Sativa strains are primarily associated with recreational use, as consumers often choose them for social activities—like a night out with friends— or creative pursuits such as painting, playing music, or writing, since Sativas help boost creativity, focus, and motivation. However, they also have medical properties that can help with conditions such as depression, ADHD, and appetite loss. The best Sativa varieties are strains that, unlike Indicas and Hybrids, are mainly known for their energizing, uplifting, and mind-bending effects. These cerebral effects can be relaxing but primarily serve as an energy booster, helping you tackle daily chores or difficult tasks with a huge smile on your face. These effects are why Sativas are considered daytime strains. Sativa plants can be more difficult to grow since they grow much taller and take longer to mature than their counterparts. Sativas are well-suited for growers dealing with longer growing seasons, as they can withstand high humidity and higher-than-average temperatures.
Best sativa strains
What are sativa strains?
Sativa strains are associated with uplifting and energetic effects, making them the go-to for daytime cannabis consumers. Unlike indica strains that provide a soothing body high with sedative-like effects, sativas are famous for delivering a powerful and energetic happy head high. They’re known to help increase motivation, focus, and creativity — making them ideal for anyone interested in a stimulating daytime buzz that gets them up and moving, socializing, working on tasks, or exploring creative pursuits.
What are the best sativa strains?
Most sativa smokers report the best sativa strains deliver an energetic, growdiaries.com/strains/category/positive-effects/uplifted%22%3E%3Cspan style="font-weight: 400;">uplifted head high, boost mood, and increase focus and mental clarity. Every cannabis consumer is different though, with unique needs as varied as the effects of different strains. Following you’ll find what many consider the best sativa strains of all time, each with distinctive effects that keep cannabis consumers coming back for more. If you’re looking for the best sativa, chances are it’s on this list. Whether you're interested in the most popular sativas for a morning wake-and-bake, desire a daytime strain that will keep you energized and focused, or want to find a medical strain you can use all day that won’t make you drowsy, keep reading to find what exactly what you’re looking for.
growdiaries.com/strains/blue-dream%22%3E%3Cspan style="font-weight: 400;">Blue Dream
Blue Dream is one of the most popular sativa strains in the world, famous for its fast-acting energetic buzz and growdiaries.com/strains/category/positive-effects/focused%22%3E%3Cspan style="font-weight: 400;">focused head high that blend seamlessly with a relaxed body high that doesn’t leave you sleepy or sedated. After the first hit of this deliciously growdiaries.com/strains/category/tastes/sweet%22%3E%3Cspan style="font-weight: 400;">sweet, berry flavored herb with its earthy, skunky finish, you’ll instantly find yourself lifted to an elevated head space that inspires creativity and focused clarity.
growdiaries.com/strains/sour-diesel%22%3E%3Cspan style="font-weight: 400;">Sour Diesel
Sour Diesel, aka Sour D, is a legendary sativa hybrid with a pungent, lemony growdiaries.com/strains/category/tastes/diesel%22%3E%3Cspan style="font-weight: 400;">diesel flavor and uplifted cerebral boost that inspires a surge of growdiaries.com/strains/category/positive-effects/euphoric%22%3E%3Cspan style="font-weight: 400;">euphoric, creative energy that washes away fatigue and negative thoughts. Its happy, energetic vibe will put a spring in your step and greet whatever the day entails with a sense of elevated positivity.
growdiaries.com/strains/amnesia-haze%22%3E%3Cspan style="font-weight: 400;">Amnesia Haze
Amnesia Haze is in the class of old-school cannabis classics, a sativa-dominant hybrid created in the 1990s by Sam the Skunkman, the late California breeder behind some of the most popular weed strains of all time — including the notorious Skunk #1. Its pungent, fruity and earthy flavor that contains subtle hints of hash combined with its famous sativa-forward effects makes Amnesia Haze a strain of which legends are made. Its euphoric, creative head high will have you chatting up a storm, with growdiaries.com/strains/category/positive-effects/talkative%22%3E%3Cspan style="font-weight: 400;">talkative, mood boosting effects that make you feel fabulous. Its energizing cerebral buzz makes it perfect for early morning sessions and consuming throughout the day.
