Are Strain Review Sites Useful?

[rabblerouser]

There's a much bigger factor there that you're not accounting for: your knowledge of what 'strain' is being sold to you. The placebo effect is massive - perhaps if you're sold "energetic" cannabis, you may be priming yourself for it to be energetic and act accordingly - you'll smoke/vape it when you plan to be moving around (or whatever) rather than imbibe and immediately lay back on the couch.

I'm not aware of any double-blind "sativa" vs. "indica" studies but that's a very clear and easy starting point - two samples with comparable cannabinoid profiles in the same setting (with a few days in between).

anecdotally I have given a friend Jack Herer and accidentally kept the kid up all night mind-racing. Not his usual reaction to cannabis. But, I showed up late at night and didn't want to fall asleep immediately. So, I packed Jack Herer, but didn't warn the kid what to expect...but you see the results

or the 'Green Crush' I picked up that I was hoping was really Green Crack. But, even though I was hoping for 'sharp energy' from the description on the website, it was really more somewhat sativa-leaning hybrid than sativa. (The dispensary has since amended the description to be more accurate and not be a ripoff of the Green Crack description).

Still, yeah 'double-blind' would be great and some sort of indica vs sativa could be a good starting idea. Or specifically for myrcene the best I can come up with off the top of my head would even be 2 cuts of the same strain, both fairly similar chemotypes, just noticeably more myrcene in one than the other. But that may be a hard example to contrive.

I still think it is more about ratios of things and synergies ( 'entourage' ) than absolute amounts / percentages, but I don't know that there is any science backing that up.

But, I think strain reviews are still useful, until the science catches up.

Some of my favourite reviews are the ones by growers of the different individual seeds they grew out for one strain. gives an idea of how the spectrum of possible phenotypes / effects can play out. Any one (or more) of which they could pick to be their mother plant. And then everyone who samples it will only experience the one he selected as a winner.

 

[WeAreVenom]

Also take into consideration - it depends a lot on how the plant was grown and taken care of during the curing process. I do rely a lot on info from leafy - lineage and characteristics I take into consideration. I'm not a fan of diesel - I see that I usually steer away. I like fruit, berry and woodsy vapor taste.

You would hate Baltimore.

Almost all of the weed guys around here refuse to buy product to sell unless it's sour diesel. I am not the biggest fan of that strain. However, I bought a very good batch last week. I prefer Girl Scout , Blue Dream, OG Kush to that strain.

 

[C No Ego]

have we actually determined whether or not all CBD and THC as the predominant main compounds in cannabis are not slightly different in size/structure make up/ and effects as per strain or lineage of the species?
somewhere I read where the terpenes in the varying cannabis strains are there by way of the plants roots absorbing metal oxides from the soils in the originating sub regions.. so soil oxide rates determine make up of the plant and its available defense smells etc... that is carried on somewhat with breeders but will never stay the same once the plant has started breeding with other strains etc... not sure why I mention this just interesting lol

thanks to vaping I actually know what a terpene is and how best to benefit from them. the only way to know what terps are when you smoke is to sniff the jar ahead of smoking... after the smoke starts fahgid aboud it the smells turn smoky...

 

[CloudyDayz]

There was a time when I had lots of experience with lots of herb that I knew, for sure, the strains of .. and there are only a couple that I could recognize in a blind test. That's obviously just me - I do know people who could call out more . . .but so much of what's out there these days is hybrids and cross-breeds, etc. Not to mention, 2 different phenotypes of the same strain can be very, very different. Even the same clone grown well or poorly or with different nutrients, etc are 2 different products.

It's hard to tell even what you're getting . .I go more based on physical attributes - look, smell . .I have certain smells I like - piney, lemon, chocolate, grape-coffee (Odd, I know, but that's what some kushes smell like to me).

I consider strain reviews entertaining . . I wouldn't say useful. Seed and clone reviews are useful .. although I've never had the opportunity to use them . .except, you know, the review the guy who sold them to me game them .. "these are killer".

 

[hinglemccringleberry]

I find Leafly useful for determining if something is indica or sativa dominant since I don't always know when I'm looking at my guy's flower menu. The only time it's not useful is if something is on the menu that isn't on the site, and that's been happening alot lately. Dope Rope, Alien Diesel, Applejaxx, Forbidden Fruit, he has all this stuff that has no info on the web.

 

[Skyscraper]

https://oxigem2015.wordpress.com/20...gy-is-making-medical-marijuana-drugs-cheaper/

What I'm interested in is what conditions cause the precursor compounds to be produced and what doesn't?

 

[C No Ego]

What I'm interested in is what conditions cause the precursor compounds to be produced and what doesn't?

supposedly cannabis stores the thc/cbd in little pockets in the trichome... these stored compounds are used to prevent disease and apoptotic death of it's cells in the plant and we ingest these( Plant created protectors) when we vape or eat the plant and they boost our own evolved method of doing so ( cell survival) via our endocannabinoid system...
how the plant reaches the complex molecular structures from just air and a few nutrients is amazing

 

[Laantje]

Guess its useful if you're actually sure you have the strain you think you have.

For me its not, because I buy my weed from coffeeshops(Netherlands) and alot of the time they actually don't even sell the strain they claim to sell. It doesn't mean the weed is bad, but I can never be sure of what strain I actually bought.

I still use it to detemine if a strain is indica or sativa though, even though I can never be too sure I have the strain.

 

[Baron23]

Not to mention, 2 different phenotypes of the same strain can be very, very different.

This ^^

 

[Krazy]

Not to me; for the reasons others have mentioned.

I have 2 (and only 2) local dispensaries that I trust to at least be honest about source, strain/lineage and lab results. But I have no idea if the OG Kush they are selling is what someone in a different state is reviewing.

I know how I respond (in general) to a buncha strains. Based on this and patient feed back at my preferred dispensary I buy myself a sample pack 1-2 times a year and try stuff out.

 

[hinglemccringleberry]

They're so very helpful when you read masterful reviews like "it was like your first hit all over again gig city brotato chip. Not even shit Teddy Broosevelt. for sure Brotine Shake. I'm high as Fuck right now serve you later"

 

[organicali]

Not to me. They are just names, you ever know what genetics you are getting unless you've gotten flowers from the same plant before. Blue dream in CA is not the same blue dream in OR. Best thing is to just ask knowledgeable locals or try and see.