Marijuana is often hailed for its medical benefits. Science has shown it’s an effective treatment for pain, nausea, insomnia, and a range of other medical symptoms. It also has tons of benefits for your mental health. In addition to reducing anxiety and stress, it’s also a powerful antidepressant. There are many strains of cannabis that can boost your mood, and many patients today turn to the best strains for depression as a therapeutic treatment.
Sativa strains are generally the most beneficial for depression. Their mentally stimulating effects give you a fast and effective boost in mood and productivity. Indica strains can also be useful for relaxing your mind and warding off negative thoughts. Hybrid strains give you a nice balance of both. So what are the best strains for depression? Here are eight good options to choose from.
1. Girl Scout Cookies
Just like real Girl Scout Cookies, this strain smells good, tastes good, and makes you feel good. Girl Scout Cookies (or GSC) is known for inducing strong feelings of happiness and euphoria. The mix between OG Kush and Durban Poison results in a well-balanced hybrid strain that gives you uplifting sativa effects with a relaxing indica body high.
It’s a versatile strain that’s useful for any time of the day. It’ll make you feel uplifted and relaxed without being too lethargic. Instead, you’ll feel more social and productive, making it great for counteracting depression. You can buy Girl Scout Cookies here.
2. Red Congo
Red Congo is a potent sativa strain that gives you powerful mood-boosting effects. It acts fast, making you feel more energetic and focused with a clear-minded high. As such, this is perfect for using in the morning to ward off depression and stress. It’s also useful for preventing pain and headaches.
The flavor is smooth and earthy with a little spice. It’s enjoyable to smoke or vape and will give you a swift improvement in mood. This is one of the best strains for waking and baking, especially for those who need to counteract feelings of depression. You can buy Red Congo here.
3. Pink Kush
Pink Kush is a relative of OG Kush, and while the hybrid strain leans more towards indica, it still has some nice positive effects for your mood. Many users enjoy Pink Kush for its sweet flavor and range of therapeutic effects.
You’ll get an intense body high using this strain, which is helpful for those dealing with pain, inflammation, and physical tension. However, it’ll also make you feel happy, stress-free, and very mellow. The vast improvements in sleep are also beneficial for your mood, making it useful for those dealing with insomnia along with depression. You can buy Pink Kush here.
4. Angel Cake
Angel Cake is a unique hybrid strain. It mixes genetics of Girl Scout Cookies and Fire OG Kush to create a flavorful and uplifting strain with many great effects. Smoking a little bit of this will result in a sharp upswing in your mood. You’ll feel focused, created, and ready to take on the day without feeling too sleepy or intoxicated.
This is fantastic for daytime use, but can quickly prevent a bad mood at any time of the day. With a fruity yet spicy and earthy taste, it’s also a joy to smoke and the effects will hit you fast. You can buy Angel Cake here.
5. Bruce Banner #3
The Bruce Banner strain comes in various forms, but Bruce Banner #3 is one of the best strains for depression. This potent hybrid will make you feel like the Hulk, giving you a strong burst of euphoric motivation that will crush feelings of depression.
The clear and focused sativa high will lead to smooth relaxation, making it great both for the day and winding down at night. It also helps with reducing stress, anxiety, and pain. You can buy Bruce Banner #3 here.
6. Strawberry Cough
Strawberry Cough is a sweet sativa-dominant strain that has powerful euphoric effects on your mood. Strawberry Cough has a sweet fruity taste, but the thick smoke is enough to make anyone cough, explaining the name. However, it’s still an enjoyable strain to smoke thanks to the powerful uplifting high it’ll give you.
This strain will instantly make you feel happy and energetic. Feelings of anxiety and depression will fall away fast as your senses become heightened. It’s good for use as a social strain or just for lifting you out of a bad mood. You can buy Strawberry Cough here.
7. Orange Juice
Orange Juice is a sweet citrus strain with strong euphoric effects. It’s a cross between California Orange and OG Kush, resulting in a tasty hybrid that can do wonders for your mood. It’ll give you a happy and uplifting high, making it useful for daytime use. This will then lead to a nice relaxing body high.
The variety of effects make it useful as a treatment for all kinds of symptoms. It’ll reduce pain and nausea while also lifting your mood. The happy high makes it a good choice for those who need a strain for treating depression. You can buy Orange Juice here.
8. Gorilla Glue 5
Gorilla Glue strains are renowned worldwide for their relaxing effects, and GG5 is no exception. This hybrid strain will give you intense relaxation. It’ll be hard to feel anxious, stressed or depressed when under the spell of this tranquilizing and euphoric high.
GG5 also has some nice sativa effects, so you can expect to feel happy and creative while under the influence. It’s a great treatment for depression, along with pain, stress, nausea, and a lot more. It’ll also give you heavy couch-lock so it’s best to avoid this one during the daytime. You can buy Gorilla Glue 5 here.
Conclusion
The uplifting effects of cannabis make it great for depression. While it shouldn’t be used as a crutch or an all-in-one treatment, it can help you boost productivity and ward off a bad mood. These are some of the best strains for depression, but there are plenty of other choices. CBD products can also be useful for preventing depression, and cannabis concentrates can give you an even stronger high. Whichever way, use cannabis responsibly and you’ll get very enjoyable effects.