Case in point: Painkiller XL . This new strain combines two well-received parents, Juanita la Lagrimosa (Spanish for “Juanita the Tearful”) and Royal Highness, which are themselves genetic hybrids of other precursor strains: Juanita the Tearful from Queen Mother and a Mexican-Afghan blend; Royal Highness from Dance Hall and Respect 13. On and on the strains date back in agricultural time, each new variety with its own unique smell, taste, color, high and medical benefit. However, in the past decade, a goal of all this tinkering has been what some producers are starting to call “Royal Respect” with the soul of marijuana’s benefits going toward both body and mind.

Painkiller XL is notable for its near-equal representation of 6 percent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and 7 percent cannabidiol (CBD), achieved by a seed that’s 70 percent sativa and 30 percent indica.

This new strain joins others rich in both CBD and THC like Euphoria, Royal Medic, Medical Mass and Danceworld that don’t seek to downplay cannabis’ psychoactive effects in favour of optimizing its healing role, but instead equalize the two. According to the California-based Steep Hill Cannabis Analysis Laboratory, this equalization brings to the cannabis user not just the physically healing aspects, but also the spiritually and psychologically healing benefits as well. There are other strains with very little THC and more CBD than Painkiller XL , but few are such splendid balances. Producers of this strain say it produces a considerable amount of pain relief, with a mild, relieving mental euphoria.

With a flowering time of eight weeks, the Painkiller XL seed can produce 525 to 575 grams per plant indoors. Inside, the dried yield is 400 to 450 grams per plant. Inside, the plants average in height at about 31.5 inches (80 cm); outside, the average height is about 53 inches (135 cm), with harvest time at the end of September.