For industrial use of Cannabis sativa, see Hemp.
Not to be confused with Cannabis indica.
| Cannabis sativa |
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| Scientific classification |
| Kingdom: |
Plantae |
| (unranked): |
Angiosperms |
| (unranked): |
Eudicots |
| (unranked): |
Rosids |
| Order: |
Rosales |
| Family: |
Cannabaceae |
| Genus: |
Cannabis |
| Species: |
C. sativa |
| Binomial name |
Cannabis sativa
L. |
| Subspecies |
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C. sativa subsp. sativa
C. sativa subsp. indica
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Cannabis sativa is an annual herbaceous plant in the Cannabis genus, a species of the Cannabaceae family. People have cultivated cannabis sativa throughout recorded history as a source of industrial fibre, seed oil, food, recreation, religious and spiritual enlightenment, and medicine. Each part of the plant is harvested differently, depending on the purpose of its use.
Contents
- 1 Common uses
- 2 Plant physiology
- 3 Cultivars
- 4 Pharmacology
- 5 Chemical constituents
- 5.1 Difference between C. indica and C. sativa
- 6 References
- 7 External links
Common uses
Main articles: Industrial and personal uses of Cannabis, Cannabis (drug), and Hemp
A sack made from hemp fiber
Its seeds are chiefly used to make hempseed oil which can be used for cooking, lamps, lacquers, or paints. They can also used as caged-bird feed, as they provide a moderate source of nutrients for most birds. The flowers (and to a lesser extent the leaves, stems, and seeds) contain psychoactive chemical compounds known as cannabinoids that are consumed for recreational, medicinal, and spiritual purposes. When so used, preparations of flowers (marijuana) and leaves and preparations derived from resinous extract (e.g.hashish) are consumed by smoking, vaporizing and oral ingestion. Historically, tinctures, teas, and ointments have also been common preparations.
Plant physiology
Main articles: Cannabis and Cannabis cultivation
The flowers of the female plant are arranged in racemes and can produce hundreds of seeds. Male plants shed their pollen and die several weeks prior to seed ripening on the female plants. Although genetic factors dispose a plant to become male or female, environmental factors including the diurnal light cycle can alter sexual expression.[citation needed] Naturally occurring monoecious plants, with both male and female parts, are either sterile or fertile but artificially induced "hermaphrodites" (a commonly used misnomer) can have fully functional reproductive organs. "Feminized" seed sold by many commercial seed suppliers are derived from artificially "hermaphrodytic" females that lack the male gene, or by treating the seeds with hormones or silver thiosulfate. In the case of production related to recreational use of Cannabis, the process of "cloning" provides the grower with DNA identical female plants eliminating the need of seeds for the growing process.
A Cannabis plant in the vegetative growth phase of its life requires more than 12–13 hours of light per day to stay vegetative. Flowering usually occurs when darkness equals at least 12 hours per day. The flowering cycle can last anywhere between nine to fifteen weeks, depending on the strain and environmental conditions.
In soil, the optimum pH for the plant is 6.3 to 6.8. In hydroponic growing, the nutrient solution is best at 5.2 to 5.8, making Cannabis well-suited to hydroponics because this pH range is hostile to most bacteria and fungi.
Cultivars
Broadly, there are three main Cultivar Groups of cannabis that are cultivated today:
- Cultivars primarily cultivated for their fiber, characterized by long stems and little branching.
- Cultivars grown for seed which can be eaten entirely raw or from which hemp oil is extracted.
- Cultivars grown for medicinal or recreational purposes. A nominal if not legal distinction is often made between industrial hemp, with concentrations of psychoactive compounds far too low to be useful for that purpose, and marijuana.
Pharmacology
Main article: Cannabis (drug)
Δ
9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)
The flower of a hybrid Cannabis indica plant
Cannabis sativa, scientific drawing from
c1900
Although the main psychoactive constituent of Cannabis is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the plant is known to contain about sixty cannabinoids; however, most of these "minor" cannabinoids are only produced in trace amounts.[citation needed] Besides THC, another cannabinoid produced in high concentrations by some plants is cannabidiol (CBD), which is not psychoactive but has recently been shown to block the effect of THC in the nervous system.[1] Differences in the chemical composition of Cannabis varieties may produce different effects in humans. Synthetic THC, called dronabinol, does not contain CBD, CBN, or other cannabinoids, which is one reason why its pharmacological effects may differ significantly from those of natural Cannabis preparations.
Chemical constituents
Cannabis chemical constituents including about 100 compounds responsible for its characteristic aroma. These are mainly volatile terpenes and sesquiterpenes.
- Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)
- Cannabidiol (CBD)
- α-Pinene[2]
- Myrcene[2]
- Linalool[2]
- Limonene[2]
- Trans-β-ocimene[2]
- α-Terpinolene[2]
- Trans-caryophyllene[2]
- α-Humulene,[2] contributes to the characteristic aroma of Cannabis sativa
- Caryophyllene-oxide,[2] with which some hashish detection dogs are trained[3]
Difference between C. indica and C. sativa
Cannabis sativa has a higher level of THC compared to CBD, while Cannabis indica has a higher level of CBD compared to THC.[4] Cannabis strains with relatively high CBD:THC ratios are less likely to induce anxiety than vice versa. This may be due to CBD's antagonistic effects at the cannabinoid receptors, compared to THC's partial agonist effect. CBD is also a 5-HT1A receptor (serotonin) agonist, which may also contribute to an anxiolytic-content effect.[5] This likely means the high concentrations of CBD found in Cannabis indica mitigate the anxiogenic effect of THC significantly.[5] The effects of sativa are well known for its cerebral high, hence used daytime as medical cannabis, while indica is well known for its sedative effects and preferred night time as medical cannabis.[5] Indica plants are normally shorter and stockier plants than sativas. They have wide, deeply serrated leaves and a compact and dense flower cluster. The effects of indicas are predominantly physical and sedative.
