutes or so, while the latter about an hour or more. Plus, many options are available in the local cannabis market today, including flavours and aromas.
3. The classic method of using sweet rolling paper and dried buds to enjoy a joint or two is also a method that we recommend, which won’t likely be out of fashion any time soon. This is particularly popular among tobacco smokers as it allows them to enjoy the flavours and aromas of their favourite weed strains for anxiety and focus.
4. Tinctures concentrate and distillates are also rapidly growing in popularity among Canada’s cannabis-loving communities this year. This includes both CBD and THC enthusiasts. Essentially, this is a quick and straightforward way to mix your preferred weed strains with your favourite recipes. And, you can even take a dose with just a drop or two.

 

We hope our guide to the best strain for anxiety and focus helps you quickly identify the most suitable weed strains and edible products in the Canadian cannabis market today for your particular preferences. And we advise you to remember the safety precautions that we shared after the Indica vs Sativa vs hybrid section of this guide. You’re bound to enjoy your weed experience more by following these tips.