Rowan Bailey
28th October
Northern Lights by Four 20 Pharma NLS 23% Strain Review
A strain heard of by many, but it has only recently appeared as an option for medical patients here in the UK. Having sampled Northern lights in Amsterdam a while back, I was excited to see how this would compare.
With this review today i'm updating the way I do things, so you can get to the info you want a little quicker, as well as including a grading system moving forwards. So if you have any feedback, id love to hear it!
*Disclaimer*
Any experiences/ benefits described below are my own, and by no means should be taken as medical benefits / claims. This strain has been prescribed by my doctor for my specific condition and needs. It is important to talk to your Dr about your specific needs and see if they have other patients similar to you who have benefited from this strain or others. This post is purely meant as a useful reference for you to then do further research from. My tolerance, condition and experience will be greatly different to some.
Furthermore, if supporting products are mentioned, some may include affiliate/ sponsored links. Though ethically we would never share a product we don't believe in ourselves.
Table of Content
- Introduction
- Main review
- Initial observation upon opening (nug shape/ density/ cure and shake content)
- Any improvement after storage change and curing?
- Northern Lights Strain Effects
- Splitting the nug & under the scope
- How does it grind?
- Batch number
- Throat issues like scratching or allergies?
- Side effects or issues?
- Overall impression
Northern Lights by Four 20 Pharma NLS 23% Strain Review
Introduction
After having even more of my regular strains go out of stock, I had the chance to try Northern lights by Four 20 Pharma. A strain I am familiar with, and was looking forward to trying out!
My expectations weren't extremely high due to being familiar with the brand before, but with an open mind I jumped into this as a major part of my prescription this month.
So without further delay, let's jump into the ins and outs of this strain!
Continued below.
As always, if anyone has had this strain tested, or has sample COA that you think would be useful to attach here, please feel free to reach out and we’d be happy to showcase it here, along with any relevant reference back to you, and a cheeky gift card for our site as a thanks!
Main Review
Thanks for stopping by and checking out my review of the Northern Lights by Four 20 Pharma NLS 23% Strain Review
This was sourced legally via prescription to myself with chronic pain being the primary condition this is used for. I hope my feedback here is useful for you to make an informed choice on future prescriptions, or to avoid it depending on your needs. I always welcome feedback in terms of other specific points I could cover in these reviews. Please keep in mind that i'm not a medical professional and these are no more than my personal anecdotal experiences.
The way this strain is being discussed is with relation to a chronic pain prescription relating to nerve pain and severe headaches, though it has also proven helpful beyond these treatments.
Continue to main review below!
The Best Dry Herb Vaporisers for Medical Cannabis in the UK: Our Picks
the best dry herb vaporisers for medical cannabis uk
What's the best dry herb vaporiser for UK medical cannabis? This is a tough question to answer, especially with so many choices ranging from £25 up to £500+!
We break down our top picks for medical cannabis dry herb vaporisers for UK medical cannabis to help you make the right choice first time!
As always if you need any help with medical cannabis supplies, finding out if your eligible or anything CBD related, let us know!
Device/ Setup
I now include my device setups so you can compare my feedback to what you use as everyones preferences are different.
Main devices:
Storz and Bickel Venty
Tinymight 2
Secondary Devices: Storz and Bickel Volcano Hybrid , Pax Plus & Dynvap M.
Outcome:
Though the familiar profile of northern lights was there, it came through predominantly hashy through each vape that I tried. Something many would like, but for me I was excited for a more robust profile.
Having said that, it vapes well in all of the devices I have tried it in. It grinds well, though the cure is on the dryer side, after a few twists it still breaks down well revealing the moisture content more centrally. This improved a little after using a curing jar.
Overall this strain vapes well and though the profile isn't where i'd like it to be, those who do like it will be glad at it's plentiful bounty that transitions well from the fresh flavour into the more consistent toasted AVB taste.
Initial observation upon opening (nug shape/ density/ cure and shake content):
First impression was how big the nugs were in the packet. With consistent large formed buds across the packs i've had, it's clearly a well looked after plant.
The terpene profile was a little underwhelming on openning, though with this range I did come to expect this and as we all know this doesn't neccesarily impact quality of effects.
Flower colour is on the darker side as shown in the images attached, with a crisp spring when you pinch them. Externally the flower is a little dry, but not the worst on medical and it balances well after a grind or a few days in the jar with a humidity pack.
