Sativa and Indica simply refer to the lineage of the plant. Indica and Sativa describe how cannabis plants physically look and grow, but do not speak to effect. For example, Sativa dominant strains typically are taller in structure, have narrow leaves, are better suited to grow in warmer climates and have longer flowering periods. Indica dominant strains are typically shorter in structure, have broad leaves, are better suited to grow in colder climates and have shorter flowering periods.
Where the “indica vs. sativa” debate continues to create controversy, it’s still valid to describe effects as “sativa-like” or “indica-like”. The effects of the high produced by a certain strain as pertaining to sativa, indica, or hybrid actually doesn’t provide much predictive ability around effect and ignores the deeper science involved. In fact, all modern cannabis strains are technically hybrids.
We often suggest to our medical patients to document the effects of different strains as you try them in a journal. Documenting the effects of each cannabis strain and/or cannabis products to better understand what works for you can be a very beneficial activity in finding the right product to consume to achieve the most desired effects.