Very little is known
Very little has been known about the most controversial plant on the planet for many decades. It went underground in the time of the “war against drugs” when stringent prohibition didn’t allow research to be done. How ironic that the little research that was done led to the discovery of a whole biological system in mammals called the “endocannabinoid system,” in the 1990’s.
This endocannabinoid system seems to be synonymous with a kind of natural balance in the body. Where there is balance it seems, there is wellness, where there is imbalance there seems to be disease. The natural state of the body is to be balanced.
It is in this manner that CBD or cannabidiol, one of the cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant, seems to be of use – where it is needed to restore the balance. Studies suggest CBD has strong pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory properties, and blocks seizures caused by the neurological condition in Dravet’s Syndrome.
CBD activates, THC suppresses
A paper published in the National Academy of Sciences suggested CBD acts on a previously unknown endocannabinoid receptor, GPR55, playing a role in regulating bone mass through resorption of bone minerals. The study further suggests THC (the psychoactive in cannabinoid in cannabis) has the opposite effect on this receptor, and may mitigate the positive effects of CBD on bone density.
In later years, two more studies focused on the mechanisms by which CBD might positively affect fractures and help bones to heal. The first study published in Biochemical Pharmacology, suggested CBD activates the CB2 receptor enhancing migration of mesenchymal stem cells which create calcified bones, to the place of the fracture.
CBD and bone healing
CBD increases the strength of broken bones
In 2015, a study published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research reaffirmed CBD can help with healing fractures. Researchers found CBD increased the strength of healed femurs, after they have been broken, in laboratory rats.
Finally in 2016, a review published in Physiological Reviews showed each of the three mechanisms linking CBD to bone physiology, this evidence is well supported by the scientific community.
