Anyone who clicks through a CBD range for the first time inevitably comes across names that sound a bit like band names from the early 2000s. Amnesia. Northern Lights. Gorilla Glue. They sound dramatic, but at first they make little sense. At least if you do not know the context.
Here we look at the question of what is actually behind these names. Do they have a real origin?
The short answer: there is almost always a real story behind them. And in most cases it is much more interesting than anything you might imagine.
Strain names: where do they actually come from?
Cannabis strains get their names from very different sources. Some refer to the origin, some describe the aroma, and some simply come from a coincidence in the grow. The thing is: most classic strain names come from practice. Breeders named their plants after what they noticed.
If flowers stick to the scissors during trimming, you call it Gorilla Glue. And with Amnesia, the name contains a portion of the breeders' irony.
Today these names appear on CBD flowers, HHZ flowers and CBD hash, because the genetics of these original strains are used as the basis for today's hemp products. The focus is on the aroma profile of the strain. The aroma profile, the structure of the flowers and the genetic character remain recognisable. So anyone who knows what is behind the name already knows a lot about what to expect.
Amnesia CBD: a name with a wink
Amnesia Haze is still considered one of the best-known sativa genetics in the world. The name sounds deliberately a little exaggerated, and it was. The strain became known in the coffee shops of Amsterdam. The term “Amnesia” worked above all as a trademark: catchy, a little ironic and easy to remember.
As with many classic strains, the history of Amnesia Haze is surrounded by a few myths. The most common version goes like this:
- In the early 1990s, the American breeder David Paul Watson brought together genetics from different parts of the world. Landrace strains from Jamaica, Thailand, Hawaii and Afghanistan.
- This basis then reached the Netherlands, where a breeder named Zwiep crossed it with Nevil's Haze.
- The result was Amnesia Haze as we know it today.
- At first the strain was only available as a clone before it was distributed as seeds.
- In 2004 and 2012 it won the Cannabis Cup. This finally cemented its position in the scene.
How the aroma of Amnesia CBD flowers comes about
The terpene profile explains a lot: limonene and terpinolene dominate, plus alpha-pinene. This results in the typical fresh, citrus-like aroma that you recognise immediately when you open the tin. A slightly earthy haze undertone is always there, sometimes also a pine note at the finish. In Amnesia CBD flowers, exactly this character is preserved. The breeding goal was CBD optimisation, not the aroma profile. This makes Amnesia CBD one of the most aromatically coherent CBD strains of all. As HHZ flowers you get the same genetic basis, but with a 40 % HHZ blend.
Northern Lights CBD: a legend
In the cannabis world, Northern Lights is something like a staple. Hardly any indica genetics of recent decades is without a share of Northern Lights, and the strain made hybrids such as Super Silver Haze, Shiva Skunk and many others possible in the first place. Northern Lights was created in the 1970s near Seattle, Washington.
- Who exactly was behind it can no longer be clearly established today. A common version names a man nicknamed “The Indian” as the first breeder.
- In 1985 the genetics reached Europe via a Dutch seed bank that later became Sensi Seeds.
- Since then, Northern Lights has won several times at cannabis conferences and is still one of the most widely used base genetics of all.
The name itself comes from the Aurora Borealis, the northern lights. Whether this is due to the appearance of the plant, as some phenotypes develop purple tones at cool temperatures, or simply to its geographical origin in the northwest of the USA, has never been fully clarified. However, the word “Northern Lights” also describes the aroma profile well: deep, spicy and resinous.
Afghani meets Thai: the genetics behind it
Northern Lights is based on a cross of Afghani and Thai. This parent pair explains the profile at once.
- Afghani is a landrace genetic from Afghanistan, known for its compact structure, resinous flowers and an earthy, spicy taste with a clear hash note.
- Thai, on the other hand, is a sativa landrace that adds fresher, lighter aroma notes.
The result is a strain that is about 90 to 95 percent indica.
Northern Lights CBD flowers have exactly this aroma profile: woody, spicy, with a resinous depth and a slight share of pinene. The flower structure is dense and compact, the trichome layer strikingly dense, which you also notice when you touch it. Northern Lights CBD hash benefits particularly from this property: thanks to the Afghani genetics, the starting material naturally brings a high resin production, which in hash leads to a dense product with a clearly defined aroma. The spicy, resinous side comes through even more clearly in the hash than in the flowers. The HHZ flower Northern Lights shows the same compact structure and the same aroma profile, with a 40 % HHZ blend.
- Aroma: earthy and spicy, clear resin notes, pine and a slight wood tone in the background.
- Flower structure: compact and dense, with a dense trichome layer, typical of genetics with a strong Afghani share.
- Northern Lights CBD hash: particularly suitable for hash thanks to the high natural resin production. The spicy side comes through in concentrated form.
- Available variants at I Love Pot: Northern Lights CBD flowers, HHZ flower Northern Lights, HHZ Pre-Roll Northern Lights.
Gorilla Glue: an accident
The story behind Gorilla Glue is actually too good to be true. But it is true. Here it is in brief:
- It was 2011, and the American breeder Joesy Whales had a Chem's Sister plant in his grow that became hermaphroditic.
- This means that it unintentionally developed male pollen and pollinated the neighbouring plants in the room, a Sour Dubb and a Chocolate Diesel.
- Most breeders would have discarded the cross at this point. Joesy let it grow.
- The result was a plant with a resin production that was simply exceptional.
- During trimming, scissors and fingers literally stuck to the flowers. Joesy and his partner Lone Watty looked at each other and said without thinking long: “This sticks like Gorilla Glue.”