Looks: 6/10
Terps: 6/10
Vapour Flavour: 7/10
Cure: 7/10
Flower Size: 9/10
Shake Content: Minimal to none.
Continue reading below!
Any improvement after storage change and curing?
Yes, absolutely. This strain is a little stale upon initial openning. So as with all strains i try and waft the bag out, before resealing and returning to it a few hours later to get a better sense of the terpene profile.
In this instance, i immediately transfered my flower from the mylar packs to UV protected glass storage (Whilst keeping original packs/ boxes and labels on hand for verification and being out of the house!) in my opinion it just balances it out a little with the terps and helps any throat irritation that may occur. I have to avoid coughing and other things that can create intercranial pressure due to a brain op. As such trying to ensure the cure and setup for my vape minimises these chances are really important.
Northern lights that I know became a little more apparent after a few more days in the jar. Though the flavour remained similar with a predominant hashy overtone. The exterior moisture content being more balanced appeared to help with the smoothness of the vapour with a cure as well.
Continued below!
Budget-Friendly Dry Herb Vaporizers Under £100: Top Picks for UK Vapers
Are you searching for the best cheap dry herb vaporizer in the UK? As a medical cannabis patient, I know how challenging it can be to find an affordable yet high-quality vaporizer. Everyone touts Tiny Mights and Mighty, but let's be honest, the prescription is expensive enough as it is and not everyone can afford to throw £300 at something like this.
Read More!Northern Lights by Four 20 Pharma NLS 23% Strain Review
Context: I’m prescribed for chronic nerve pain with severe headaches that is accompanied by nausea/ gastro issues at times. I work full time and have a young family. As such, I have to find the balance between managing pain/ symptoms, and being functional in my various responsibilities.
In turn, the split between a day time and night time strain gives me that ability to address deeper pains in the evenings where it may be more sedating, whilst using a more uplifting/ cerebral strain for day time to help get me through without any unwanted side effects. This has been key to me taking back my life and maintaining better quality of life all in.
Firstly, WHY BOXES?! I totally get brand re enforcement and impressions with quality etc but i've said it before, these boxes hinder us as patients and that should outshine any other requirement. Seeing as the labels are attached to the box, not the bag that the flower is contained in, you have to carry an extra inconvenient packaging with you. Or you run the risk of misinformed police officers thinking they've caught you out because you could put any bag in that box. We have had patients come for help with this exact problem. So from a professional and personal stand point, I can see absolutely zero value in this approach. Anyway, rant over!
On to the flower:
At this point you'll have my impressions well mapped out with terpenes and flavour. This doesn't hit the nail on the head as the familiar NL strain, however as a stand alone strain in of itself it is effective for my needs. I'm not a major fan of the flavour on this one, but medicinally being effective outweighs this.
I would like to see producers such as FOUR 20 Pharma refine their curing/ supply chain processes to improve upon the end product for patients. I believe a lot of hard work has gone into these lines, but they come in at a price point that they no longer comfortably fit into. With the emergence of new brands that are managing to bring in products with much better values in this regard yet at cheaper prices, it begs the questions whether it's time for these thing to be evaluated by some of these older producers.
On the whole I don't want my box rant and personal dissapointment about the NL strain to hinder this as a negative review. This is a great medical product, and ultimately serves it's purpose very well. I believe with time future batches may shine a little brighter as I have seen from their other strains, in which case I would keep this one on your radar if you like old school classics flavour wise.
Continue reading below!
5 Quick Bits about Northern Lights by Four 20 Pharma
Who are Four 20 Pharma
"At 420 Pharma, the focus of our day-to-day activities is the best possible medical care for patients. With our wide range of medicinal cannabis, we help to provide optimal treatment for patients in need.
As an importer and wholesaler of medical cannabis and medical devices, we are GDP-certified and GMP-certified. We also have this quality claim on our suppliers and partners.
Four 20 Pharma GmbH, headquartered in Paderborn (Germany), holds a wholesale pharmaceutical surge in medicine in accordance with Section 52a AMG and a narcotics permit in accordance with Section 3 BtMG." - Medbud Wiki
How Does It Grind?
Though slightly on the dryer side this grinds perfectly well. Both in my traditional orange storz and bickel classic, and my krush kube.
There is barely any resistance in the grind due to the density, which isn't loose but isn't rock solid. Giving a good balance to be able to process this well for those with restrictions in their hands/ wrists.
