CBD’s effect on the healing of broken bones

There are a lot of anecdotal claims made for CBD, but thankfully many of those assertions are now being put to the test, as liberalisation of laws has enabled more and better research to emerge. One such area being examined is the relationship between CBD and bone-healing.

Scientific research carried out by the University of Tel Aviv in Israel has identified a link between CBD benefits as a healing agent and mending broken bones. The research carried out on rats saw the rodents benefit from being administered the substance. The study’s lead researcher Yankel Gabet, a member of the Department of Anatomy and Anthropology at Tel Aviv University said,

“After being treated with CBD, the healed bone will be harder to break in the future.”

The research, demonstrating how cannabis healed fractures in rats over a two month period, has been published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. The rats were split into groups and given either THC and CBD, or CBD alone, to see what impact treatment had on the healing process.

How CBD works on bones

The study found that CBD enhanced the maturation of collagen, a protein of the connective tissue that essentially holds the body together. Findings indicate that CBD leads to improvement in fracture healing and the research demonstrated the critical mechanical role of collagen cross-linking enzymes. In essence, broken bones in rats were found to be able to heal more quickly and effectively. Additionally, there was an increase in quality of the post fracture bone.

The evidence is clear

Gabet’s view is the evidence is very clear. “The clinical potential of cannabinoid-related compounds is simply undeniable at this point,” he said in a press release at the time of the research’s initial publication. “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. CBD, the principal agent in our study, is primarily anti-inflammatory and has no psychoactivity,” he explained.

Researchers found evidence that CBD allowed for more minerals to enter the healing bone tissue, in effect making them stronger, sturdier and less likely to break again. THC seemed to have no effect on the healing process, with study authors calling the combined treatment method not advantageous, while the CBD treatment showed significant promise.