Hi guys! Was just wondering if anyone here has much knowledge in the area of CBD?
A little bit.
Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of the major cannabinoids. It binds to cannabinoid receptors with high affinity and modifies the effect of THC, "mellowing" the high. CBD by itself has limited psychoactivity, but provides anti-spasmodic, anti-inflammatory, and other potentially medically beneficial effects.
What strains are known to produce high levels of CBD?
In general, indica strains will have some CBD, where as pure sativa, and lots of the high potency hybrids won't. Note that what matters here isn't absolute amount of CBD per se; you can always make concentrates to increase that, and many medical users prefer them anyway for a variety of reasons. What matters is the RATIO of CBD to THC. Many think the 'optimal' ratio is about 1:1, but that may depend on what you're trying to treat and the individual in question.
If you want HIGH levels of CBD, then you'll want a purpose bred CBD strain.
The most famous two right now are Harlequin (so named for its approximately 1:1 ratio of CBD to THC) and Cannatonic. Sour Tsunami and Juanita De Lagrimosa are two others I know of.
CBD Crew has a number of CBD-rich strains it created by hybridizing CBD strains to more conventional ones (eg CBD Widow, CBD Shark, CBD Nordle, etc). I think the CBD rich parent here is called "Z7" and you may be able to get that one by itself if you poke around hard enough.
In Israel, they have a high pure CBD strain called "Avideckel".
Off the top of my head, 303 Seeds out of Colorado has Meltdown and Ambulance, two new CBD strains created by hybridizing well-known strains with Z7. These may not be so easy to get, but any number of other breeders are now jumping on the CBD bandwagon, and the number of purpose bred CBD rich strains is increasing.
In general, one problem with these hybridized CBD lines is they can put out different phenos which can vary in CBD content. If you're really serious about CBD for medical use, the best thing to do is probably want to start with a CLONE (not ceed) that has been cannabinoid tested to ensure it has high CBD potential.
What are the best ways to maximize CBD percentage in your harvests? Any help is much appreciated! Thanks everyone!
Well, best way is as above, start with a KNOWN CUT from a plant that has been TESTED, or at least one from a reliable source. These clones are typically available in medical states, either by purchase, donation, or trade.
In terms of maximizing CBD in a given plant, I really don't think there is any way to do that, apart from doing the usual things that you'd do to maximize overall potency (ie grow plants to maturity and harvest on time, cure correctly, use plenty of light and nutes).
