There are a lot of myths about indica strains. While they may be widely known for their relaxing and soporific qualities, there’s no reason to assume every one will knock you on the floor for ten hours. Indica is used not only to combat sleeplessness, but also joint pain, anxiety and panic disorders. That diverse array of uses has sparked weed cultivators to develop newer and better strains that relax the body while leaving the mind awake to enjoy the relaxation.
Indicas can expand your consciousness and raise your awareness of the world around you; they can slow down time and give you a chance to catch up; they can focus you on the tasks you need to perform; and they can give you a jolt of creative energy unburdened by self-consciousness. And they can do it all while providing full body relaxation. Don’t sleep on indicas – they’re more than what you think!
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Here are our five favorite indica strains.
Purple Punch. The love child of classic indica flagships Larry OG and GDP, Purple Punch has, naturally, a juicy grape aroma with notes of blueberry. A powerfully potent strain, Punch punches your brain with a big sugary lavender boxing glove, first relieving your brain of its burdens then relieving your limbs of their tension. With a powerful uppercut of euphoria followed by a right cross of mood-lifting, Purple Punch will make you exhaust your entire store of boxing metaphors. Great for increasing appetite and curbing nausea, as well as dispersing stress and helping you get to sleep.
TriFi Cookies. Made of equal parts Fire OG and Triangle Kush, TriFi comes on with the sweet flavor of freshly baked sugar cookies and follows up with the scent of a rich pine forest. It’s great for lifting your spirits or boosting your creativity, and fair warning: you stand a good chance of getting the giggles something fierce.
Berries ’n Cream. Dessert and nightcap all in one, Berries ’n Cream hits you hard with the sweet, rich flavor its name implies before relaxing you from the core on out. With additional notes of thistle and Stroopwaffel, this strain will carry you off to dreamland on a gingerbread cloud. A perfect sedative, Berries ’n Cream is the ultimate insomnia solution, and won’t make you sleepwalk to the tool shed to build a scale-model Taj Mahal out of matchsticks like Big Pharma’s weird drugs. Also great for pain, particularly menstrual cramps.
Shark Shock. With a rich sour-fruit flavor and skunky aroma, Shark Shock (contrary to what its name might imply) eases aches and pains by gradually numbing the whole body, replacing everything with a pleasant buzzing sensation. More good news: Shark Shock leaves you alert and uplifted, so you don’t need to reserve this one for just before bedtime. It also eases depression, relaxing the anxieties that come with deep depression while boosting your overall energy level.
Watermelon. An excellent appetite stimulant and sleep aid, Watermelon has a fruity flavor with splashes of (of course) watermelon and (more surprisingly) grape. Its high has a slow onset, beginning with a tingle around the eyes and forehead and following through into a body-spanning warmth that relaxes every joint and muscle. Great for creativity but not really for focus, consider Watermelon the strain you use for brainstorming and free-writing, but you’ll probably need to do some editing later.