3 homegrown herbs that repair fractured bones quickly

In the experiment on rats, 250 mg of the first plant extract and 750 mg of the second plant were found effective [in speeding] up the bone formation process.

Meiza Nigeria March 15, 2025

1 minute read

The Elephant's Foot Plant has been found to possess remedies that include speedy bone restoration if there has been a damage.

Indian scientists have found that three African herbs used by traditional healers in Cameroon (and also Nigeria) can accelerate bone repair, opening up a new avenue to discover what could be the world’s first oral medicine for fractured bones.

At the moment, there is no oral medicine for fractured bones, which heal naturally. As limbs are often made immobile through plasters, recovering patients are advised to rest so that natural bone formation can occur.

In laboratory experiments on rats, three African herbs have been found to accelerate the process. Besides accelerating bone repair, the quality of repair is good when compared against the control, N Chattopadhyay, a scientist at Central Drug Research Institute in Lucknow, who studied the plants along with Cameroon researchers, told Deccan Herald.

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One of the plants is Elephantopus mollis (soft elephantsfoot) whose leaves and twigs are used. The second plant is called Spilanthesis Africana (toothache plant) and the whole plant is needed for traditional treatment. In the experiment on rats, 250 mg of the first plant extract and 750 mg of the second plant were found effective [in speeding] up the bone formation process.

**A mashup of specific herbs found in Nigeria as well as other African countries can quicken the recovery after a nasty bone fracture. [Freepik]**

However, it is the third plant which researchers found the most promising for drug development because of its higher potency. In the absence of patent protection, scientists are not revealing the plant’s name but [maintain] it is not found in India. We are currently deducing the compound’s structure. Subsequently, we will isolate it from [the] plant and then carry out toxicological studies. We will also make it synthetically as extracting it from an African plant will not be an economical option, he said.

The CDRI team is in search of a novel material for accelerated bone healing, which if found and made into a commercial medicine, will be a runaway success as it can cut down time for patients.

In the 12th plan, we will focus more on our collaboration with Africa. Many more such breakthroughs will come if we work together, said S K Brahmachari, director general of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research in New Delhi, India – the parent body of CDRI.