A Middle Eastern Odyssey 

Bud Basics

Afghan – aka Afghani or Afghan – is just about as old-school as it gets.  Comprising entirely Indica genetics and originating from the Middle East, Afghan is hands down one of the most important and celebrated strains of all time.

As a 100% pure Indica with a potentially elevated THC content, this is the strain to turn to for a spot of unashamedly indulgent relaxation. Not to mention, welcome relief from a wide variety of chronic conditions.

Afghan Auto is (of course) the autoflowering variant of this superstar strain, reducing total cultivation times in exchange for fractionally lower yields.  Then again, when you consider the average THC content of 20% (up to 25% in some instances), it’s not as if you need much of this stuff to achieve the desired effect.

The original Afghan cannabis strain has lent her genetics to dozens of new and innovative hybrids over the years - two prominent examples of which being Northern Lights and Blueberry. Of course, some insist that marijuana is at its best when it’s as pure and unspoiled as possible – precisely where Afghan outshines almost all other strains. 

This is also one of the heaviest resin-producing plants in existence right now, making her perfect for the production of cannabis concentrates and all other types of extracts. Fragrant, flavorful and capable of sedating even the most experienced veterans, Afghan is the yardstick by which all other Indica strains are measured. 

And if all this wasn’t enough to convince you, Afghan Autoflower is also exceptionally easy and convenient to grow – even if you’ve nothing more than an empty cupboard to commit to the cause.

Flavor and Fragrance of Afghan

Myrcene, pinene and ocimene are the three most prolific terpenes in Afghan Autoflower. This combination of herbal, pine-fresh and minty fragrances results in a floral and perfume-like aroma, with masses of exotic spice and an inviting hint of hashish.

Speaking of which, Afghan Auto is one of the most popular strains on the market right now for the production of quality hashish and cannabis concentrates, due to her ridiculous resin reduction and consistently high THC content.

Set light to these buds and you’re in for an unforgettable adventure. The whole thing bursts into life with an incense-like aroma that gives some indication of the flavor to follow.

The smoke itself is quite harsh and challenging, leaving behind a herbal and earthy aftertaste that’s pretty dry on the palate. You could argue this isn’t the most sophisticated strain in terms of depth of flavor or complexity, but that’s not what Afghan is all about.

Instead, this weed is about enjoying cannabis as it has been enjoyed for thousands of years – unspoiled and untainted. 

Effects 

This deeply historic strain has lent her generous genetics to an endless list of hard-hitting hybrids over the years. While Afghan Autoflower isn’t the greatest for melting away negative thoughts and emotions, the predominantly physical experience of these nugs gets to work in seconds.

A couple of puffs of Afghan is enough to send wave after wave of intense and warming relaxation throughout the body. The nerves tingle with euphoric bliss, as a feeling of uncontrollable heaviness gradually makes its way from head to toe.

Couch-lock is practically inevitable, though without the clouded mind and dreariness you’d normally associate with a sedating strain. Instead, your mood is lifted with a sense of contentment and optimism, enabling you to appreciate your surroundings and your situation on an entirely new level.

Or to put it another way, you won’t be able to move for some time, but you’ll be more than happy with that. Munchies of epic proportions also go hand in hand with this stuff, so make sure that you are adequately prepared in advance. 

Medical Uses of Afghan Autoflower

Unsurprisingly, Afghan Auto’s therapeutic benefits rest almost exclusively on the physical side of the spectrum. Far from simply making you feel sleepy and incapable of movement, this strain has a numbing effect on the body that’s great for pain relief, and can also be just the thing for getting to grips with stiffness, muscle aches and so on. 

Insomnia patients in particular make a beeline for Afghan, which when consumed in adequate quantities makes long and undisturbed sleep inevitable.

Importantly, there’s no crashing return to reality to worry about, or any kind of hangover-like effect the next day. Even if you hit this stuff hard enough to blast you well and truly into unconsciousness, you’ll wake up feeling fantastically refreshed and ready for anything the next day.

Along with any associations with pain relief, Afghan Autoflower is also great for getting to grips with mild cases of depression, anxiety and everyday stress. As mentioned above, she’s also notorious for bringing on relentless bouts of the munchies – perfect for addressing appetite issues.

The risk of side effects is minimal, though being locked to the couch for hours on end can be somewhat overwhelming and difficult to deal with for novice users. As you’re never quite sure just how much THC is in there, start out slowly and proceed with caution.

Growing Afghan Autoflower

Afghan originates from a relatively warm and dry part of the world, so these are the kinds of conditions these plants need to do their thing.

You’ll do fine outdoors in warm and sunny Mediterranean-like conditions, but elsewhere you’ll need to keep this stuff indoors to keep an eye over things. The good news being that with the Afghan Auto variety, plants rarely reach 100cm in height.

Not only is this a fantastically compact specimen, she also has a comparatively short flowering time of around eight weeks. Experiment with hydroponics or aeroponics if you like, but remember that quality Afghan has grown naturally for thousands of years in nothing but nutrient-rich soil.

In terms of yields, give your plants everything they need and you could be looking at 500g of potent weed for every square meter of grow space. Afghan Autoflower is naturally resilient to most typical plant problems, so you needn’t worry too much about pest infestation, mold or disease.

Just be warned that while the compact dimensions of this plant make her an easy strain to hide, the pungent fragrance doesn’t work wonders for discretion.

Summary

The long and short of it with Afghan weed in general is relatively simple.  Irrespective of your own personal tastes and preferences, you cannot consider yourself a true cannabis aficionado unless you know exactly what this stuff is all about.

In any case, there’s always a time and place for a pure-Indica specimen that gets to work on the body like a sledgehammer. Where pure self-indulgence and idleness are called for, there’s really nothing that gets the job done better than this.

Particularly for anyone looking to sleep like they’ve never slept before, Afghan Autoflower is unbeatable.