When talking about cannabis, you must have heard lots of other words that we commonly relate to this plant. Some of these words are marijuana, weed, hemp, sativa, indica… and ruderalis? Since some people don’t know much about what cannabis ruderalis is, in this article, we are going to shed some light on this subject.
What is cannabis?
First things first, we can’t get into the subject if we don’t know what cannabis is. Thus, Cannabis is the general name of the Cannabaceae family, which has a certain number of species. Some of these species are Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica and Cannabis ruderalis.
This plant is originating from Asia and it has been cultivated and used for thousands of years for different purposes as it was used to make fiber, rope, food, medicine and for religious purposes among others. Nowadays, we make oils, creams and other products with this plant as it has a wide range of beneficial therapeutic and medicinal properties.
Cannabis species
As we’ve mentioned above, the Cannabaceae family is composed of some species. In this case, we are going to talk about three subspecies of the Cannabis sativa species: its namesake Cannabis sativa, the Cannabis indica and Cannabis ruderalis.
Cannabis sativa
In Latin, the word sativa was an adjective related to botanical which means cultivated. These plants have been indeed cultivated throughout recorded history and used for multiple purposes. The flowers of the female plants are arranged in racemes and can produce a great amount of seeds.
Cannabis indica
This subspecies is well known for producing large amounts of THC which provides euphoric effects. That’s why it is often used as a recreational drug or alternative medicine. It is called indica because it has been commonly used in India to make hashish.
Cannabis ruderalis
This native to Central and Eastern Europe subspecies is often treated as a subdivision under C. sativa by many experts. It is smaller than the other two and has less THC levels in its resin compared to other Cannabis species, although it has great amounts of CBD.
Features and effects
Sativa is commonly used during daytime as it boosts your energy to do any creative or social activity, while Indica is mostly consumed during the evening and night time due to the mainly relaxing effects that it provides. However, since Ruderalis has a much lower concentration of THC and CBD than the other two species, the way to consume it is by combining it with the other two.
On the other hand, mixing species is not an exclusive feature of the ruderalis; sativa and indica are often combined to obtain a perfect hybrid with the best of both worlds, offering a very unique sensorial-physique experience, specially used in medicine to help patients with chronic diseases and pain.
Cannabis ruderalis flowering and growing
Since C. ruderalis has lower THC contents, but is high in CBD, is the perfect strain for growers who are looking for medicinal marijuana. Besides, this small subspecies, that rarely grows over 0.61 meters (2 feet), can be considered an autoflowering due to its early and fast growth (it reaches maturity much quicker than other species, in just 5-7 after being planted). Furthermore, it has a great resistance against insects and different diseases, so growers won’t have to constantly worry when growing their plants outdoors.
Cannabis ruderalis characteristics and uses
C. ruderalis is rarely used for recreational purposes due to its low THC levels, however, it has been used in Russia and Mongolia as a medicine, especially for treating several diseases such as depression.
Nowadays, it is also used for patients thanks to its higher CBD concentration, perfect for the treatment of anxiety or epilepsy. It must be noted that it is being used to treat cancer, sclerosis and to help with the loss of appetite, a common side effect of chemotherapy.
All in all, it is evident that people usually have a misconception of what Cannabis really is, completely ignoring all the medicinal and therapeutic benefits that this plant can provide. We hope that you found this article useful to better know what cannabis ruderalis is and the differences between the main subspecies of the Cannabis Sativa.
