Meijer and van Soest ( 1992 ) brought attention to this vernacular taxonomy in
peer-reviewed literature:“Indica”refers to plants with broad leaflets, compact habit,
and early maturation, typified by plants from Afghanistan.“Sativa”refers to plants
with narrow leaflets, slender and tall habit, and late maturation, typified by plants
from India and their descendants in Thailand, South and East Africa, Colombia, and
Mexico.
Clinical descriptions of“Sativa”and“Indica”are barely a decade old (Corral
2001 ; Black and Capler 2003 ):“Sativa” plants produce much more Δ^9 -tetra-
hydrocannabinol (THC) than cannabidiol (CBD), and produce a terpenoid profile
that smells“herbal” or“sweet.”“Sativa”imparts a stimulating, uplifting, and
energizing psychoactivity, and is recommended for treating depression, headaches,
nausea, and loss of appetite.“Indica”plants produce a nearly equal THC-to-CBD
ratio, and a terpenoid profile that imparts an acrid or“skunky”aroma.“Indica”
induces relaxing, sedating, and pain-reducing effects, and is suggested for treating
insomnia, pain, inflammation, muscle spasms, epilepsy, and glaucoma.
McPartland et al. ( 2000 ) separated“Sativa”and“Indica”from European hemp,
and provisionally named the three populationsC. indica, C. afghanica, andC.
sativa, respectively. Small ( 2007 ) noted that“Sativa”and“Indica”were“quite
inconsistent”with formal nomenclature, becauseC. sativasubsp.sativaapplied to
non-intoxicant plants.
Hillig (2004a,b,2005a,b) avoided formal/vernacular conflicts by applying the
name“narrow-leaflet drug (NLD) biotype”to plants corresponding with Lamarck’s
C. indica. He assigned“wide-leaflet drug (WLD) biotype”to plants corresponding
with Vavilov’safghanica(i.e.,Schultes’sC. indicaand vernacular“Indica”). This
nomenclature has gained traction (e.g., McPartland and Guy 2004 ; Russo 2007 ;
Lynch et al. 2015 ).
“Indica”“Sativa”Fig. 4.2 Cannabis
vernacular taxonomy, image
adapted from Anderson
( 1980 )
4 Cannabis sativaandCannabis indica... 105