Many believe that purple marijuana is a specific genetic characteristic of certain varieties, but nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, practically any plant exposed to lower temperatures than usual undergoes an internal process that gives it purple, purple or violet tones. Also, if the temperatures are low enough, the purple tones will intensify until they appear almost black.
This characteristic is also found in marijuana strains like Purple Punch, Purple Haze, Purple Kush, which, exposed to low temperatures, acquire purple tones in their leaves, stems and flowers (buds).
On the other hand, there are also cannabis varieties that always acquire purple hues , but this is due to selective breeding. That is, this characteristic has been sought to stabilize it and obtain varieties that always turn purple. Anyway, the natural thing is that purple tones appear with low temperatures.
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Why does it turn purple? The process explained
These shades arise thanks to an internal chemical process that is directly related to PH and anthocyanins. PH is a parameter that indicates acidity, and anthocyanins are a set of pigments that change depending on PH. Therefore, if the PH is acidic, the anthocyanins turn red; if the PH is neutral, the anthocyanins turn purple; and, finally, if the PH is alkaline, blue tones appear. This entire process is also closely related to outside temperatures, which influence the behavior of anthocyanins. The reason for this influence is unknown to date, but it is known with certainty that cold and anthocyanins are directly responsible for this process.
Anthocyanins
Anthocyanins appear during the flowering of the plant, at which time the strain stops producing the chlorophyll that gives it its green color and focuses on the production of buds. At that time the anthocyanins accumulate throughout the plant, from the roots to the buds, and if they suffer from low temperatures they turn purple, giving the plant the tones that are the object of study.
Characteristics of purple marijuana
Purple marijuana has high levels of anthocyanins that, to date, it is not known how they affect the body. These antioxidant pigments are believed to have analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties, but there are currently no corroborating studies.
What some studies do show is that foods rich in these pigments have medicinal properties , improve the functioning of the cardiovascular system, and are anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor and anti-diabetic.
However, it cannot be guaranteed that these properties will also have purple marijuana. In fact, if it were demonstrated, it would be a very important advance in terms of medical cannabis, and purple marijuana would probably overtake the rest. At the moment we are still waiting for new scientific studies that shed some light on the mystery.
This has been a small summary about the reason for purple marijuana and its main characteristics. If after reading the article you still have questions to answer, leave your comment and we will respond as soon as possible.