Marijuana Can Help Heal Broken Bones?

A research team in Israel recently discovered that marijuana can actually help broken bones heal. A compound in weed was shown to boost bone healing, in rats at least.

A new study, published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, revealed that broken bones healed faster and stronger when the non-psychoactive compound cannabidiol (CBD) was introduced to patients.

The research was led by YankelGabet of the Bone Research Laboratory at Tel Aviv University, as well as the late Itai Bab of the Bone Laboratory at Hebrew University.

Gabet stated in a press release that they discovered how using CBD alone can make bones stronger during the healing process. CBD enhances the maturation of the collagenous matrix, providing the foundation for new mineralization of bone tissue. He added that there are also other studies showing CBD to be a safe agent. His team believes that they should perform more clinical trials involving CBD to determine its usefulness in boosting human fracture healing.

"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. After being treated with CBD, the healed bone will be harder to break in the future,” said Dr. YankelGabet, one of the lead researchers in a report by Huffington Post.

The study involved administering CBD to group of rats with fractures in the middle portion of their femurs. There was significant improvement in the broken bones after eight weeks. Another rat group was given a combination of CBD and the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, called THC. The results showed that introducing CBD alone was a better treatment approach. According to the researchers, humans have a natural endocannabinoid system, which regulates the skeleton and other physiological processes. Therefore, the human body and brain are ready to respond to cannabinoids.

The researchers intend to use CBD in human trials, since they claim that the compound has no psychotropic properties and is mainly an anti-inflammatory. Previous studies involving marijuana showed that purified forms of cannabis is associated with improved blood sugar control. It may also slow the spread of HIV and stopping metastasis in aggressive cancer.

Huffington Post cited that 17 states in the United States have already legalized the use of CBD limitedly. There are 23 other states that have broadly legalized marijuana for medical purposes. The federal government, however, still bans the plant.