Cannabis is a very popular commodity in today’s modern era. While it was always the most popular plant in the history of the world, the spotlight has since shone even brighter after several countries and states in North America started legalizing its use for both recreational and medicinal purposes. As such, people all over the world are now using strains with high THC levels as well as growing high-CBD strain seeds.
Speaking of THC and CBD, marijuana is not only something you should use or grow for recreational purposes. Cannabis is also just as popular medicinally as high-CBD strains are perfect for anyone looking to self-medicate. Also, high-CBD strains are some of the best strains because you can use and grow them in places where only medical marijuana is allowed.
But before we get to the best high-CBD strains, what is CBD in the first place?
CBD – the medical cannabinoid
When you think of cannabis, the first thing that usually comes into your mind is its psychoactive effects. People commonly associated marijuana with the feeling of getting high. If you do not know, this psychoactive property is mostly because of the cannabinoids or chemical compounds you can find in marijuana. And among those many cannabinoids (at least 80), the most popular and most abundant is THC because it is the one that is responsible for that feeling of getting high you get from consuming cannabis.
However, marijuana is not always about getting high or getting that psychedelic kind of feeling. Another thing that people often associate with cannabis is the therapeutic benefits you get from using this drug or plant. Because of those benefits, marijuana is often used for self-medication and in many medical facilities around the world. That is why there are more countries that allow weed for medical use. And if ever you are wondering, those therapeutic benefits are largely thanks to CBD.
Cannabidiol or CBD is also one of the many chemical compounds or cannabinoids you can find in cannabis or marijuana. It is the second most abundant cannabinoid found in marijuana as THC is often the most abundant. However, unlike THC, it has almost zero psychoactive properties. That means that CBD probably will not get you high. As such, that is why CBD is called the non-psychoactive cannabinoid.
Strains with higher CBD concentrations are usually the ones that will not get you high because of how CBD tends to counteract the psychoactive high you get from THC. Because of that, high-CBD marijuana strains are usually used for medical purposes since they will not give the user the kind of high most people often expect from cannabis.
The human body naturally produces cannabinoids, which bind together with the CB1 and CB2 brain receptors. CB1 receptors are responsible for anything related to pain, movement, mood, and coordination. THC usually binds with the CB1 receptors and causes us to feel physically relaxed, happy, and a bit uncoordinated.
Meanwhile, CBD binds with CB2 receptors. These receptors are associated with our immune system and also have something to do with pain and inflammation. As such, CBD is helpful in a medical way because of how it blocks the pain receptors found in the brain while also improving the way our immune system functions.
So if you are looking for a cannabis bud that is effective at helping several medical conditions that are related to pain, inflammation, and other physical ailments, you might want to consider using a high-CBD strain. Also, you might want to grow your own high-CBD strains indoors so that you will have enough buds for you to use in case you want to self-medicate.
What are the best high-CBD strains for indoor growing?
1. Harlequin
Harlequin stands as one of the most effective and most popular high-CBD cannabis seed strains you can grow indoors. Its CBD to THC ratio is 5:2. This means that it has five times more CBD than THC and will surely counteract the psychoactive high you usually get from THC.
Since Harlequin is a sativa-dominant strain of cannabis, you can be sure that it is great at giving you the energy you need to get through the day. On top of that, its high CBD levels make it so awesome for treating pain-related symptoms and illnesses. That is why Harlequin as a top choice for many medical professionals when it comes to treating patients suffering from cancer and AIDs.
Growing Harlequin requires you to harvest it as soon as you can because of its high-CBD levels. When growing it indoors, control the humidity levels to prevent molds. You also need to trim the plant often so as to improve airflow around it. It may need a bit of warmth as it thrives in temperate environments.
2. ACDC
ACDC has a very scary name because of how it is similar to the rock band that brought us the song “Highway to Hell”. However, this ACDC has effects and properties that are quite the opposite of hellish. It is a strain with crazy levels of CBD as its CBD to THC ratio is 20:1. That means that it has almost no THC as CBD is the most dominant compound you can find in this cannabis strain. Some ACDC strains are even pure CBD.
That said, ACDC is great for ridding your body of the chronic pain and all of the pain-related stress you might be suffering from. Because it is a balanced hybrid of an indica and a sativa, you can also expect to feel a bit of an energizing buzz from ACDC. And due to its hybrid properties, it is a strain that should be grown indoors as it is not very resistant to pests and other negative conditions.
Growing it indoors means that you can control the conditions ideal for it to thrive well. It also needs a lot of minerals and nutrients to grow well. As such, it can be too demanding of a cannabis plant to grow but is very rewarding once it develops healthy and medically-useful marijuana buds. It will flower in about nine to eleven weeks.
3. Charlotte’s Web
Charlotte’s Web is based on the story of a young girl named Charlotte, who was suffering from over 300 seizures in a single week. With no other recourse left to help the poor child, her parents tried treating her with CBD-rich cannabis oil. She miraculously recovered and suffered only a handful of seizures in a span of two weeks. As such, Charlotte’s Web was named as it is in honor of Charlotte’s recovery.
This high-CBD strain only has THC levels that are lower than 1%. That means that is almost purely CBD in terms of composition and that you probably will not get high from this strain. Charlotte’s Web’s seeds might be a little hard to come by as you probably will only be able to get high-quality clones of this plant. Nevertheless, this strain needs a bit of attention from you. That is why it is better to grow it indoors so that you can monitor its progress as it grows.
4. Harle-Tsu
Harle-Tsu is the result of the breeding between Harlequin and Sour Tsunami, which are two of the best high-CBD strains on the market. Because of how high the CBD levels of its parents are, it has a whopping 20:1 CBD to THC ratio. This means that you will get almost no psychoactive effects when using this high-CBD cannabis strain.
This strain is one of the most popular buds to use when treating inflammation and other pain-related illnesses. As such, it is commonly used by many medical facilities for their patients. People also often use it for self-medication as it also has relaxing and therapeutic benefits that rival any other medical marijuana strain.
Harle-Tsu acts in a similar way to Harlequin. It needs a bit of warmth to thrive properly and also requires you to watch the humidity and the airflow because of how it can be susceptible to molds. You can expect this strain to flower in as early as eight weeks but can take as long as three months.
5. Canna-Tsu
Canna-Tsu is another product of the famous Sour Tsunami high-CBD strain. However, this time it comes from another popular medical strain called Cannatonic. Unlike Harle-Tsu, Canna-Tsu has moderate levels of THC and has a CBD to THC ratio of 1:1. That means that the CBD and THC count are almost equal. But since CBD tends to counteract THC, you almost get no psychoactive effects from Canna-Tsu.
As a hybrid, Canna-Tsu is effective at treating pain and stress-related illnesses. It can be an effective bud at making you feel relaxed and happy because of its equal parts CBD and THC. However, it is a strain that is most popular for treating inflammation, nausea, epilepsy, and muscle spasms.
Unlike Harle-Tsu, Canna-Tsu is a very resilient plant that can withstand harsh weather conditions and pests. As such, you can also grow it outdoors but it is still safer to grow it indoors where it can avoid anything that might damage it.