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After a year of pandemic worries and long winter, spring has finally sprung. It's a time for clean sweeps, new starts, and the promise of returning to normal life – and cannabis can help. Whether you're planning to clear out your closets, get outside for a long hike, or embark on a new project, we've provided a roundup of eight invigorating cannabis strains for boosting clarity, energy, and productivity. Spring is a time for fresh starts!
Understandung Strains, THC and Terpenes
Many people associate cannabis with feeling calm, relaxed and an associated pleasant buzz. But there's another side to the cannabis Sativa plant. Some of its many strains can promote feelings of alertness, energy, and mental focus instead of a sleepy "couch lock."
It really depends on the composition of the cannabis strain you choose. All variants of the cannabis Sativa plant contain more than a hundred compounds. Many of them still haven't been thoroughly researched, but a number of studies have focused on a core group of compounds that occur in relatively large amounts across cannabis strains.
The best known of these "primary cannabinoids" are THC (delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol), the main psychoactive compound within cannabis. Non-psychoactive CBD (cannabidiol), is also well known and is responsible for many of the medical benefits of cannabis including reducing seizures and anxiety.
Each cannabis strain has a unique combination of compounds and terpenes, and its effects depend on which ones dominate. Cannabis strains are typically classified as "sativa," "indica," or hybrid – a combination of the two. Although research reveals that there isn't much difference between the two on a molecular level, these labels make it easy to talk about the different effects cannabis may have.
Sativa strains tend to boost energy and enhance focus because they typically contain considerable amounts of THC. This can help create an energizing "head high" that helps calm stress and encourage creativity and productivity. The effects of THC are moderated in these strains by the presence of CBD.
Low-THC strains are generally associated with calming, relaxing cannabis effects. That's why strains higher in CBD have many therapeutic applications, such as relief for pain or the symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Every spring brings new hope and new ambitions – and this year, that's more important than ever. The uplifting, invigorating cannabis strains below can give you the boost you need to launch new projects and get things done this spring.
With that in mind, here's our collection of energizing, mood boosting cannabis strains to put a spring in your step with the seasonal change.
Super Silver Haze
The award-winning Super Silver Haze is a Sativa strain with a THC content that ranges between 16 and 23 percent and a minimal amount of CBD. This pine-scented flower is known for its energizing and uplifting effects that encourage creativity and productivity during busy days.
The mood-boosting effects of Super Silver Haze make it a good choice for relieving stress, anxiety, and depression, and it can support focus and concentration in people with ADD or ADHD. Like other Sativa strains with a considerable amount of THC, Super Silver Haze can also be an effective pain reliever.
Jillybean
A hybrid strain with a scent reminiscent of pineapple and mango, Jillybean boosts energy and elevates mood. Jillybean contains around 13 to 18 percent THC, with less than one percent CBD. The relatively low THC content delivers energizing Sativa effects without triggering the anxiety and paranoia that many high THC strains can cause.
Jillybean's uplifting effects on mood make it a good option for relieving stress and the symptoms of anxiety and depression. It's also helpful for balancing mood during PMS or menopause and relieving minor aches and pains from various causes.
Dirty Girl
With a flavor suggesting lemons, berries, and pineapple, Dirty Girl is a fragrant Sativa strain with THC content that reaches 24 percent, with minimal CBD. Dirty Girl boosts mood and motivation, making it a useful companion for powering through daily activities.
Dirty Girl's uplifting and energizing effects can help relieve anxiety, stress and depression, and the pain and malaise of migraine. Dirty Girl is known to have a cerebral effect, but it can also be helpful for mild pain.
Chocolope
Chocolope is an award-winning Sativa strain that produces energizing, motivating effects for better focus and productivity. With a complex, sweet taste and a THC content that ranges between 12 and 22 percent, Chocolope also boosts mood and encourages a sense of overall well-being.
Chocolope also appeals to medical cannabis patients seeking relief from depression, anxiety, and fatigue. Its focusing qualities can also support concentration and help people with ADD and ADHD to manage daily tasks.
Super Lemon Haze
This popular hybrid cannabis strain is high in terpenes that produce a strong citrus taste and scent. With a THC content that can approach 25 percent, Super Lemon Haze has invigorating, upbeat effects that support creativity, motivation and activity. The relatively high THC content can also stimulate the appetite – but it can cause anxiety in those new to cannabis or sensitive to THC.
The mood-boosting and energizing qualities of Super Lemon Haze can help with anxiety, depression, and chronic fatigue. Some say it can relieve pressure in the head and face from sinus problems and migraine.
Agent Orange
Although this citrusy hybrid strain bears the name of an infamous Vietnam War-era toxin, the name actually refers to its intense orange flavor and scent.
Agent Orange creates a euphoric, energetic feeling that can help you power through the tasks of the day. Afterward, you're likely to feel relaxed but not exhausted.
Along with boosting productivity and mood, Agent Orange can also help to relieve stress and ease migraine pain. With 15 percent THC to around one percent CBD, Agent Orange can also alleviate depression, anxiety, and attention deficit disorder symptoms.
Tangerine
As its name implies, Tangerine has a strong, distinctly citrus fragrance and flavor that makes it a popular addition to edibles. This sativa strain has a THC content of 18 to 22 percent, but it also averages 2 percent CBD. Tangerine has energizing, mood boosting effects that make it ideal for things like spring cleaning or studying into the night, it's well known for it's uplifting effects
Tangerine's mood-boosting effects help relieve depression, anxiety, and stress, making it a popular choice during COVID-19. Because it has a higher CBD content than many other energizing cannabis strains, it can also help with health issues such as chronic pain, nausea, and migraine.
Super Sour Diesel
Super Sour Diesel traces its parentage to Super Silver Haze, and this herbal, earthy Sativa hybrid strain has many of the same buzzy cerebral effects. Super Sour Diesel contains between 18 and 24 percent THC, so it produces euphoric, energetic effects that encourage creativity and productivity. In large amounts, though, it can cause paranoia and anxiety, so it's wise to consume with caution.
Super Sour Diesel may relieve migraine pain and pressure, and its mood boosting qualities can help treat depression and anxiety. It can also be helpful in treating chronic pain from a variety of causes.
How to Use Cannabis to Boost Your Energy
Invigorating, uplifting cannabis strains can be consumed in a variety of ways. Smoking is a time-honored way to get the benefits of cannabis quickly, but burning cannabis can create harmful toxins.
Vaping also moves cannabis compounds into the bloodstream quickly but without the toxic byproducts of combustion. It's important, though, to be sure that you're using high-quality vape products and a vape pen that meets safety standards.
Edibles such as gummies, cookies, and beverages can also deliver the energizing effects of cannabis, but more slowly. The cannabis in these tasty alternatives has to be processed in the digestive system before it can enter the bloodstream. Other options include tinctures, oils and concentrates that can be added to foods, salves, or lotions
