Can Cissus Heal a Broken Bone? Tradition vs Clinical Evidence

For a broader overview of Cissus, including its botanical identity, traditional use, bone-related research, whole-herb preparations, and evidence limitations, explore our complete Cissus guide.

Cissus quadrangularis has one of the most memorable reputations in traditional herbal medicine.

In India, it is widely known as Hadjod—a name commonly associated with “joining bones.” For generations, Cissus has been used in Ayurvedic preparations given around fractures, bone injuries, and musculoskeletal recovery.

That naturally raises an intriguing question:

Can Cissus actually make a broken bone heal faster?

There is human research on this question. Some studies have reported encouraging findings involving pain, fracture mobility, biochemical markers, or healing time.

But there is also an important reality:

The clinical evidence is still too limited and inconsistent to say that Cissus independently “heals broken bones.”

Let’s look at what the studies actually found.

First: How Does a Broken Bone Normally Heal?

When a bone breaks, the body begins a complex repair process.

In simplified terms, healing progresses through several overlapping stages:

1. Inflammation
Blood collects around the fracture and immune cells begin clearing damaged tissue.

2. Soft callus formation
The body builds temporary tissue connecting the broken ends.

3. Hard callus formation
That temporary structure gradually becomes mineralized bone.

4. Remodeling
Over months—and sometimes longer—the new bone is reorganized and strengthened.

This process depends on many factors, including:

• fracture type and location

• proper alignment

• blood supply

• age

• nutrition

• smoking

• diabetes and other medical conditions

• medications

• stability of the fracture

So when researchers ask whether Cissus helps bone healing, they need to determine whether it meaningfully changes this biological process—not simply whether people taking it eventually heal.

Why Did Cissus Become Known as a “Bone Herb”?

The connection is not simply modern supplement marketing.

Cissus quadrangularis has a long traditional association with fractures and musculoskeletal recovery. The Hindi name Hadjod itself reflects this historical reputation.

Traditional use eventually encouraged researchers to investigate whether the plant affects bone formation, mineralization, inflammatory processes, and fracture recovery.

Animal and laboratory studies have reported effects on osteoblast activity, mineralization, callus formation, and other bone-related pathways.

But animal experiments are only the beginning.

The more important question is:

What happened when Cissus was tested in people with real fractures?

An Early Human Study: 29 People With Jaw Fractures

One clinical study examined 29 people with mandibular fractures—fractures of the lower jaw.

The participants were divided into groups receiving Ocimum sanctum (Tulsi), Cissus quadrangularis, or control treatment.

Researchers looked at fracture-healing measures including biochemical markers and biting force.[1]

The Cissus group reportedly had an average immobilization period of approximately:

5 weeks

compared with:

6.25 weeks in the control group.

Researchers also reported increases in serum calcium and alkaline phosphatase and greater biting force in the Cissus-treated group.[1]

What does that mean in ordinary language?

The results suggest that people receiving Cissus appeared to reach clinical recovery earlier than the control group.

That sounds promising.

But there is an important limitation:

There were only 29 people in the entire study, divided among three groups.

That makes each individual group very small.

Small studies can produce interesting signals, but they are much more vulnerable to chance, differences between participants, and methodological problems.

So this study should be viewed as encouraging preliminary evidence, not proof that Cissus shortens fracture healing by more than a week.

A Tiny Pilot Study Produced Striking Results—But Only Nine People Were Studied

Another study looked at people with maxillofacial fractures.

Only nine patients participated.

Five received:

500 mg of Cissus three times daily for six weeks

while four people served as controls.

Everyone still received proper fracture treatment, including surgical fixation where required, antibiotics, and pain medication.[2]

Researchers reported less pain, swelling, and fracture mobility in the Cissus group. Imaging also appeared to show earlier bridging of the fractured bone in the Cissus-treated patients.[2]

At first glance, that sounds impressive.

But consider the numbers:

5 people receiving Cissus.
4 people in the control group.

With a study that small, even one unusual patient can substantially change the results.

This is why pilot studies are useful for generating questions but generally cannot settle them.