growdiaries.com/strains/jack-herer%22%3E%3Cspan style="font-weight: 400;">Jack Herer
Jack Herer is a sativa-dominant hybrid boasting the name of one of the most famous cannabis activists of all time — perfectly alluding to why it’s widely considered one of the best sativa strains of all time. With a refreshing spicy herbal, lemon flavor and energetic effects, this spirited sativa delivers a euphoric and focused head high that inspires creativity and sociability almost immediately after exhaling the first tasty hit.
growdiaries.com/strains/green-crack%22%3E%3Cspan style="font-weight: 400;">Green Crack
Green Crack is a racy sativa-dominant hybrid with super energizing cerebral effects and sweet growdiaries.com/strains/category/tastes/mango%22%3E%3Cspan style="font-weight: 400;">mango citrus taste. Known for delivering a delightfully focused and powerful euphoric burst of creativity and motivation, this lively strain quickly became a sativa fan fav after it was introduced in the 1990s — and is still holding strong as one of the top sativas ever created well over 20 years later.
growdiaries.com/strains/mimosa%22%3E%3Cspan style="font-weight: 400;">Mimosa
Mimosa, aka Purple Mimosa, is a sativa-dominant hybrid with a bright growdiaries.com/strains/category/tastes/citrus%22%3E%3Cspan style="font-weight: 400;">citrus flavor reflecting its name and potent energizing, uplifting effects ideal for daytime use. Its motivating, focused energy is ideal for creative projects, and its growdiaries.com/strains/category/positive-effects/happy%22%3E%3Cspan style="font-weight: 400;">happy, talkative head high makes it one of the best sativa strains for socializing.
growdiaries.com/strains/durban-poison%22%3E%3Cspan style="font-weight: 400;">Durban Poison
Durban Poison is a pure landrace sativa strain hailing from Durban, South Africa. This highly celebrated sativa has a sweet, growdiaries.com/strains/category/tastes/spicy-herbal%22%3E%3Cspan style="font-weight: 400;">spicy herbal flavor and energetic, uplifting high that inspires focused motivation and creativity. With global superstar status, this invigorating top-shelf sativa is ideal for anyone seeking a potent and euphoric daytime cerebral buzz.
growdiaries.com/strains/strawberry-cough%22%3E%3Cspan style="font-weight: 400;">Strawberry Cough
Strawberry Cough has been considered one of the best sativa strains since the early 2000s, boasting growdiaries.com/strains/category/positive-effects/uplifted%22%3E%3Cspan style="font-weight: 400;">uplifted, energizing effects and a pungent, growdiaries.com/strains/category/tastes/sweet%22%3E%3Cspan style="font-weight: 400;">sweet berry flavor that leaves a smooth strawberry taste lingering on the palate after you exhale. It’s a fabulous strain for creative
inspiration, with a giggly, happy energy that makes it a perfect companion when hitting the social scene.
growdiaries.com/strains/acapulco-gold%22%3E%3Cspan style="font-weight: 400;">Acapulco Gold
Acapulco Gold is a rare cannabis legend — a landrace sativa with Mexican roots and long-lasting, brightly uplifted effects that delivers a golden energetic boost. With its pungent, growdiaries.com/strains/category/tastes/earthy%22%3E%3Cspan style="font-weight: 400;">earthy flavor and stimulating cerebral high that encourages creativity and motivation, this famed hard-to-find strain is a must-try for any sativa fan that comes across it.
How do sativa strains make you feel?
While cannabis affects everyone differently depending on their own unique physiology, sativa strains are famous for inspiring growdiaries.com/strains/category/positive-effects/euphoric%22%3E%3Cspan style="font-weight: 400;">euphoric, energized, and uplifted cerebral effects. Sativas are known for boosting mood and inspiring creativity, making them perfect for daytime consumption or morning wake-and-bake sessions.
Are sativa strains stimulating or relaxing?
Sativa strains are widely known for growdiaries.com/strains/category/positive-effects/aroused%22%3E%3Cspan style="font-weight: 400;">aroused stimulating effects that increase mental and physical energy. Commonly used by consumers who prefer an invigorating daytime high, sativas contain a decidedly different energy than their relaxing indica counterparts.
