Читать книгу CBD For Dummies - Blair Lauren Brown - Страница 38

If you aren’t a botanist, plant varieties and strains may be new concepts for you. (If you are a botanist, this topic shouldn’t strain you.) The difference is in the propagation (breeding) process:

 Variety: Plant varieties are created through sexual propagation, which means the plant specimen was bred naturally from its parent’s stock. Hemp specifically is created through the sexual propagation of hemp seeds.

 Strain: Strains are an asexual propagation of the plant through cloning. The cloning process takes cuttings of what’s commonly known as a mother plant and develops the same genetic profile in a repeatable fashion.

I focus on strains over varieties for CBD consumption and medicinal use. The possibility of controlling genetic outcomes is crucial for creating consistent medicinal benefits, and that genetic control comes from the cloning process.

Almost universally, hemp strains contain calming or relaxing properties. CBD lends itself to a feeling of physical relaxation. The combination of other plant chemicals, namely terpenes, in a particular strain is what causes the psychological effects you experience when you consume it. (Flip to the earlier section “Exploring terpenes and flavonoids” for more on terpenes.) Terpene profiles across strains can vary dramatically from calming to energizing.

I explore these categories more in the following sections. The key here is choosing a strain that’s high in CBD and low in THC, which is the defining characteristic of a CBD strain.

I mention a few classic strain names in the following sections, but homing in on the percentage of cannabinoids and terpenes is really more important. These two traits are much like a fingerprint. They’re going to be the best identifier of strain characteristics. Because of the diversity of breeding and cultivation that occurs from grower to grower and retailer to retailer, focusing on strain names isn’t always the best approach.