The appropriate interpretation is:

The findings were interesting enough to justify larger trials, but the study was far too small to establish that Cissus accelerates fracture healing.

A Better Study of 30 Patients Gave a More Cautious Result

A later prospective randomized study investigated 30 people with mandibular fractures.

Fifteen received Cissus and fifteen served as controls.

The Cissus group received approximately:

500 mg twice daily for 42 days.

Researchers examined pain, swelling, fracture mobility, X-rays, calcium, phosphorus, and alkaline phosphatase.[3]

One interesting result appeared:

alkaline phosphatase was significantly higher in the Cissus group.

But most of the clinically important outcomes were not significantly different.

Researchers found no statistically significant difference between groups in radiographic healing, pain, swelling, fracture mobility, serum calcium, or phosphorus.[3]

That is very important.

What is alkaline phosphatase?

Alkaline phosphatase, or ALP, is an enzyme associated with bone-forming activity, among other biological processes.

During fracture healing, bone-forming cells called osteoblasts become active.

Therefore, researchers sometimes measure ALP as a clue that bone metabolism is changing.

But:

a change in a laboratory marker is not the same thing as demonstrating that a fracture healed faster.

And that is exactly what happened in this study.

The biomarker looked interesting.

The X-rays and clinical outcomes did not show a convincing difference.

The researchers themselves concluded that larger studies would be needed before Cissus could be added confidently to fracture-treatment regimens.[3]

What Happens When Researchers Combine the Studies?

This is where systematic reviews become useful.

Instead of focusing on one small trial, researchers collect relevant clinical trials and analyze the evidence together.

A 2017 systematic review and meta-analysis examined nine studies involving 1,108 participants across several clinical uses of Cissus.[4]

For fracture-related outcomes, the researchers reported evidence suggesting potential benefit.

However, they rated the quality of evidence for bone fractures as low and emphasized that better-quality studies were still required.[4]

That distinction is crucial.

“Positive result” and “high-quality proof” are not the same thing.

You can have several small studies pointing in the same direction and still remain uncertain because:

• sample sizes are small

• study designs differ

• different Cissus preparations are used

• doses differ

• fractures occur in different bones

• some studies are poorly blinded

• outcomes are measured differently

A 2025 Meta-Analysis Made the Evidence Even More Interesting

A newer 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis specifically examined bone-related biomarkers in humans.

It included seven randomized studies with 354 participants.[5]

Researchers found that Cissus supplementation was associated with a significant increase in parathyroid hormone (PTH).

However, Cissus did not significantly change several other commonly measured bone-related markers, including:

• calcium

• phosphorus

• alkaline phosphatase

Most importantly, the authors rated the certainty of evidence as very low for all four biomarkers studied.[5]

What does “very low certainty” mean?

It does not mean researchers proved Cissus does nothing.

It means:

We are not confident enough in the available evidence to know whether the observed effect represents the true effect.

Future high-quality studies could substantially change the conclusion.

That is why simply saying:

“A meta-analysis proves Cissus heals bones”

would be misleading.

The actual 2025 review was much more cautious.

But What About PTH Increasing?

Parathyroid hormone plays an important role in regulating calcium and bone metabolism.

Certain medically controlled forms of intermittent PTH signaling can stimulate bone formation—that principle is involved in medications such as teriparatide.

But this does not mean:

“Higher PTH from Cissus automatically means faster fracture healing.”

Bone metabolism is much more complicated.

A biomarker change needs to correspond with meaningful clinical outcomes such as:

• faster radiographic union

• less time to weight bearing

• improved function

• reduced fracture complications

• stronger healed bone

Those outcomes have not yet been consistently demonstrated in large Cissus trials.

A 2023 Randomized Trial Also Shows Why Combination Products Complicate the Story

Another randomized trial studied 24 people with maxillofacial fractures.

Participants were divided into three groups:

• standard treatment

• a herbal tablet containing Cissus quadrangularis + Dalbergia sissoo

• teriparatide

Researchers measured pain, bite force, biochemical markers, and radiographic healing.