Do all sativa strains make you feel the same way?
No, not all sativa strains will make you feel the same way, but most have an uplifting quality that makes them the standard go-to for daytime consumption. The way a sativa makes you feel depends on the cannabinoid and terpene profile, aka the “chemovar.” Sativas typically contain high THC levels and bright, energizing terpenes like limonene, known for its energetic, uplifting effects, and pinene, known for focused mental clarity. Durban Poison, for example, is a landrace sativa strain high in limonene that’s famous for its energizing, uplifted effects. Blue Dream, on the other hand, is a sativa-dominant hybrid superior for focus and productivity thanks to its high pinene content. Sativa strains with high THC levels will contain more of an energized, racy effect, while lower THC concentrations typically offer a more manageable high, particularly for new users or those sensitive to THC.
Do sativa strains give you energy?
Thanks to the presence of those brightly stimulating terpenes, sativa strains are known to deliver an uplifted, energetic buzz. How energizing a sativa strain is largely depends on the chemovar itself, but in general most offer a boost of motivating energy that will inspire you to get things done.
What are the best sativa strains for focus?
While some sativas are known for producing a blissed out state of euphoric intoxication, others are famous for delivering a focused, clear-headed high. Take Tangie, for example, the highly-esteemed sativa hybrid with a cannabis cult-like status. It’s been dubbed a “motivation master” thanks to its unprecedented ability to increase focus and boost mood. The best sativa strains for focus are popular with medical cannabis patients seeking relief from ADHD, chronic fatigue, stress, and depression. Tangie, growdiaries.com/strains/sour-tangie%22%3E%3Cspan style="font-weight: 400;">Sour Tangie (Tangie x East Coast Sour Diesel), and growdiaries.com/strains/lemon-thai%22%3E%3Cspan style="font-weight: 400;">Lemon Thai are all popular strains for managing symptoms of growdiaries.com/strains/category/medical/add-adhd%22%3E%3Cspan style="font-weight: 400;">ADHD, with focused effects that may help with distraction, trouble paying attention, poor time management skills, and difficulty completing tasks.
Will sativa strains keep you awake at night?
If you’re interested in getting a good night’s sleep, you might want to reconsider evening sativa consumption as their energetic effects can keep some people awake at night. While everyone is different, sativas are generally ideal for daytime use, while indicas are used in the evenings.
What therapeutic benefits do sativa strains have?
Sativa strains are famous for energetic and uplifted cerebral effects that boost mood and inspire clarity. Medical patients often seek out sativa strains to support mood disorders, stress, depression, chronic growdiaries.com/strains/category/medical/fatigue%22%3E%3Cspan style="font-weight: 400;">fatigue, and growdiaries.com/strains/category/medical/pain%22%3E%3Cspan style="font-weight: 400;">pain. Unlike indica-dominant strains that can make you feel drowsy, sleepy, and unmotivated, sunny sativa strains offer a bright, engaging energy. Sativas are great for medical cannabis patients who want to consume cannabis throughout the day without experiencing a sleepy comedown or becoming so lazy they can’t function. Consumers with chronic pain that keeps them from functioning, for example, may find the energizing, uplifting, super powerful effects of growdiaries.com/strains/super-sour-diesel%22%3E%3Cspan style="font-weight: 400;">Super Sour Diesel and its potent pain-relieving potential helps them move effortlessly throughout their day.
What do sativa strains look like?
Native to places like Mexico, South America, and Africa, sativa strains are tall and thin, contain long, skinny light green leaves, and produce light, fluffy buds. They savor the long, sunny days in their native habitats, taking their time to reach maturity, where they’ll often reach massive heights — up to 6ft/2m or more. Sativa strains require a ton of space, have a longer flowering period and produce growdiaries.com/strains/category/yield/low%22%3E%3Cspan style="font-weight: 400;">lower yields compared to indica strains, which are known to produce notoriously high harvests. Ultimately, this makes sativas less popular to grow than indicas, which is why many growers tend to cultivate sativa-dominant hybrids rather than pure landrace sativa strains.