Northern Lights is one of the most famous strains of cannabis indica in history. Its potency and high yield make it a legendary heavy hitter. It won best strain way back in 1990 and best indica several times in the 1980’s. Producing a medicated effect on the body that is unlike any other strain, NL is perfect for treating chronic pain, insomnia and nausea. Indica is best used at the end of a hard workday or if you need to get some shut eye.
Indica strains are often cultivated for their calming and healing effects on the body, unlike their more heady sativa relatives. Strong strains like NL can put you to sleep or cause the “couch-lock” effect in higher doses. This is most often due to more CBD (cannabidiol, a cannabinoid found in medicinal marijuana) content found in indica types. When purchasing Northern Lights, check how dense the buds are, as the best NL strains are fat, dense and deliciously stinky.
This legendary OG strain is named after the beautiful natural phenomena known as “Aurora Borealis”, or Northern Lights. These amazingly bright dancing displays of lights of are fierce collisions between electrically charged particles that come from the sun. These particles enter the earth’s atmosphere, creating the lights that can be seen above the magnetic poles of the northern and southern hemispheres. Auroral displays can be seen in many colors, but green is usually the most common, thus the name of the strain of cannabis. Aurora borelis also appear in shades of red, yellow, purple and even blue in the north and similar shades of ‘Aurora australis’ appear in the South Pole… Surprisingly, no Southern Lights strains currently exist.
The exact lineage of the legendary Northern Lights strain are not exactly known, but the most popular theory is that Cali growers took the then unknown strain genetics to Holland and then its popularity exploded. The most common variety sold in dispensaries today is the NL #5 crossed NL #2, combining the 2 best NL phenotypes to make modern Northern Lights.
The NL smell is typically strong and reminiscent of sweetened pine needles. If you’re a cannabis connoisseur, chances are you’ve consumed an NL hybrid. Many popular modern strains have Northern Lights in their genetics – like Sour Diesel, Jack Herer, Silver Haze and many Skunk varieties.
Is Northern Lights your favorite strain? If not, what is? Let us know and maybe we’ll do a review on it!
