The nomenclature of cannabis strains is often confusing and full of ambiguities. This is due to many years of prohibition, as well as breeders’ efforts to stand out from the competition. One of the most typical examples is strains labelled with the word kush. This may refer to the Hindu Kush mountain range west of the Himalayas, but also to the legendary OG Kush bred in Florida in the 1990s.
The roots of strains known as kush can be traced to the Hindu Kush mountain range, which stretches across Afghanistan, Pakistan and Tajikistan. This is where the mountain strains originally came from, with travellers returning from the famous Hippie Trail bringing their seeds to America in the 1960s and 1970s. The route led from Western Europe to India, passing through many places with a rich cannabis history.
From the land of hashish
From a cannabis-growing perspective, the Hindu Kush is a challenging environment. It is a vast mountain range characterised by a dry climate, intense sunlight, a short growing season and significant differences between daytime and night-time temperatures. At the same time, this region is home to one of the oldest cannabis cultures. Afghans traditionally say that they were the first to master the production of sifted hashish. According to legend, this ancient art was taught to them by the Sufi mystic Baba Ku.
The specific environment and centuries of traditional cultivation have given the local strains a unique character. Compared with cannabis from lower-lying regions, the plants are shorter and mature more quickly. Thanks to repeated selection for hashish production, local landrace strains have a distinctive flower structure and terpene profile.
When the first American cannabis growers travelled to the Hindu Kush region along the Hippie Trail in the 1960s, they could not fail to notice how different the local plants were. Unlike the native sativas, which had narrow leaves, grew to several metres in height and flowered for many months, strains from the Hindu Kush had broad leaves, rarely exceeded two metres and managed to flower during the short mountain summer. To distinguish them from sativas, the term indica became established for this new type of strain.
Cannabis growers are a curious species, and it was not long before the first crosses between imported indicas and classic American sativas began to appear in America, including Haze, Eden Gold, Polly, Maui Wowie, Kona Gold, Matanuska Thunderfuck and Big Sur Holly. Strains such as Skunk #1 and Northern Lights date back to this era of the first hybrids.
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How OG Kush came about
Pure indicas from various regions of Central and South Asia are often named after their place of origin, for example Afghani, Pamir, Himalaya or Kush, probably derived from the name of the Hindu Kush mountain range.
OG Kush was created by crossing the Hindu Kush landrace with the American “bag seed” strain Chemdawg in the early 1990s. Where the second part of the name comes from is obvious – there has been endless debate over the meaning of the abbreviation OG. The acronym may stand for Original Gangster, Ocean Grown or simply Original.
What kush smells and tastes like
Over the years, the term kush has become synonymous with the characteristic terpene profile associated with this type of strain. The first impression is intense and full of “gassy” aromas of petrol and turpentine, complemented by notes of pine resin and citrus. The foundation of the full kush flavour is reminiscent of earth and dry wood, with a hint of resin. On the exhale, the smoke carries notes of pepper and spices, along with subtly skunky sulphurous tones.
One of the main terpenes in kush strains is myrcene, which specialist literature attributes with relaxing and analgesic effects. Myrcene gives the terpene profile of kush strains an earthy, rounded foundation that combines perfectly with two other terpenes – limonene and caryophyllene. Limonene adds the aroma of citrus, oranges and limes and is attributed with anti-stress and anxiolytic effects. Caryophyllene has the flavour of black pepper and cloves and is an exceptionally interesting terpene. It is an agonist of the CB2 receptor and may therefore significantly influence inflammation, pain and the immune system response in a similar way to cannabinoids.
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Which kush is the best?
In the HiSeeds catalogue, you will find dozens of different kush strains, so if you become a fan of this type of strain, you will have plenty to explore. To make your choice a little easier, we have selected three of our favourite kush strains that you definitely should not overlook.
Bubba Kush – Anyone should try this classic, which pays tribute to the creator of the original kush, Matt “Bubba” Berger, at least once. Bubba Kush is somewhat sweeter than most old-school kush strains. Its kush profile combines with the sweetness of chocolate and a hint of coffee.
Pure Kush – Greenhouse Seeds set out to create a strain as faithful as possible to the original 1990s OG Kush, and in our view, they succeeded. Its sharp terpene profile, full of myrcene, caryophyllene, pinene and geraniol, will knock you flat, and you will not be getting up any time soon – just as it should be with a proper kush.
Herz OG – This unassuming gem from the Spanish seed bank Exotic Seeds surprised us in many ways. A cross of two iconic kush strains, Larry OG and Kosher Kush, it will surprise you with its yield and uncompromising terpene profile, full of wood, pine and sweet-and-sour citrus underscored by pepper.
Kush strains are favourites among breeders and growers, and there are enormous numbers of them. Our list did not include autoflowering kush strains, CBD kush strains and a whole range of proven varieties. Every strain has something to offer, and it is certainly worth trying as many of them as possible. For more advice and tips for growers and cannabis enthusiasts, visit the HiSeeds blog.