All About Northern Lights Auto

Choosing the right strain of cannabis to match your wellness needs and growing skills can be challenging. While Northern Lights Auto is a popular strain, it can be hard to determine if it’s the best option for your unique needs. To help you make a confident, educated purchase, we’ve provided an in-depth look at this strain from Green House Seeds including growing tips, terpene profile and Potency potency, and the effects you can expect. 

Growing Northern Lights Auto

Northern Lights Auto is a cultivar of Northern Lights and Green-o-Matic and is ideal for beginning growers as it’s a robust strain that can tolerate cool weather and resists common molds, mildew, and pests. This strain grows quickly, reaching the flowering stage in around eight weeks and ready for harvest just a few weeks later. If you’re growing indoors or outdoors, you will need to make a bit of space as it’s taller than most autoflowering plants, reaching between 36 to 60 inches with long, heavy branches. It also yields more flowers than most autoflowering plants – indoor growers can expect up to 800 grams per square meter while outdoor growers can expect up to 150 grams per plant. 

About Autoflowering Plants

Most cannabis plants are photoperiod plants, meaning they require long hours of daylight during their vegetative growth stage. However, they will remain in that stage until their daily light exposure is decreased to around 12 hours a day. Once their light is reduced, the plants will begin flowering, which is why outdoor plants don’t flower until October to November when the daylight hours are reduced.

Northern Lights Auto is an autoflowering plant. Autoflowering plants will produce flowers assuming they get between 12 and 18 hours of light each day and the temperature stays above 50 degrees. There’s no need to reduce light to prompt flowering as they will do it on their own. 

How Does Northern Lights Auto Interact with Your Endocannabinoid System? 

Northern Lights is a popular strain, but what makes its effects so sought after? To better understand what you can expect and how its effects are achieved, it’s important to look at how cannabis L. short photoperiod plant and cannabis L. long photoperiod plant affect your endocannabinoid system (ECS).

Understanding the Endocannabinoid System 

The endocannabinoid system is a cell-signaling network that consists of neurotransmitters and receptors to create, carry, and receive messages to and from the brain to ensure the body remains in proper balance (Lu, Mackie; 2016). For example, when your stomach is empty, the body sends messages to the brain stimulating the appetite. The ECS is necessary to stimulate responses and regulate functions in the nervous system, endocrine system, and immune system (Komorowski, Stepien, 2007), including: 

• Hunger and appetite
• Fatigue and sleep
• Mood and how we process stress, worry, and depression;
• Inflammation, both acute and chronic;
• Pain response, including joint pain and headaches;
• Creating and recalling memory;

The three components of the ECS have to work together to create, read, and send out responses: 

1. Endocannabinoids are neurotransmitters produced by the body to send signals by binding to receptors.
2. Endocannabinoid receptors sit on the surface of cells, reading the messages from endocannabinoids and sending out responses. CB 1 receptors are found in the central nervous system and necessary for increasing appetite, elevating the mood, relieving pain, and assisting with sleep. CB2 receptors are found in the peripheral nervous system and are primarily necessary for immune responses. 
3. Enzymes break down the endocannabinoids once they have transmitted signals. 

Understanding Phytocannabinoids

The active ingredients of both Cannabis L. long photoperiod plant and cannabis L. short photoperiod plant are phytocannabinoids, cannabinoids that occur naturally within the plant and have a similar structure to the endocannabinoids produced by the body (Swift, Wong, Arnold, McGregor; 2013).  The two most abundant phytocannabinoids in cannabis are: 

• Tetrahydrocannabinol (Potency): This produces a psychoactive effect, causing you to feel “high.” It binds to the CB1 receptors similarly to endocannabinoids, inducing feelings of euphoria, reducing pain, and relieving symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression. While endocannabinoids are produced as the body needs them, Potency is introduced into the body so it produces a stronger or more concentrated effect. 
• Cannabidiol (CBD): This does not produce a psychoactive effect, and it also doesn’t bind to CB1 receptors. Research has shown that it may extend the life of existing endocannabinoids within the body (Laprairie, Bagher, et al. 2015), reducing inflammatory discomfort, stress, and nausea while aiding in sleep.  

 Northern Lights Auto has a Potency concentration of about 18 percent, making it quite potent while there is minimal CBD presence. 

Terpene Profile of Northern Lights Auto

Terpenes are chemical compounds found in plants that give them their aroma. There are hundreds of terpenes found in nature, and each plant contains different combinations and concentrations to create their unique scent. Each strain of cannabis L. long photoperiod plant and cannabis L. short photoperiod plant have as many as 150 terpenes present, which is why there is so much variation from one strain to another.  

