The Real Seed Company
The Real Seed Company was founded in 2007 in response to the ecological crisis now being faced by traditional cannabis strains. As a small group of experienced cannabis connoisseurs, our aim is to preserve the biodiversity of the renowned ancient lines (e.g. Malana, Mazari-i-Sharif, Chritrali, Nepalese etc) by making them available to genetic collectors worldwide who are interested in unadulterated, natural, unique cannabis strains. These indigenous cannabis strains are from their original environment, and have never been crossed or manipulated by commercial western cannabis breeders.
The Real Seed Company Hindu Kush Range
The Hindu Kush mountains have been at the centre of world cannabis culture for thousands of years. This remote region and the many ethnic groups and Silk Road trade routes associated with it have produced a wide diversity of different cannabis varieties, both wild and cultivated. Since the beginnings of popular cannabis culture in the West, names such as Kandahar, Tirah, Mazar, Chitral and Pul-i-Alam have become near legendary. Among Westerners the Hindu Kush is most famous for its short-statured broad-leaved varieties, often referred to as Cannabis indica, and thought of by outsiders as the archetypal "hashplants". In reality these squat indica type plants make up just a fraction of the many varieties to be found in the valleys of the Northwest Frontier and Afghanistan. Hashish - known throughout the Hindu Kush as charas, or chaars - is produced from plants which can be tall or short, branched or columnar, wide leaved or narrow leaved. The Western distinction between "indica" and "sativa" seems to be of little use when describing the cannabis cultivars of the Hindu Kush. Perhaps the only accurate generalisation about Kush plants is that - with the exception of feral wild strains which can be hand-rubbed - they are used to make charas through the traditional method of sieving.
The Real Seed Company Himalayan Range
Stretching southeast from Kashmir for more than 2000km towards the highlands of Southeast Asia, the awe-inspiring Himalaya mountain range is home to some of the most ancient cannabis cultures in the world. In Sanskrit the name Himalaya means "The Abode of Snows" - and here among remote high altitude valleys, millenia of selection and natural isolation have given rise to an array of truly spiritual highs: full, soaring, and psychedelic in effect, these cultivars have inspired some of the greatest religious minds of all times, whether the Sufi mystics of Kashmir or the wandering Sadhus of Himachal and Uttarakhand.
From Himalayan sativas, charas ('hashish') is traditionally produced by hand-rubbing, usually of live standing plants, focusing on the potent resinous flowering tips. Periodically clapping his or her hands together to remove any calyxes or other plant material, and leaving the palms covered in a layer of sticky black resin, an experienced farmer works carefully to avoid contaminating the charas with water or plant sap. While warm and soft the layer of resin is then rolled off the palms into a long thin stick, which in some of the most authentic and traditional regions will often be folded back onto itself once or twice then twisted into a double or triple helix shape. The charas twist is then left to cool and set to a firmer consistency. There are many regional variations on such techniques. If produced with care and stored properly Himalayan charas can be kept for a year or more, and do not deteriorate during this time, but in fact improve with age.
