"There seem to be thousands of strains of marijuana and people say it is important to select a sativa, indica or hybrid based on how you want to feel. As I’m fairly new to this, I have been reading a lot and have learned sativa makes you energetic and indica can make you sleepy, etc. I notice though that other marijuana products, like tinctures, never mention this at all. Does it really matter?"
Good question! And the answer is – probably not. People have long thought a sativa to be tall, leggy, and energizing with higher levels of CBD, and an indica to be short, bushy, and sedating with higher levels of THC. With the degree of cross-breeding and hybridization that goes on nowadays, this is not so much the case anymore. The classifications may hold true to the plants appearance, but there are no scientific studies to support this perception of energy vs sedation. There are indicas that are energizing and sativas that are relaxing. You may notice that there are many sativa varieties with virtually no CBD (Sour Diesel) and indica with high CBD (Remedy). At a recent conference on "Cannabis, the Botanical", this very topic was brought up by several presenters. The consensus among botanists and herbalists seems to be that this labeling is no longer pertinent and more emphasis should now be placed on the actual cannabinoid and terpene profiles of each variety.
drfrye