My Favorite Strains: Shaman

As a plant geek, Shaman is a strain that peaks my interest based on a few quirky facts, including that these plants have a 50/50 chance of creating purple flowers during the flowering cycle. This means not all Shaman nugs will look the same, but most are chosen for their purple distinction.

This was personally experienced when I grew it. My Shaman met most of the strain standards but remained a light green color with darker hued pink highlights to the calyxes. However, the genotype or genetic lineage remains the same — an expert mix of male Purple #1 and an early flowering female Skunk variety.

Shaman is a sativa dominant hybrid strain (75 S/25 I) that was once called Purple Skunk until the world renowned cannabis seed bank who took over breeding of this cross in the 1980’s, Dutch Passion, renamed the beautiful flower, for reasons unknown. The THC level is not as high as many other newer “designer” strains, but has been tested at highs of 13-15%, with up to 0.5% CBD.

Some growers say that Shaman is more potent with the “green” phenotype (it does not produce purple flowers), and the difference of energy allotted from the plant to resin production, verses color variation, can be seen too. But don’t get discouraged if you find the purple Shaman
— I encourage you to try her if you come across it.

Due to the lower THC concentration and the name, I can say this is a great all day medicating strain for those who use cannabis on a medicinal level and don’t want to be too stoned. Because that is what a Shaman is, loosely noted — someone who takes charge in the healing process for you, the consumer of such medicine, and guides you to a healthy state.

The harvest of Shaman I got was of the purple variety, leaving very dark, deep purple buds with very minute amounts of green hiding under the long, light orange hairs. These pistils are so light and delicate, paintbrush-like, and very soft to the touch. The trichomes POP on the dark purple calyxes, like a sugar coated doughnut or a bee covered in pollen sacks heading back to the hive. It’s really a stunning sight and why many cannabis connoisseurs enjoy the “purple” varieties.

The nugs are more on the dense and compact size, and have a sweet and airy scent. Hints of apple, grape, pine, lemon and lavender dance around each other creating a vortex with a piquant skunky high note at the end. The taste is more mellow than the smell, but the pungent skunky earthiness shines through, giving this Shaman a pleasant taste.

After a few minutes I realized Shaman has hit my cerebral centers, making my mental state uplifted and calm. My pain level has diminished, and I’ve got a nice boost in my energy. Even though her THC concentrations are low, her effects are spot on, along with her appearance and smell profile. The high doesn’t last too long, but lingers long enough to keep my motivation even as it wears off. As my journey ends, I conclude, the Shaman has been good to me and done her part in helping me get the relief I’ve sought out in my herbal therapy.

Check out other posts from Weedist’s My Favorite Strains series!