The herbal combination showed some encouraging findings, but radiographic healing did not differ significantly among the three groups.[6]

There is another major limitation:

The supplement contained two herbs.

Therefore even if a benefit occurred, researchers cannot confidently say:

“Cissus caused it.”

It could have been Cissus.

It could have been Dalbergia sissoo.

It could have been their combination.

That is why combination-product trials cannot automatically be used as proof for Cissus alone.

A More Recent Wrist-Fracture Trial Is Interesting—but Has the Same Problem

A newer randomized multicenter study evaluated 50 adults with distal radius fractures, a common wrist fracture.

Half received standard treatment.

The other half received standard treatment plus a combination containing:

Cissus quadrangularis + Boswellia serrata extracts.

After 60 days, the combination group showed better radiographic fracture-healing scores along with improvements in pain and wrist-function measurements.[7]

That is genuinely interesting human evidence.

But once again:

It was not a Cissus-only study.

Boswellia was also present.

The study was also open label, meaning participants and researchers knew which treatment was being given, which can introduce bias into some outcomes.

So this study supports further investigation of the combination.

It does not establish that Cissus alone was responsible for the results.

So Why Do Some Cissus Studies Look Positive While Others Do Not?

This is common in botanical research.

There are several possible reasons.

Different Cissus preparations

One study may use powdered plant material.

Another may use an extract.

Another may use a standardized preparation.

Another may combine Cissus with other herbs.

These products cannot automatically be treated as equivalent.

Different doses

Trials have used very different daily amounts.

If dosage matters, comparing studies becomes difficult.

Different fractures

A mandibular fracture is not identical to a wrist fracture.

Different bones have different blood supply, mechanical stress, fixation methods, and healing characteristics.

Small studies

Many Cissus fracture trials include only a few dozen participants—or fewer.

Small trials are more vulnerable to random variation.

Different outcomes

One study may measure an enzyme.

Another measures X-rays.

Another measures pain.

Another measures bite force.

A botanical may affect one measurement without meaningfully changing overall fracture healing.

Does a Better Bone Marker Mean the Bone Healed Faster?

Not necessarily.

This is one of the most important concepts for consumers to understand.

Imagine a study reports increased alkaline phosphatase.

That may indicate a change in bone-related biological activity.

But the patient really cares about questions such as:

Has the fracture united?

Can I safely use the limb?

Is pain improving?

Is function returning?

Did healing actually happen sooner?

These are clinical outcomes.

Biomarkers are useful clues.

Clinical outcomes are much more important.

That is one reason the 2025 meta-analysis should be interpreted carefully: it found a change in PTH, but evidence for other markers remained uncertain, and the overall certainty was very low.

Does Cissus “Join Broken Bones”?

Taken literally:

No.

Cissus does not physically align a fracture.

It cannot stabilize an unstable fracture.

It cannot replace a cast, brace, surgical fixation, reduction, or orthopedic care.

A displaced fracture may need bones to be repositioned.

An unstable fracture may require fixation.

Some fractures require surgery.

Some need immobilization and rehabilitation.

No herb substitutes for those things.

Then Is the Traditional Reputation Completely Wrong?

That would also be an oversimplification.

The traditional connection between Cissus and bone healing is real.

And importantly, that traditional reputation has generated actual human research.

Some studies have produced encouraging fracture-related findings. A 2017 systematic review found a possible fracture benefit, although the evidence quality was low. Smaller human trials have also reported changes in pain, immobilization time, biochemical markers, or radiographic observations.

So Cissus should neither be marketed as a proven fracture cure nor dismissed as having absolutely no research behind it.

The responsible position lies between those extremes.

Whole Cissus vs Cissus Extract Matters

This is particularly important for GeVica readers.

Studies have used different Cissus preparations.

A trial using a concentrated extract cannot automatically prove that the same result will occur with the same milligram amount of whole Cissus powder.

For example:

500 mg extract ≠ automatically equivalent to 500 mg whole herb.

Extracts may concentrate selected constituents.

Whole plant material retains a broader composition but generally at different concentrations.