Batch No
For reference we usually include a batch number. Some strains have varied over time, often for the better. So we figured it's best to have a reference point for when we reviewed this for context.
This was from batch: BN: CURA00195445
This is my first batch of this strain, and when looking in to see others online I actually couldn't find any to compare. So all I can comment on is this particular strain.
I have mentioned it was a little dry but beyond that there were no real issues to consider here. I will return to add anything I hear about that I feel is relevant to our readers.
Throat issues/ catching/ allergies?:
In the past I have had hay fever like symptoms with a scratchy throat/ runny eyes and sneezing around loading my device or vaping certain strains. After a recent brain operation, avoiding coughing is a big priority for me to help reduce pressure. So I take note whether this is an issue on my reviews incase anyone else has the same problem!
This strain actually made me sneeze and have a scratchy throat at times, whether thats down to pollen, terpenes or anything else i'm unsure. Not a major issue typically like light hayfever, but noteworthy as for me these sneezes can trigger painful headaches. Nothing wrong with the strain itself doing this however, and doesn't mean it would happen to others. Just my daft allergies.
Continue reading below!
Strain Profile: Northern Lights 23% by Four 20 Pharma
Info from Leafly:
"Northern Lights, also known as "NL," is an indica marijuana strain made by crossing Afghani with Thai. Northern Lights produces euphoric effects that settle in firmly throughout the body, relaxing muscles and easing the mind. Consumers say this strain has a pungently sweet and spicy flavor profile that is smooth on the exhale. Medical marijuana patients choose Northern Lights to help relieve symptoms associated with depression, stress, pain and insomnia. "
Terpene profile:
Myrcene
Caryophyllene
Limonene
Consistency
I can't comment on consistency for this strain unfortunately as I have only had one lot.
However I will return here to comment should it return so that I can compare different batches.
Other Strain Reviews
4C Ultra Sour
One of my current favourites for day time. Ultra sour packs a productive punch enabling me to carry on with my day whilst managing my symptoms.
The terpene profile is so familiar with a nod back to super lemon haze and RED no2 for those who remember Spectrum from back in the day!
Peace Naturals Atomic Sour Grapefruit
What an incredible strain profile, this offering from Peace Naturals has been a welcome addition to my prescription.
The grapefruit shines through beautifully and makes a great balanced strain from afternoon through to evening for me.
Curaleaf Medical Inhaler Que Pod system Review
Curaleafs latest offering is their brand new medical inhaler device. Essentially a battery system designed to use their new pre filled pods for medically prescribed medical cannabis extracts. I have broken down the ins and outs of the new device and pods to compare to the previous traditional 510 thread carts that were on offer.
Overall impression
This is a solid medicinal strain of cannabis with great effects. It's lovely to see heritage strains appearing more often, and with time I hope to see more craft growers leaning into these historical strains and bring the best out of them.
With the afgan routes you can certainly taste the hashy tones above all else in the vapour, but this isn't a bad thing.
Smooth as the day is long and improved easily with some curing in a jar, this strain is something i'd be interested to come back to down the line. Though I do wish it had more of the familiar Northern Lights smell and flavour!
I hope this review has been helpful for you! I have another lined up coming out shortly so keep your eyes peeled!
In the meantime, have a wonderful day!
Take care!
- Rowan
Meet the reviewer
Rowan is one of the founders of Infinity CBD and Pembrokeshire CBD Centre. Having worked in the CBD/ Cannabis industry for over five years, he has extensive knowledge of the supply chain issues, compliance and other fun things you have to contend with from the corporate side of all of this. However, having also been a patient for 4+ years he has also seen first hand of the ups and downs of the patient experience, quality woes and what to generally expect.
These medical cannabis reviews are presented to try and form a balanced and honest opinion relating to his experience and understanding of the limitations the clinics/ pharmacies and producers face with trying to navigate compliance standards that compete with perceived quality of some products.
Everyone is different, and Rowan is prescribed for specific conditions and is provided these prescription legally by a Dr who has been working alongside him to find the best treatments. This means that any perceived benefits expressed in his article are purely anecdotal and related to his experience and may not reflect yours and certainly in no way mean to boast any medical claims about the use of these treatments outside of what he has personally experienced.
“Medical cannabis has given me back control and vast improvement in terms of my quality of life day to day. Although I still struggle with my symptoms, this has enabled me to still be present and functional on the worse days, and given the peace of mind that knowings it's there if I need it on the better ones.”
- Rowan Bailey
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