A compound known as cannabinoid cannabidiol, or CBD, which is found in marijuana, may help heal bone fractures, even making broken bones stronger than they were before, according to a study from Tel Aviv University and Hebrew University, which has been published in the Journal Of Bone And Mineral Research(1).
“We found that CBD alone makes bones stronger during healing, enhancing the maturation of the collagenous matrix, which provides the basis for new mineralization of bone tissue,” explained researcher Yankel Gabet. “After being treated with CBD, the healed bone will be harder to break in the future.”(2)
It is worth noting that although CBD is derived from marijuana, it has no psychotropic effects on its own.
Study Details
Researchers tested the compound on mild femoral fractures in rats. Some of these injured test rats were injected with CBD, and others with CBD plus the psychotropic compound tetrahydrocannabinol – also known as TCH, the substance which is responsible for the effects of the marijuana “high”. They then evaluated the healing processes of these rats, comparing them to those of rats who had not received any marijuana-based chemicals.
Not only did the rats who received the marijuana chemicals show faster and more complete healing processes, but the effects remained the same whether or not the rats received THC along with the CBD.
This means that CBD alone is an effective agent when it comes to enhancing the healing process of bone fractures.
“Our studies have also shown CBD to be a safe agent,” added Gabet, “Which leads us to believe we should continue this line of study in clinical trials to assess its usefulness in improving human fracture healing.”
This study supports prior findings which suggest that the human body contains receptors that respond to cannabinoid compounds – and that these receptors can be found not only in the brain, but in our bones as well(3).
Adding To The List Of Medical Marijuana Benefits
This study is just one of many extolling the potential benefits of medical marijuana compounds. Researchers think that these findings may lead to new discoveries in the use of marijuana for the treatment of osteoporosis and other bone diseases.
“While there is still a lot of work to be done to develop appropriate therapies, it is clear that it is possible to detach a clinical therapy objective from the psychoactivity of cannabis,” Gabet said.
“CBD, the principle agent in our study, is primarily anti-inflammatory and has no psychoactivity.”(4)
Medical marijuana is currently used in many locations throughout the work for the treatment of chronic pain, as well as to improve appetite in patients living with AIDS, and to help mitigate the negative effects of chemotherapy(5).
CBD has it’s own list of potential uses, including use in suppressing seizures(6), and in helping to treat psychosis in patients with schizophrenia and paranoia(7).
While marijuana is technically illegal to grow, distribute and use under U.S. federal law, the use of medicinal marijuana has been gaining traction in recent years.
sources:
[1]https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1523-4681
[2]https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/marijuana-broken-bones_55ad1e24e4b0d2ded39f7bef
[3]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19634029
[4]https://www.timesofisrael.com/joint-relief-marijuana-helps-mend-broken-bones/
[5]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23386598
[6]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24854329
[7]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22716160