Terpenes are also found to interact with the ECS, often enhancing some of the effects of Potency in what’s called an “entourage effect.” The three dominant terpenes in Northern Lights Auto are: 

• Myrcene: This is an earthy, herbal aroma found in basil and hops. It is found to contribute anti-anxiety, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic benefits (Surendran, Qassadi, Lilley, 2021). 
• Caryophyllene: This terpene has a spicy, warm aroma and is also found in clove, cinnamon, and black pepper. Studies have shown this terpene can assist in reducing inflammatory symptoms as well as stress and anxiety.  (Scandiffio, Geddo, Cottone, et al. 2020). 
• Limonene: This citrusy aroma is found in orange, lemon, and lime peels. Research has shown that this can create an uplifting effect while reducing anxiety and stress (Eddin et al. 2021). 
• Humulene: This is also found in hops, ginseng, and ginger, creating a bitter, earthy aroma with benefits including anti-inflammatory properties (Rogerio, et al 2009). 

These dominant terpenes are what give Northern Lights Auto its pungent incense aroma with notes of earthy sweetness. Many users also comment on the flavor of this strain, finding it sweet and lemony with that traditional “skunk” flavor. 

Type of Strain: Short Photoperiod Plant vs Long Photoperiod Plant

There are two types of cannabis used for wellness: cannabis L. short photoperiod plant and cannabis L. long photoperiod plant. Short Photoperiod Plants often allow the user to feel both physically and mentally relaxed while also experiencing feelings of happiness, increased appetite, and sleepiness. Long Photoperiod Plants tend to prompt a more energizing, uplifting experience, increasing focus, creativity, and motivation. Combination Between Short and Long Photoperiod Plants often provide a more balanced experience, with the dominant type providing more noticeable effects.  

Northern Lights Auto consists of 80 percent short photoperiod plant, 10 percent long photoperiod plant, and 10 percent ruderalis, which is an autoflowering strain of cannabis.  

Physical and Psychoactive Effects of Northern Lights Auto

By looking at the Potency potency, CBD content, and terpene profile, and type of strain, you can gain a fairly clear picture of how Northern Lights Auto affects your endocannabinoid system. Using this information, along with user reviews, we have found the following effects: 

• Physical relaxation
• Mental relaxation
• Feelings of euphoria
• Relieves pain 
• Improved sleep
• Increased appetite
• Reduced stress and anxiety

Purchase Northern Lights Auto Seeds Today

If you feel that Northern Lights Auto is right for you, purchase your high-quality seeds today! If you have additional questions, reach out to us today by calling [phone]. 

Author

Mo Smyth, BSN, RN Cannabis Nurse Educator

References

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Komorowski J, Stepień H. Rola [The role of the endocannabinoid system in the regulation of endocrine function and in the control of energy balance in humans]. Postepy Hig Med Dosw (Online). 2007;61:99-105. Polish. PMID: 17369778. (originally published in Polish)

Laprairie RB, Bagher AM, Kelly ME, Denovan-Wright EM. Cannabidiol is a negative allosteric modulator of the cannabinoid CB1 receptor. Br J Pharmacol. 2015;172(20):4790-4805. doi:10.1111/bph.13250

Lu HC, Mackie K. An Introduction to the Endogenous Cannabinoid System. Biol Psychiatry. 2016;79(7):516-525. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.07.028

Rogerior A., Andrade E. Leite D., Figueiredo C., Calixto J. Mediators and Receptors in the Resolution of Inflammation. British Journal of Pharmacology. 2009. https://bpspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1476-5381.2009.00177.x

 Scandiffio R, Geddo F, Cottone E, et al. Protective Effects of (E)-β-Caryophyllene (BCP) in Chronic Inflammation. Nutrients. 2020;12(11):3273. Published 2020 Oct 26. doi:10.3390/nu12113273

Surendran S, Qassadi F, Surendran G, Lilley D, Heinrich M. Myrcene-What Are the Potential Health Benefits of This Flavouring and Aroma Agent?. Front Nutr. 2021;8:699666. Published 2021 Jul 19. doi:10.3389/fnut.2021.699666

Swift W, Wong A, Li KM, Arnold JC, McGregor IS (2013) Analysis of Cannabis Seizures in NSW, Australia: Cannabis Potency and Cannabinoid Profile. PLoS ONE 8(7): e70052. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0070052