Cannabis might soon be used by people who have problems with their bones, as it has been proved the plant has healing properties from this point of view.
A study conducted by researchers from Tel Aviv University in Israel shows that an anti-inflammatory compound that is found in cannabis can be very useful to treat bone fractures.
The experts used rats which had mid-femoral fractures to test the theory. They regularly administered cannabinoid cannabidiol (CBD), which is a non-psychotic component of the plant.
They soon realized this component had a significant impact on their healing process, which enhanced considerably within two months after administration.
During the trial, the researchers injected some of the rats with cannabinoid cannabidiol only and other rats with a substance that combined CBD and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The latter is a very important psychoactive component of the plant.
At analyzing the results and comparing the two groups of rats, they came to the conclusion that CBD itself had very good therapeutic effects.
“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,” said lead study author Yankel Gabet.
The rats which had been treated with CBD displayed bones that were more resistant to fractures, which proved that this treatment was highly effective.
The good news is that CBD is regarded as a safe agent, unlike other psychoactive components of cannabis. This will make it easier for researchers to look deeper into the matter and develop a treatment that aims to heal fractures more quickly.
Moreover, it could prove useful for treating other conditions as well, such as osteoporosis, which affects so many women worldwide.
Cannabis is also known as marijuana and hashish. Its therapeutic properties are not something new to the medical world but its use was banned in the first part of the twentieth century because too many people were becoming addicted to it.
Most often, cannabis is used for its mental and physical effects. This includes heightened mood, increase in appetite, a state of relaxation. However, it does come with side effects too, such as dry mouth, decline in short-term memory, anxiety or impaired motor skills.
The study was published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.
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