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Master Kush

Master Kush Type: 20:80 sativa:indica Ancestry: A cross between two landrace strains from the Hindu Kush region, believed to be Hindu Kush Skunk#1 Creators: Dutch White Label Seed Company THC Content: 18-24% Terpenes: caryophyllene, humulene, myrcene Appearance: Spade-shaped, dense buds with compact, saturated green leaves, woven with vibrant orange pistils and sprinkled with crystal trichomes. A colorful, beautiful strain. Aroma and Taste: Strong, earthy scent, with hints of lemon and oak and a mellow pine-like taste Trivia: Where do we start? Perhaps with the fact that Master Kush is none other than Snoop Dog’s favorite strain? Or that it’s the 1994 High Times Cannabis Cup winner? It’s also worth mentioning it was originally named High Rise. Recreational Effects As we mentioned above, Master Kush is Snoop Dog’s weed of choice, so you can basically think of the iconic rapper as the personification of this strain. Actually, in the spirit of personification and cannabis ancestry, Master Kush would be the baby of Snoop Dog and post-workout Joe Rogan, as it sends the mind on a quest for knowledge and new ideas while your body stays firmly on the couch. Indeed, body-wise, Master Kush is a classic indica, and the gold standard at that – deep body relaxation from head to toe. Mind-wise, however, is where the “master” in kush comes in, making every bit of the 20% sativa count. Besides the quintessential peace and relaxation that permeates your entire being, Master Kush fills you with strong, but gentle and channeled euphoria that quickly elevates you to planes of thought where ideas become crystallized in stardust. The creativity and divergent way of thinking are perhaps Master Kush’s most celebrated effects, and bolstered by its stress-relieving properties make this strain just perfect for brainstorming sessions, podcasts, scientific discussions, and individual creative and artistic spurs that just melt time and the outside world away. Of course, you can always put a movie on or play video games and lose yourself in the wonderlands of other people’s imaginations, which will be all-the-more detailed through the lens of your heightened senses. Medicinal Benefits As expected, Master Kush provides strong pain-relief and can loosen sore muscles and joints. The blissful high in new, riveting worlds of ideas and thoughts is a great escape from stress, anxiety, and depression. With that being said, moderation with this potent strain is key, as otherwise, anxiety and paranoia can come with a vengeance. Master Kush is also known for its powerful munchies, so be sure to stock up, even if you suffer from a clinical lack of appetite. Last but certainly not least, no matter how stimulating your creative and recreational sessions may be, they will eventually give way to an increasingly sedated state in which even insomniacs won’t stay awake for long. In that sense, Master Kush is the perfect post-work/early evening/late night strain.

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Motorbreath

Motorbreath Type: indica-dominant hybrid Creators: Green Man Cannabis Ancestry: Chemdog and San Fernando Valley OG Kush THC Levels: as high as 28% Terpenes: myrcene, limonene, caryophyllene Aroma and Taste: This is where the catchy name comes from – the fiery breath of diesel, fuel, and skunk this strain spews out, along with notes of earth, citrus, and pine. Appearance: elongated buds, thin rusty pistils, light green leaves with occasional blueish hues, and fine trichome frosting Trivia: Winner of 2015 The Hemp Connoisseur (THC) Championship for the best adult-use hybrid and 2nd place at the 2016 THC Championship in the medical indica flower category. Recreational Effects Motorbreath can make indica fans fall in love, but like love itself, it’s powerful enough to consume you if you give in to unbridled lust and greed. Even experienced users should consume in moderation – otherwise, the whole experience would likely lean heavily toward disorientation. In the right quantities, Motorbreath burns all worries away, conjuring up that movie-esque blissful moment of just exhaling and settling into your sanctuary. Initially, there’s even a sense of euphoria, the kind of comes with being completely care-free and having a night all to yourself, full of relaxing and fairly undemanding, but infinitely fun possibilities. Motorbreath can also carry some light shades of psychedelics, in that it wraps you deep into the classic, stoned, dream-like mental state, but there’s paradoxically a sense of clarity as well (again, as long as you’ve consumed in moderation). Some users can find it in them to pursue some artistic endeavors, but generally speaking, Motorbreath is certainly not a go-getter type of strain. The body high is a thing of beauty, starting from a head, trickling down the spine like gentle tickles, and spreading to every part of your body until it’s completely melting on the couch. The sedation tucks you in a heavy, cosy blanket, until eventually it lulls you to peaceful sleep. Medicinal Benefits The only way to feel any kind of stress under Motorbreath’s influence is if you overconsume. Otherwise, this strain can help people who battle anxiety and chronic stress. Moreover, the gleeful and care-free disposition it unlocks can go a long way in alleviating depression. Just like worries, Motorbreath can melt physical ailments away, including more severe conditions like chronic pain, arthritis, inflammation, etc. Motorbreath can be a sweet lullaby even for full-on insomniacs. In this case, slightly larger quantities are warranted, as long as users are confident they can still tolerate them and enjoy themselves.

