A new study found that the anti-inflammatory component present in cannabis has the ability to heal fractured bones.
Researchers from Tel Aviv University and Hebrew University in Israel performed an experiment on rats that have fracture bones and found that the non-psychotropic compound cannabinoid cannabidiol (CBD) improved bone healing after eight weeks.
"We found CBD alone to be sufficiently effective in enhancing fracture healing," said Yankel Gabet, the study's lead researcher, in the Thursday press release.
The same team of researchers also discovered in previous studies that cannabinoid receptors in the human body help in stimulating the formation of bones and prevent bone loss.
For the new study, which was published in the Journal of Bone and Medical Research, researchers worked on two groups of rats: one group was injected with only CBD, and the other was injected with CBD and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the major psychoactive compound in cannabis or marijuana.
After eight weeks, it appeared that the treatment did not only facilitate faster healing, but also strengthened the bones and made them more resilient to fractures.
It didn't matter if CBD was given alone or with the addition of THC — the effect was the same, which suggested that it was CBD that carried the bone healing properties.
Gabet said that the clinical properties of cannabis-related compounds are unquestionable at this point.
He also added that further studies are needed to "develop appropriate therapies," since CBD, the main subject of the study, is chiefly an anti-inflammatory agent that has no psychoactive properties.
The new study suggests that in the future, cannabinoid drugs may be helpful in the treatment of osteoporosis and other bone disorders.
Medical marijuana is currently given to cancer patients to reduce the unpleasant effects of chemotherapy, The Times of Israel reported.
It has also been used to manage chronic pain. In some studies, medical marijuana is shown to have the potential to help treat Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, and Alzheimer's disease.