Therefore when someone says:

“A study proved Cissus heals fractures,”

the next question should be:

Which Cissus preparation did they actually study?

Can Cissus Replace Calcium, Vitamin D, or Medical Fracture Care?

No.

Fracture care is individualized.

Depending on the person and injury, clinicians may consider:

• fracture alignment

• immobilization

• surgery

• protein intake

• calcium status

• vitamin D status

• osteoporosis evaluation

• rehabilitation

• medications

• smoking cessation

• underlying medical conditions

Cissus should not be presented as a substitute for any medically necessary component of fracture management.

What Would a Really Convincing Cissus Trial Look Like?

This is where future research needs to go.

Imagine a trial with several hundred people who have the same type of fracture.

Everyone receives appropriate standard medical treatment.

Then they are randomly assigned to:

Cissus

or

an identical-looking placebo.

Neither the patient nor the researchers know who receives which until the study ends.

Researchers would measure meaningful outcomes such as:

• time to confirmed fracture union

• standardized radiographic healing

• pain

• return to normal activity

• strength

• function

• complications

• need for additional surgery

• adverse effects

They would also clearly identify:

• plant part

• extract or whole herb

• dose

• standardization

• manufacturing specifications

That type of trial would tell us far more than another study of eight or fifteen patients.

So, Can Cissus Heal a Broken Bone?

The most accurate answer today is:

Cissus quadrangularis has a genuine traditional association with fracture recovery, and several small human studies have produced encouraging findings. However, clinical trials remain small and inconsistent, and recent systematic evidence rates certainty as low or very low for important bone-related outcomes.

Therefore:

Cissus cannot currently be described as a proven treatment that heals broken bones.

It is more accurate to say:

Cissus is a traditionally used botanical being investigated as a possible adjunct to normal bone-healing processes.

That is a much stronger scientific statement because it tells people what we know, what looks promising, and what remains uncertain.

The Bottom Line

The story of Cissus and bone healing is actually more interesting than the marketing slogan.

For centuries, Cissus has carried a traditional reputation so strong that one of its common names—Hadjod—became associated with joining bones.

Modern scientists then asked whether that reputation could be measured clinically.

The answer so far is:

There are signals worth investigating.

Small human studies have reported improvements in certain fracture outcomes. Systematic reviews have identified potential benefits. More recent research continues to explore Cissus and bone biology.

But:

the evidence is not yet strong enough to say Cissus independently heals fractures or reliably makes broken bones heal faster.

That distinction matters.

Tradition gave researchers the question.
Clinical science is still working on the answer.

Research & References

[1] Mohammad S, Pal US, Pradhan R, Singh N. Herbal remedies for mandibular fracture healing. National Journal of Maxillofacial Surgery. 2014;5(1):35–38.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25298715/

[2] Brahmkshatriya HR, Shah KA, Ananthkumar GB, Brahmkshatriya MH. Clinical evaluation of Cissus quadrangularis as osteogenic agent in maxillofacial fracture: A pilot study. AYU. 2015;36(2):169–173.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27011718/

[3] An Assessment of the Osteogenic Potential of Cissus quadrangularis in Mandibular Fractures: A Pilot Study.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31988572/

[4] Sawangjit R, Puttarak P, Saokaew S, Chaiyakunapruk N. Efficacy and Safety of Cissus quadrangularis L. in Clinical Use: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Phytotherapy Research. 2017;31(4):555–567.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28165166/

[5] Na Takuathung M, Aisara J, Sawong S, Koonrungsesomboon N. The effects of Cissus quadrangularis on bone-related biomarkers in humans: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies. 2025;25:286.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40707943/

[6] Gigi PG, Chugh A, Chaudhry K, et al. Comparison of Teriparatide and Combination of Cissus Quadrangularis and Dalbergia Sissoo on Bone Healing Against the Control Group in Maxillofacial Fractures: A Randomized Open-label Control Trial. 2023.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36824186/

[7] CL16019, a Combination of Cissus quadrangularis and Boswellia serrata Extracts, Promotes the Healing of Distal Radius Fractures: A Multicentric, Randomized, Open-Label Study.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41896193/

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