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Myrcene (Beta-Myrcene)

Myrcene (Beta-Myrcene) Aroma: Myrcene’s aroma falls somewhere between peppery, earthy, spicy, clove- and musk-like, but to put it simply and recognizably, it smells like the quintessential beer, as it is found in hops, which respectively are a cornerstone of the amber drink. Found in: hops, lemongrass, mango, thyme Myrcene (Beta-Myrcene)-dominant strains: Widely considered the most prevalent cannabis terpene, comprising somewhere between 20 and 65% of the terpene profile of cannabis strains, depending on which studies you go by, the list of myrcene-dominant strains is long. Some of the most prominent examples include White Widow, Blue Dream, OG Kush, Granddaddy Purple, 9 Pound Hammer, and many more. Boiling Point: 167 oC (332 oF) Effects Before we go into myrcene’s effects, it’s important to underline the fact that the reports on its effects, as well as the ones of pretty much all terpenes, should be taken with a grain of salt, as the scientific research on them is still scarce and limited mostly to studies on animals and isolated human cells – something that shouldn’t come as a surprise, considering that cannabis research itself is still in its infancy. Sedation, Muscle Relaxation, Pain-Relief, Anti-Anxiety Myrcene’s biggest claim to fame is its sedative effects, which reinforces its connection with beer. There’s even a common misconception that high myrcene levels automatically put a strain in the indica category, which if not for anything else, is untrue due to the simple reason that this would make most strains indicas. However, the traces of myrcene’s calming properties are real and transcend the worlds of beer and cannabis, and even the modern world altogether. Myrcene has a long and rich history in folk medicine, making many appearances in various concoctions that lull people to sleep. One perfect example is lemongrass-infused tea, which is a common sedative and muscle relaxant in Mexico. A study on these effects was performed on mice, which experienced muscle relaxation after a high dose of myrcene and limonene and slept for longer when strong sedative drugs came in the mix. In other words, not the most convincing results even as far as rodents go, which are obviously much smaller than humans. However, they are reinforced and built on by another study on, you guessed it, mice and lemongrass, in which the plant exhibited both sedating and analgesic properties, with myrcene considered the main culprit. Speaking of analgesic properties, an interesting study, dating back to 1990, found myrcene to inhibit nociception in mice, which is basically the body’s ability to detect pain, by promoting the activity of naturally produced opioids. Antioxidant Myrcene is also touted as an antioxidant, showcasing potential to protect the skin from ultraviolet light-induced aging, as well as to battle oxidative stress (in rats) altogether. Anti-Inflammation A big feather in myrcene’s cap is a study on a human cell model of osteoarthritis, in which myrcene inhibited the disease’s development and mitigated the damage of it. Anti-Cancer Myrcene’s anti-cancer promise has been explored in two major avenues. First is Candida fungus, which is something all humans have that’s normally kept in check by a healthy immune system – a luxury chemotherapy patients are deprived of. Lemongrass, yet again, has been found to go a long way toward keeping Candida at bay, by not one but two studies. The second form of cancer that myrcene has shown potential against is no other than breast cancer, in human cells at that! A fairly recent study found that myrcene can stimulate anti-metastatic activity. But of course, the key word here is human cells, which means further research is required, but it’s also warranted by this study’s promising results. Bottom Line Myrcene is not just a terpene that appears in large quantities, but also seems to bring diverse qualities to the table. Moreover, it seems to have a spontaneous connection with limonene in particular, as the two terpenes are partners in many of the scientific “crimes” mentioned above.

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