Fractures and bone healing

7 remedies

See a doctor if

A suspected broken bone needs an X-ray and proper setting; herbs do not replace it.

Reference, not prescription. Nothing here is medical advice. Herbs can interact with medicines and be dangerous in pregnancy; tell your doctor or pharmacist about anything you take.

Limited evidence

Small or few trials, mixed results, or mainly lab and animal work.

Mobola plum

Parinari curatellifolia

Limited

The leaves are used to dress fractures and dislocations, and in Cameroon the plant is used for both malaria and bone fractures. In rats with Plasmodium-induced bone loss, an aqueous leaf-and-bark extract improved bone markers and microarchitecture. Animal work only.

Veldt grape

Cissus quadrangularis

Limited

Its main use, in Ayurveda and Eastern medicine, is helping fractures heal. Small randomised trials, mostly in jaw fractures in India (500 mg to 10 g a day for 4–12 weeks), reported less bone pain and some faster X-ray healing. Most were open-label or had some risk of bias, and a 2025 meta-analysis rated the evidence on bone markers as very low certainty.

Traditional use

Long recorded use, essentially untested in clinical trials.

Crown flower

Calotropis gigantea

Traditional

A cross-cultural review of Nepalese ethnomedicine found it used by 8 ethnic groups for fractures and sprains, usually by applying the latex; it had the highest fidelity level of any plant for that use. A flower extract was analgesic in mice; there are no human trials.

Gu sui bu fern

Drynaria fortunei

Traditional

Used in Chinese medicine for traumatic injuries and to promote healing of fractures and relieve pain; in rabbits, collagen grafts containing the extract induced new bone at skull defects.

Pineapple flower

Eucomis autumnalis

Traditional

Bulb decoctions are given as enemas to help heal fractures and to aid recovery after operations. There are no clinical data.

Shea tree

Vitellaria paradoxa

Traditional

Used traditionally for bone dislocations and fractures; no clinical evidence. Fractures need medical care.

Silk tree

Albizia julibrissin

Traditional

Listed among traumatic conditions (with bruises and burns) for which the extract is used traditionally. No clinical data.