Certain cannabis strains’ leaves acquire a purple tint owing to a high amount of anthocyanins, water-soluble natural pigments found in many plants. Anthocyanins are water-soluble natural pigments present in a variety of plants. They’re responsible for the color of blueberries, blackberries, and red grapes, among other things. Looking to try something new? Check out this.
Anthocyanins are also present in cannabis plants. These pigment molecules give different strains of cannabis buds their distinct colors.
Cannabis contains anthocyanin, which is a pigment. It comes in a variety of hues, including red, gold, dark green, blue, and black. The color of cannabis is determined by the plant’s genetics and growing methods. Many variables influence the color and durability of anthocyanin pigments, including temperature, light intensity, pH level, and structure.
Cannabis leaves can darken as the plant matures, just as leaves do in the fall. If you think of a cannabis crop growing in nature, this would happen when the weather gets colder and longer nights occur.
Certain strains have a lot of anthocyanins in them by nature. Certain situations, such as being placed into the “bloom” cycle, expose these strains’ striking purple tones. This is an inevitable consequence of a plant’s genotype and external circumstances interacting.
What Are Anthocyanins?
Anthocyanins are phytochemicals that belong to the flavonoid group. Flavonoids are plant chemicals found in fruits, vegetables, grains, teas, and nuts. They’re also present in cannabis plants, along with two additional types of compounds: cannabinoids and terpenes.
Anthocyanins have been linked to a variety of health benefits, including improved eye and cognitive health. “Scientific research, such as cell culture studies, animal models, and human clinical trials, indicate that anthocyanidins and anthocyanins have antioxidant and antibacterial properties that improve visual and neurological well-being while also protecting against various noncommunicable diseases,” according to Khoo et al.
Anthocyanins, as well as other flavonoids, have been found to be anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. Anthocyanins may help protect the heart and liver while also assisting in weight reduction and diabetes prevention.
For thousands of years, plants with high anthocyanin content have been used as herbal medicines. These naturally occurring treatments were formerly utilized by North American, European, and Chinese civilizations long ago.
Is purple grass a better option than green cannabis? Unfortunately, probably not. The majority of anthocyanins are absorbed via the digestive system. As a result, any significant variation would have to be observed after eating a lot of edibles. Probably not a viable alternative!
Are Purple Strains Healthier?
Purple cannabis flowers have a greater antioxidant power. You’d need to consume an extraordinarily large number of buds in order to get any benefit from their antioxidants. Not advised!
Although purple plants do have less THC, high-THC purple strains are feasible to cultivate. Matt Gosling, a seasoned breeder, claims that the purple strains available for sale in dispensaries are the result of exceptional genetics rather than stress. Consumers remember past purple strains. However, Gosling warns that attempting to create a plant with a more intense hue of purple pigment may actually damage its potency and medicinal effects.
Myths
- Stressing A Strain Will Turn It Purple
If the cannabis plant isn’t given enough nutrients for growth, its leaves may become purplish. They include potassium, phosphorus, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen among other things. In fact, denying them food would result in their death.
- Freezing A Strain Will Turn It Purple
It is generally regarded that flash freezing or ice water flushes aren’t a good idea for cannabis plants. It may both lower the THC concentration and kill the plant, and it can be done safely. Finally, I’m not sure how anyone could believe this, but…
- You Can Dye Your Cannabis Purple With Food Coloring
Obviously, this would be a waste of time and resources, so I’d want to know who came up with it.
How do Anthocyanins Affect Plant Appearance?
Anthocyanins are a type of pigment responsible for the brilliant hue of strawberries. They only appear in the last few weeks of a plant’s life, and they just start to shift its color. At the end, when chlorophyll is lacking, the pigments are more apparent.
When days grow shorter and nights longer, photoperiod-sensitive plants are told to stop producing chlorophyll (which is needed for photosynthesis and vegetative growth) so that energy may be concentrated on developing flowers and, eventually, fruits. As chlorophyll is broken down and dispersed from the plant’s cells, and anthocyanins accumulate, the plant becomes increasingly vivid purple, blue, and red hues.
The most noticeable symptom of poor anthocyanin synthesis is the bright red hue that appears on cannabis plants at the end of the blooming cycle. The gold, orange, and ochre hues that appear in many cannabis strains prior to harvest are well-known to growers—and while yellowing in the vegetative period or early flowering is usually an indication of disease or shortage, it is completely normal during later floral phases.
The carotenoids are to blame, a family of approximately 600 compounds that range in hue from pale yellow to deep orange-red. Carotenoids are formed throughout the plant’s existence, and their presence in the final phases of development is due to chlorophyll reduction rather than an increase in pigment production.
Maximum Yield Explains Purple Cannabis
Anthocyanins are water-soluble pigments that occur in a variety of plants, and their phenotypic manifestation can vary from purple to red to dark blue or black depending on the pH.
The color of a cannabis plant is affected by a variety of causes, including genetics, chemicals, and natural elements. pH levels must be neutral or slightly acid because higher alkaline soil prevents plants from absorbing anthocyanins. However, it is difficult to produce a purple-colored plant without having a genetic propensity towards purpleing.
Cannabis plants’ color transformation from green to purple may be compared to the leaves turning orange in the fall. As chlorophyll (the substance that gives plants their green color) disappears, purple hues that were previously hidden by the green begin to appear in the final phases of a cannabis plant’s life cycle. The calyx, pistils, and leaves all have the potential to turn purple under certain conditions. In flowers that have been harvested, chlorophyll breakdown occurs as a result of the curing process, allowing for greater exposure of purple hues.
In terms of appearance, purple cannabis has no advantages over green marijuana. In reality, purple marijuana has less THC on average. Grandaddy Purple, Purple Urkle, Grape Ape, and Purple Kush are some well-known purple strains.