Northern Lights
CULTIVATOR: Modern Flower ~ Trulieve FKA Harvest
MEDIUM: Flower
PURCHASED: Nirvana Center, Catonsville, MD
CLASS: Structurally dominate as an Indica with exception Depending on how you view this subject and Noel Shoemaker in general may tint the exact origin of the “Lights”. I would say based on the trimmed buds in this bag of Modern Flower’s Northern LightsSativa with a cerebrally dominant effect and a subordinate physical effect which can increase in sedation at higher doses.
Initial and lasting cerebral uplift, augmented focus, leaning toward a dissociative-like hazy sedation with higher levels of ingestion.
LINEAGE: Afghani (Indica) X Thai (Sativa)
The exact lineage of Northern Lights is one of the oldest and greatest unknowns in cannabis culture. At this point however it is widely accepted that what began as 11 phenotypes of pure Afghani indica eventually commingled with a Thai Sativa (courtesy of famed Dutch breeder, Noel Shoenmaker) providing Northern Lights with notoriously sharpened cerebral edge to its overall effect.
EFFECTS (MIND + BODY):
MIND;
- Potential to relax the mind without disabling functionality +/++
- Instantaneous Uplifting /mood elevating / motivating +/++
- Facilitates and enhances focus needed for creative endeavors, reading/ studying, etc. +/++
- Increase in aural awareness; sound is intensified
- De-escalates anger/ stress/ tension +/++
- Increases mental focus/ acuity +/++
- Promotes patience/ calm state of mind +/++/+++
- Can pivot ego-based thinking to selfless externally focused point of reference helping to maintain calm
- Instills feelings of motivational thinking while providing a backdrop of serenity
- Promotes productive thoughts and could assist in developing more positive thinking patterns while reducing the potential for negative recursive thinking
- Ultimately provides stress relieving serene relaxed state of mind still capable of functioning effectively on many levels +/++
+ micro 1 inhale
++ medium dose 2-3 large inhales
+++successive sessions over hours 6-12 large inhales
BODY;
- mild ocular pressure sensations/could provide relief for those suffering from glaucoma
- Promotes light to medium sedation +++
- Potential to increase physical arousal
- Relaxes strained muscle groups/tense muscles constricted from mental stress
- Some dizziness in higher doses+++
- Can cause some disorientation of light and color ++/+++
- Mild to medium level of appetite stimulation (relaxing of muscles in stomach/abdomen ++/+++
- Somnolence ++/+++
- Sedation and sleep +++
+ micro 1 inhale
++ medium dose 2-3 large inhales
+++successive sessions over hours 6-12 large inhales
NL Modern Flower’s Northern Lights can definitely swell the eyelids and more than likely, depending on “you”, will send you to sleep. However, as I often point out (and not infrequently with Indica strains of the Afghani variety, this strain has an incalculable degree of cerebral stimulation to impart. I found my self taking on several tasks…and completing them. Sure, it may have been more wise to pay singular attention to each one of them; nevertheless, I was satisfied with the results. And, I had an enjoyable time completing them. Just errands; Nothing special.
But with a bit of this particular phenotype of NL by Modern, you may be able to appreciate the smaller, seemingly less significant details of life. This is one of the beautiful things about this plant: it can assist in allowing your mind to experience consciousness and all its components; your friends, co-workers, family, social situations, concepts, entertainment…literally any “thing” and all people from a new, unique, humbled, appreciative, and gratitude-filled perspective. It may also make you more long winded if you are a writer. Onward.
In summary one can expect the usual uplift offered by many a cerebral strain whether it be labeled a Sativa, Hybrid, or Indica. But, this Northern Lights by Modern, which I presumed to be NL#5 is a bit different than most of the Northern Lights #5 phenotype concoctions you will run across in the Maryland cannabis market. This one seems to have even more an edge to the cerebral component of the effect than other Northern Lights, and NL hybrids I’ve sampled.
I feel that this version from Modern showcases a bit more of concentration in the cerebral “head-buzz” department. If Northern Lights #5 could be epitomized by the cascading streams of color of the actual Northern Lights, then Modern Flower’s Northern Lights takes you inside the light show. Laserium-level.
BEST USED:
SUITABLE ALL DAY WITH APPROPRIATE DOSAGE
APPLICATIONS (MEDICINAL + RECREATIONAL
MEDICINAL;
Those combating symptoms of PMS, depression, ADD/ADHD, anxiety, lack of sleep, lack of appetite, stress, fatigue, and diminished or unstable mood may find Modern Flower’s Northern Lights to be of assistance.