The name stuck. Gorilla Glue, later officially known as GG4, won first place at the Cannabis Cup in Michigan and Los Angeles in 2014 and within a few years became one of the most sought-after strains worldwide. The end of the story has a bureaucratic aftertaste: the adhesive manufacturer Gorilla Glue sent a cease-and-desist claim, after which the name officially became GG4. In the scene, however, almost everyone still calls it Gorilla Glue today.
Gorilla Glue CBD and HHZ
Three parent genetics are in Gorilla Glue: Chem's Sister, Sour Dubb and Chocolate Diesel. This results in one of the most complex aroma profiles among the well-known strains. Chem's Sister brings a sour, almost chemical profile. Sour Dubb adds a sweet and sour component. Chocolate Diesel contributes a spicy, slightly chocolatey diesel tone. Together this results in an aroma that is still clear and distinct: pine in the foreground, earth underneath, diesel at the finish, and a slight sweetness that holds everything together.
Gorilla Glue CBD flowers carry exactly this profile. The terpene spectrum, above all limonene, myrcene and beta-caryophyllene, is largely identical to the original in the CBD variant of the genetics, because the breeding goal only changes the cannabinoid ratio, not the aroma components. Gorilla Glue CBD hash also shows why this genetics works so well for hash: the extreme natural resin production that gave the strain its name shows directly in the hash: a dense end product, a distinct aroma, a clear profile. Anyone who prefers the HHZ flower Gorilla Glue instead gets the same aromatic basis with HHZ as the cannabinoid.
- Gorilla Glue CBD flowers: pine, earth, a diesel note and a slight sweetness, one of the most complex profiles in the CBD segment.
- HHZ flower Gorilla Glue: same genetics, same character, with a 40 % HHZ blend.
- Gorilla Glue CBD hash: benefits directly from the extreme resin production of the original plant: dense and with a clear aroma.
- Why the name stays: GG4 is the official name, Gorilla Glue the real one. In the scene the original name persists because it simply tells the story.
Amnesia, Northern Lights and Gorilla Glue compared
Three classics, three completely different profiles. The table shows at a glance what distinguishes the strains, so that you know directly which direction suits you the next time you buy.
| Amnesia | Northern Lights | Gorilla Glue | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Sativa-dominant | Indica-dominant (90 to 95 %) | Indica-dominant hybrid (60/40) |
| Origin | Jamaica, Thailand, Hawaii, Afghanistan, refined in the Netherlands | Seattle, USA. Basis: Afghani x Thai | Nevada, USA. Basis: Chem's Sister, Sour Dubb, Chocolate Diesel |
| Name comes from | Ironic brand name from the coffee shop era | Aurora Borealis, origin and appearance of the plant | Sticky scissors during trimming, a direct description from practice |
| Aroma | Citrus, lime, haze earth, light pine | Spicy, resinous, pine, wood, earth | Pine, earth, diesel, chocolate, slight sweetness |
| Main terpenes | Limonene, terpinolene, alpha-pinene | Alpha-pinene, myrcene, terpinolene | Limonene, myrcene, beta-caryophyllene |
| Character | Bright, fresh, citrus-focused | Deep, spicy, resinous | Complex, multi-layered, balanced |
| Flower structure | Loose, typical of sativa, citrus scent when opened | Compact, dense, dense trichome layer | Very dense, extremely rich in resin, sticky |
| As hash | Fresh, citrus-focused profile, haze comes through in concentrated form | Spicy and resinous, clearly defined, ideal thanks to the Afghani basis | Dense, with high resin production |
| For whom | Prefers a fresh, citrus-like aroma | Looking for an earthy, spicy profile | Wants a complex aroma and high resin quality |
| At I Love Pot as | HHZ Vape Pen, CBD Vape Pen | HHZ flowers, Pre-Rolls, Vape Pens | HHZ flowers, Pre-Rolls |
Why these three strains keep appearing
Amnesia, Northern Lights and Gorilla Glue are not lucky hits. They appear so regularly in the CBD and HHZ segment because their genetics work well. This applies both to cultivation and to the end product.
- Northern Lights naturally brings dense, resinous flowers and a robust plant, which makes breeding easier and more consistent.
- Amnesia provides an aroma profile that many people recognise and appreciate immediately.
- Gorilla Glue produces a resin quality that hardly any other genetics achieves.
This also explains why these names do not disappear. They describe real, comprehensible characteristics, and anyone who has smelled Amnesia CBD flowers once knows immediately why the name is no coincidence. At I Love Pot we carry all three because they cover different profiles: Amnesia for everyone who likes it fresh and citrusy, Northern Lights for the spicy and resinous, Gorilla Glue for the complex and multi-layered. Just take a look at our hash range, where you will find all three characters side by side. You can find nicotine pouches in the Snus Shop.
What a good strain name means
Names such as Amnesia, Northern Lights or Gorilla Glue are more like nicknames, created from an observation, an experience or a moment in practice. The best proof of this is Gorilla Glue:
An adhesive manufacturer won a legal dispute and prohibited the name. Nevertheless, almost the entire scene still calls it Gorilla Glue today. Names that come about in this way cannot simply be replaced.
This is useful for you: you can already derive a lot from the name. Amnesia stands for a sativa character and a fresh aroma. Northern Lights stands for an indica basis, spice, resin and depth. Gorilla Glue means complexity, high resin production and a profile that comes from several different directions. This applies to flowers just as much as to hash. It helps you with your choice more than any product description.
If you are not sure which aroma profile suits you, our customer service team will help you. You can find the contact in the footer.
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