A non-psychoactive ingredient found in cannabis may have the ability to speed up and strengthen the healing of broken bones, according to new research from Tel Aviv University.
Scientists injected rats with cannabidiol — commonly known as CBD — following mid-femoral fractures and found that after just eight weeks the compound had significantly enhanced the healing process. Crucially, the effect was present even when CBD was administered without tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive component of cannabis more commonly known as THC.
The study tested two groups of rats — one receiving CBD alone and another receiving a combination of CBD and THC. Researchers concluded that CBD by itself provided the necessary therapeutic effect, with the addition of THC proving unnecessary for bone repair.
The team found that CBD accelerated the maturation of the collagenous matrix — the structural framework that forms the basis for new bone mineralisation. In practical terms, this means bones treated with CBD during the healing process became denser and more resistant to future fractures.
Dr Yankel Gabet, who led the research, said the findings added to a growing body of evidence around the medical potential of cannabis-derived compounds. He noted that it was possible to achieve clinical therapeutic goals using CBD without any of the psychoactive effects associated with cannabis more broadly.
The Tel Aviv team had previously found that cannabinoid receptors in the human body play a role in stimulating bone formation and slowing bone loss, raising the possibility that CBD-based treatments could one day be developed to address conditions such as osteoporosis.
The findings were published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.