References
- ^ West, D. P, Ph.D. 1998. Hemp and Marijuana: Myths & Realities. North American Industrial Hemp Council. Retrieved on 23 April 2007
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Novak J, Zitterl-Eglseer K, Deans SG, Franz CM (2001). "Essential oils of different cultivars of Cannabis sativa L. and their antimicrobial activity". Flavour and Fragrance Journal 16 (4): 259–262. doi:10.1002/ffj.993.
- ^ Essential Oils
- ^ "What are the differences between Cannabis indica and Cannabis sativa, and how do they vary in their potential medical utility?". ProCon.org.
- ^ a b c J.E. Joy, S. J. Watson, Jr., and J.A. Benson, Jr, (1999). Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing The Science Base. Washington D.C: National Academy of Sciences Press. ISBN 0-585-05800-8.
External links
- Data related to Cannabis sativa at Wikispecies
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Cannabis (marijuana)
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| General |
- Autoflowering cannabis
- Cannabis
-
- indica
- ruderalis
- sativa
- Difference between C. indica and C. sativa
- Cannabis flower essential oil
- Cultivation
- Synthetic cannabis
- Thai stick
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Cannabis strains
with subset strains |
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Indica-dominant
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- Blueberry
- BC Bud
- Holland's Hope
- Kush
- Northern Lights
- Purple
- White Widow
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Pure sativa
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- Acapulco Gold
- Malawi Gold (Chamba)
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Sativa-dominant
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- Charlotte's Web
- Diesel
- Haze
- Jack Herer
- Shaman
- Skunk
- Sour
- Te Puke Thunder
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| Usage |
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General
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- Medical cannabis
- Religious and spiritual use
- History of medical cannabis
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Hemp
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- Hanfparade
- Hempcrete
- List of hemp diseases
- Hemp for Victory
- Hemp Industries Association
- Hemp jewelry
- Hemp oil
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| Preparations |
- Bhang
- Green dragon
- Hash oil
- Hashish
- Charas
- Kief
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| Consumption |
- Cannabis foods
- Cannabis smoking
- Cannabis tea
- Vaporizing
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| Phytocannabinoids |
- Cannabidiol (CBD)
- delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC)
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| Effects |
- Cannabis in pregnancy
- Endocannabinoid system
- Long-term
- Dependence
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| Culture |
- 4/20
- Cannabis Culture
- Films
- High Times
- Cannabis Cup
- Music
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Pro-Cannabis
organizations |
- ACT
- AMMA
- ASA
- Buyers Club
- CCRMG
- CLEAR
- CRC
- DPA
- FCA
- GMM
- LEAP
- MAPS
- MPP
- NCIA
- NORML
- POT
- SAFER
- SSDP
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| Use demographics |
- Adult lifetime use by country
- Annual use by country
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| Politics |
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General
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- Bootleggers and Baptists
- Drug testing
- Global Marijuana March
- Legality
- Legality by country
- Legal and medical status
- Legal history in the United States
- Marijuana Control, Regulation, and Education Act
- Marihuana Tax Act of 1937
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Major legal
reforms
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- UK: Return to class B
- USA: Decriminalization of non-medical use
- Places that have decriminalized non-medical use
- Removal from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act
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Politicians
and parties
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- Cannabis political parties
- List of British politicians who admit to cannabis use
- List of U.S. politicians who admit to cannabis use
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Ancient anaesthesia
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| Plants / animals |
- Aconitum (aconite)
- Atropa belladonna (belladonna)
- Cannabis
- Castoreum
- Coca
- Conium (hemlock)
- Datura inoxia (thorn-apple)
- Datura metel (devil's trumpet)
- Hyoscyamus niger (henbane)
- Lactucarium
- Mandragora officinarum (mandrake)
- Opium
- Saussurea (saw-wort)
- Willow
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| People |
- Abulcasis
- Avenzoar
- Avicenna
- Celsus
- Dioscorides
- Galen
- Hippocrates
- Rhazes
- Sabuncuoğlu
- Sushrutha
- Theophrastus
- Zhang
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| Compounds |
- Aconitine
- Atropine
- Cocaine
- Coniine
- Δ9-THC
- Hyoscyamine
- Morphine
- Salicylate
- Scopolamine
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Medicinal herbs and fungi
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| Herbs |
- Cannabis
- Caraway
- Cardamom
- Ginger
- Ginseng
- Rooibos
- Za'atar
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| Regional practices |
- Chinese herbology
- Indian herbology
- Islamic herbology
- Japanese herbology
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| Related subjects |
- Alternative medicine
- Herbal tea
- Herbalism
- Homeopathy
- List of plants used in herbalism
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