If you’ve ever traveled around the countryside, the occasional smell of skunk as you pass tree-rimmed farmland may not bring back the fondest memories. Yet, that otherwise putrid aroma is transformed into something truly enjoyable in the Dark Star strain.
Breaking open a dense, lime-colored flower releases a striking aroma of forest earth. An almost acid-like sweetness tickles the nose, offering the first hint as to this plants teasing psychoactive nature.
The Dark Star High
Some marijuana flowers are upbeat and giggly, others are more collected and contented. The Dark Star strain is more akin to the latter, inspiring a slow and soothing physical high. After a few tastes of this pungent bud, a creeping relaxation sends a comfortable, vibrating energy through the chest and limbs.
The strain is a little on the sedative side. Therefore, it’s not uncommon to feel that tension in your face and around the eyes dissipate. Dark Star might inspire some heavy eyelids, allowing you to let go of stress you weren’t aware that you were carrying. Understated yet inviting, this plant is an evening flower that would make an excellent companion for post-dinner relaxation.
The cannabis plant has a long-held reputation for improving mood and lifting spirits, and there’s no doubt that the Dark Star strain can do just that. However, as with all psychoactive substances, the plant often acts more as an enhancer than a catalyst for radical change.
If you’re having a bad day, for example, a few tastes of the earthy Dark Star strain can help you unwind and kick back. Yet, the plant does not provide an instantaneous route to happiness or good health. Rather, the herb may simply lend a helping hand toward these goals when consumed with the right mindset and in the right environment.
So, while the Dark Star strain can indeed inspire an emotional lightness and plenty of laughter, some may find that this plant is better suited as a sedative after a long and hard day of work. As with every cannabis strain, this plant provides a backdrop for a change in consciousness, but you ultimately provide your own experience.
Dark Star Strain Background
Breeders at T.H. Seeds are the geniuses behind the Dark Star Strain. An excellent flower for growers in wet climates, this plant was created with mold and mildew resistance in mind. However, that’s not this flower’s only noteworthy quality.
A cross between Purple Kush and Mazar I Sharif, this plant doubles down on indica genetics. While strains in the indica category are not always the sedative, couch-locking flowers they are made out to be, the Dark Star strain certainly fits the bill.
With a dense bud structure and peaking purple coloration, this flower is a proud representation of its lineage. Only genetic testing will say with any certainty, however, Purple Kush is considered a pure indica flower with Northern Californian roots.
Mazar I Sharif is a less common find, however, the origins of this plant are rumored to be from the Northern Afghan region.
The combination produces a stalky plant with high yields and substantial amounts of resin. In fact, laboratory tests have revealed that the herb boasts upwards of 16 percent THC. This doesn’t make Dark Star the most noteworthy flower on the shelf, but don’t underestimate this plant’s potency.
Dark Star Strain Benefits
There’s more to cannabis than just psychoactive THC. In fact, the medicinal herb can produce upwards of 400 different chemical compounds. Not every strain will produce all of the compounds the plant is capable of manufacturing. However, it’s the unique chemical makeup of each individual flower that determines the effects of individual strains.
The Dark Star strain can produce two different aroma molecules that are expected to interact with THC. One of which is myrcene, a musk-scented molecule that is more commonly found in lemongrass. This molecule may have muscle relaxant and hypnotic properties, giving Dark Star a sedative effect.
Having trouble getting to sleep? This flower might just be a potent natural remedy.
The other terpene in question is beta-caryophyllene (BCP), which gives a pepper-like aroma to cannabis flowers. This aroma molecule is not as sedative as myrcene, it is thought to have relaxing and anxiolytic effects. Combined with the potential muscle-relaxant properties of myrcene, this flower is one mellow lady. This herb is likely best for those who need both mental and physical relief from stress. So, it is perhaps best saved for the evening.
Of course, all Dark Star samples will be different. Further, the herb produces more than just two terpene aroma molecules. Myrcene and BCP, however, seem to show up in the highest concentrations. Yet, as a caveat, the only way to get a handle on this strain’s chemical fingerprint is to test a large number of Dark Star flowers.
Unfortunately, terpene tests on all cannabis strains is a tall order. Considering that new cultivars are crossbred and hybridized by backyard and commercial growers alike, each cannabis plant grown from seed is perhaps as unique as newborn human beings and animals alike.