Bones frame our bodies, providing protection to our organs. Bone density and strength decrease as we grow older, frequently resulting in broken bones. Cannabis to the rescue — at least in rats!
Bones are made up of calcium, phosphorus, sodium, other minerals, and collagen found In a According to a May 2015 study published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, cannabidiol (CBD) can help to accelerate the healing process of fractured bones. Dr Yankel Gabet of Tel Aviv University and Itai Bab of Hebrew University co-led researchers to test the theory on two sets of rats. One set of rats was given CBD alone and another set was given a mixture of CBD and ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). CBD was found to stimulate the reproduction of bone cells by an enzyme to speed up collagen maturation (crosslinking as well as stabilizing). This, in turn, enables broken bones to heal faster and stronger.
“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.”
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This is exciting news for patients who have osteoporosis and other bone conditions. Many current medicines have adverse effects (including severe bone, joint, and muscle pain and gastrointestinal problems), while CBD from cannabis does not. Because of the safety profile of CDB, clinical trials would help to ascertain the complete medical value of CBD to improve human bone health and fracture healing.
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