Cannabis strain names are a relatively new phenomenon, considering how long humans have been consuming marijuana for medical and/or recreational purposes.

Humans have used the cannabis plant for thousands of years, but it’s only in recent decades that cannabis strain names have begun to appear.

It’s unclear when legendary strains like Acapulco Gold, Maui Wowie, and Columbian Red were first named, but it’s safe to say they were named because of how different they are from other types of cannabis.

as consumers and patients want to know tension name, they also often wonder if a particular cannabis strain is indica, sativa, or a hybrid.

These general categories aren’t always useful, a new study finds.

Are Indica and Sativa Really Different?

if someone grows real sativa cannabis plant, it will grow tall and thin and provide a strong euphoric effect.

Conversely, true indica plants will grow short and bushy with wider leaves compared to alfalfa plants, which provide a very calming and mellow effect.

Canadian researchers 297 samples were recently checked to see if their indica and alfalfa labels were accurate.

“Our results show that the ‘sativa-indica’ scale currently used to label cannabis does not capture overall genomic and metabolomic variation well,” the researchers said.

“Instead, cannabis labeling may be driven primarily by a few key terpenes whose concentrations contribute to the characteristic aromas typically associated with ‘Salfalfa’ and ‘Indica,'” the researchers concluded.

What is the best way to classify cannabis?

Cannabis strain names and indica/sativa classification models are outdated in many ways, and the cannabis community should move to better models.

A terpene profile provides a deeper understanding of what a particular cannabis harvest really means and the impact it may provide.

It is estimated that the cannabis plant is composed of dozens of terpenes. Terpenes are the substances that provide the aroma of cannabis.

Knowing the terpenes in a particular harvest and the levels is a better way to classify cannabis than indica and alfalfa.