By Steve Elliott
In yet another demonstration of the broad usefulness of cannabis for a range of diseases and injuries, Israeli scientists have discovered that marijuana can be effectively used in healing broken bones, and possibly in treating skeletal illnesses.
Researchers from Tel Aviv University published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research a study that showed cannabis includes a component which enhances the healing process of fractured bones, reports RT.com.
Cannabidiol, a non-psychoactive component of marijuana, sped up the healing process in broken leg bones of trial rats with mid-femoral fractures, the study found.
"While there is still a lot of work to be done to develop appropriate therapies, it is clear that is is possible to detach a clinical therapy objective from the psychoactivity of cannabis," said Dr. Yankel Gabet of Tel Aviv University's Bone Research Laboratory. "CBD, the principal agent in our study, is primarily anti-inflammatory and has no psychoactivity."
Scientists tested two groups of rats, one with both CBD and THC, and the other with CBD only. "We found CBD alone to be sufficiently effective in enhancing fracture healing," Gabet said, in a statement which seems to imply that THC was also effective.
“Other studies have also shown CBD to be a safe agent, which leads us to believe we should continue this line of study in clinical trials to assess its usefulness in improving human fracture healing,” Gabet said.