Can help mitigate or alleviate. some symptoms associated with:
- ADD/HD (Attention Deficit Disorder)*
- Anxiety/Depression/ Stress +++
- Eating Disorders/diminished appetite * +/++) ++
- Difficulty Sleeping ++/+++
- Restlessness +/++/+++
APPEARANCE (Aroma + Flavor);
Good For Bowls and Rolls: quite suitable for all
AROMA;
Herbaceous lemon
Under layer of honey
Fruity / juicy fruit0-type tinge to the aroma
Faint aroma of wild berries
FLAVOR (INHALE / EXHALE):
INHALE
Slight taste of wild berries
EXHALE:
Undercurrent of hashish
A slightly nutty or honeyed component to the overall flavor
PACKAGING:
Trulieve/ Modern Flower/ Roll One were some of the first to move to ziplock. And, because of the savings, has been inaccurately perceived as below the top or even middle tier flower on the shelf. Nothing could be further from reality; And I continue to extol the benefits of choosing Modern Flower and Roll One. Northern Lights is another example of this under-valued cultivator.
A CLOSER LOOK INSIDE:
Northern Lights’ TERPO-CHEMICAL PROFILE:
Potency: This is a very potent batch with…
THCa 31.35
Delta 9 THC 0.28%
CBGa 0.54%
This substantial level of CBGa/ CBG once burned aka decarboxylized lends a lot of weight to Northern Lights sedative effect
Caryophyllene: 1.14% | Beta-Myrcene: 0.49% | Humulene: 0.03% | Limonene: 0.51% | Linalool: 0.29
TOP TERPENES: CAR, LIM, MYR
- Beta-Caryophyllene 1.14%
- Beta-Myrcene: 0.49%
- Limonene: 0.51%
- Humulene: 0.35%
Note the high level of Humulene which is also known as Caryophyllene A. So, along with Beta-Caryophyllene, known for its warming and relaxing euphoria, already leading the pack, this batch of Northern Lights is very stoney to say the least; expect extreme amounts of physical euphoria.
CONCLUSION:
Northern Lights, is a legendary strain with a disputed history and by extension a murky lineage, which seems to be based in an Afghani Indica eventually bred with a Sativa, possibly of Thai origin. Northern Lights physical characteristics and effects seem to be emblematic of the best of both Sativas and Indica varieties offering a multi-layered effect with a heightened cerebral expression and a weighty, stoney, sedative side offering a balanced synergy that is capable of elevating the mind and relaxing the body to extreme degrees.
Having a dense bud structure, typical of a structural Indica, a fruity aroma and decidedly cerebral side to its effects typical of a structural Sativa, Northern Lights carries a full spectrum of effects for the novice and connoisseur alike and has become a staple of cannabis culture.
Modern Flower’s version of Northern Lights, phenotype number withheld, is most likely born of the popular NL#5, the most widely used in breeding most Northern Lights parented hybrid strains. Offering more evidence of its #5 designation, Modern Flower’s Northern Lights transmits a distinctly cerebral edge to its initial effect.
THE LONG ROAD HOME (My Toke)…
I was very pleasantly surprised at the potency Modern Flower’s Northern Lights.
Northern Lights History…A brief look into the dank mysterious backstory…
Northern Lights is such a highly regarded and popular cannabis strains in the world. It has become almost ubiquitous with cannabis itself due to its popularization in pop culture and entertainment that it is sometimes recognizable even to people who have no experience with cannabis at all.
Ironically, it is one of the most well known strains in the world and winner of many awards yet very little is known about what Northern Lights really is; no one truly can claim providence over its origin or prove its lineage. It is a widely disputed origin story that involves a few intertwining stories.
The original Northern Lights is thought to be of Afghani origin and therefore predominantly a structural Indica. But it is commonly thought that throughout its cultivation at some point some Sativa genetics were injected into the mix providing a fruity aroma and a decidedly potent cerebral edge to its effects for which it is known to transmit.
Some sources assert that Northern Lights was bred by a mysterious grower known simply as “The Indian” on an island near Seattle Washington in the Pacific Northwest.
However other voices in the dispute claim that Northern Lights was originally grown in California long before the exploits of “The Indian”. Either way most sources agree that in the beginning there were 11 different phenotypes of the strain of which numbers 1 and 5 stood out both with typical Indica characteristics: squat, dense, dark green, and even at this point in the story, a very stable genetic recipe.
At some point in the mid to late 1980s, Dutch breeder and founder of the legendary Seed Bank in Holland (now Sensei Seeds), Noel Shoenmaker was given some female Northern Lights phenotypes and exported them back to Amsterdam where he inbred these females and then introduced Thai Sativa genetics to these hybrids.
Out of this marriage of cross continental genetics new Northern Lights phenotypes arose:
Northern Lights #1 which was the closest to the original pure Afghani phenotypes, NL #2 (NL #1 x Hindu Kush actually what came to be known as Dutch Passion’s Oasis). But the most popular and seemingly well-rounded phenotype, NL#5 which was considered the best of the bunch. This makes it more likely that the NL#5 phone is probably the one of the original 11 that remained pure. NL#5’s popularity is without a doubt as it has been used to breed many, many hybrid strains. Male Phenotypes #1 and #2 were reportedly used to develop several strains offered by the Seed Bank catalog.
So, as you can see, Northern Lights’ backstory is murky at best.