Best Cannabis Strains for Treating Depression

If you're wondering what type of cannabis would be best for depression, as with most marijuana questions, there is no simple answer, but looking at cannabinoids and terpenes that have shown promise as antidepressants, you can at least have a good starting point.

After learning the basics about cannabis and depression, it's important to take a closer look at the right way to choose and use cannabis products and why strain names and indica vs. sativa classifications are problematic.

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Indica or sativa for depression

For decades, the cannabis subculture has used the terms sativa and indica to describe the effects of the thousands of cannabis varieties available worldwide. Indica strains are more mellow and sedative, and sativa strains are more energizing, uplifting, and stimulating.

But this seems more like hearsay than evidence-based information. While the scientific literature acknowledges the distinction from a botanical standpoint - indica being shorter, bushier, with broad leaves, and sativa being taller, with narrow leaves and less dense - what influences the effects has more to do with ingredients (e.g., cannabinoids and terpenes), and research has never found a clear chemical distinction between indica and sativa.

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Instead of asking whether you should choose sativa or indica for depression, your best bet is to actually look at the ingredients of the cannabis products you are choosing.

How to choose cannabis for depression

In general terms, there are three types of cannabis strains, or more precisely, chemovars (chemical varieties):

- Type I- High THC - Low CBD

- Type II- Balanced (approximately 1:1) THC:CBD ratio

- Type III- High CBD - Low THC

Types II and III are less common than Type I, which is generally preferred by adult use consumers. Since CBD can neutralize some of the side effects of THC and make THC dosing easier, Types II and III are often preferred by doctors and patients. They can also help mitigate the biphasic effect of THC, where low doses can help with depression and anxiety and higher doses can actually trigger these effects. When consuming Type II cannabis, users may feel less anxiety compared to Type I but retain the therapeutic benefits of THC. Specifically when it comes to depression, Type III can be particularly beneficial as there is evidence of CBD's potential as an antidepressant.

Best terpenes for depression

The next step is to examine terpenes and other cannabinoids. According to the entourage effect theory, these compounds could enhance some of the therapeutic effects of THC and CBD. So when choosing strains for depression, look for those containing cannabinoids and terpenes that show potential as antidepressants. These include the cannabinoid CBD and the terpenes linalool, pinene, limonene, and beta-caryophyllene (BCP).

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Cannabis strains often have a dominant terpene with concentrations above 1% and some with more modest concentrations between 0.1 and 1%. That said, terpenes are considered of pharmacological interest at concentrations above 0.05%, so it makes sense to see much lower numbers compared to THC or CBD concentrations.

In any case, it is important to note that strain names are complicated - they can give an estimate of what you might find at a dispensary, but since there is no standard or trademark for strain names, anyone can basically grow anything and call it whatever they want. Additionally, the same strain grown under different conditions can produce different cannabinoid and terpene levels.

It should be noted that there are limitations when it comes to treating depression with cannabis. The vast majority of research on terpenes and depression is preliminary and based on animal models. While the mentioned studies are promising in the use of the plant to treat acute depression, there are no high-quality studies examining whether the use of medicinal cannabis can improve the condition over time. Excessive use of cannabis, especially Type I cannabis, can actually worsen symptoms.

Source: Cannigma (Matan Weil), curated and edited by Sechat Content