There are two* types of Cannabis — Sativa and Indica — and to understand the differences between them, we have to go back to the beginning.
The earliest evidence of Cannabis use by humans comes from the Neolithic Age, which began about 12,000 years ago.
Cannabis was one of the first crops farmed by ancient people. In fact. the name Cannabis Sativa is Latin and translates to ‘farmed hemp.’
Neolithic people figured out that not only are the seeds and oil of the Cannabis plant good to eat, but the fibrous stalks can be processed and woven into things like rope, textiles and clothing.
Agriculture was born, which helped create civilization as we know it.
It didn’t take long for the use of Cannabis to spread and advance from the mountains of central Asia throughout the rest of the known world.
Pottery discovered at a site called Yuan-Shan, in modern-day Taiwan, dates to about 8000BC and had woven Hemp cord pressed into it during the drying stage, which could have either been for decoration or a way of labelling that Cannabis/Hemp seeds or oil was stored inside.
Perhaps both.
The oldest textile made from Hemp discovered so far is a piece of cloth from Mesopotamia — modern-day Iraq/Iran — dating to the same period, about 8000BC.
Cannabis originated in the mountains of modern-day Tibet and northern India and was spread throughout modern-day Iran, China, Japan, Taiwan and southern Siberia by ancient settlers and farmers over several thousand years.
The Scythian, nomadic warriors who lived on the steppes of Eurasia starting around 900BC, played an important role in spreading Cannabis throughout modern-day Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Their word for it, Kanab, is also widely considered the origin of the word, Cannabis.
The earliest use of cannabis in what is now China, Japan and Taiwan, was more as a textile, and became what we know as Cannabis Sativa.
The earliest use of cannabis in what is now India, Iran and southern Siberia, was more as a drug, and became what we know as Cannabis Indica.
Today we know both types produce THC and CBD and due to the fact there was only cross-breeding in the black market for nearly a century, it’s mostly hybrids in North America.
There are actually three types of Cannabis when you add the little-known Ruderalis to the list.