Cissus Quadrangularis (cissus) is a traditional Ayurveda medicine that has been used for its pain relieving and bone strengthening properties. Its common name is “bone setter” which is the main reason that athletes and other people commonly use this herb. Cissus is a shrub with four winged internodes. The stem and root portion of this plant possess high antioxidant and high antimicrobial activity whilst the total plant displays a high quantity of carotenoids, triterpenes, vitamin C, flavonoids, phtosterols and resveratrol: all possessing different functionalities when ingested in the body.

It is the extracts from the stem of this plant that have been used for their ability to repair fractures quicker, reduce pain associated with joint and bone problems and even affect body fat.

How can it Speed up Bone Healing?

Well, I’m glad you asked. Nutrition is extremely important in healing (of bones, colds and flus etc). For bones, calcium is obviously the key mineral that needs to have increased intake and also increased absorption and utilisation. Cissus active components, ketosterones, act by increasing the metabolism and uptake of calcium, sulphur and strontium by the osteoblasts (bone cells) which is essential for bone fracture healing. A study using radiography observed the anti-anabolic effects of cortisone in bone healing. Cortisone is used to reduce swelling and reduce pain in bone remodelling, however it can cause slower tissue regeneration and affect the new bone growth shape. Through this, Cissus has the ability to provide the compounds needed for bone calcification and callus formation. This can reduce the time of healing a fracture from 12-16 weeks down to 7-8 weeks using doses of 1200mg daily (Brahmkshatriya 2015).

Amelioration of Pain

Inflammation causes pain. Simple. Cissus can reduce inflammation by lowering cytokine expression (TNF-alpha and IL-6) and blocking the action of inflammatory enzymes that stimulate the pain pathway including the master regulator of inflammation: Nuclear Factor kappa-light-chain enhancer of activated B Cells (NF-kB) and its enzymes Cyclooxygenase (COX).

Modulating Body Fat and Reducing Metabolic Syndrome

Recent data has outlined Cissus to be a promising candidate herb in the regulation of body fat. An 8-week double blind, placebo controlled study was conducted on patients with metabolic syndrome and obesity. After the 8 weeks, daily dosing of 300mg of Cissus showed a significant difference in decreasing: waist and hip circumference, fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol and blood pressure. Whilst the value for total body fat wasn’t significantly different, the individuals who supplemented with Cissus lost more body fat % compared with those who consumed the placebo. This data outlines that Cissus is effective in reducing body fat and improving health parameters associated with metabolic syndrome (Nash 2019). So how did these people lose weight and body fat? Cissus extracts can actually block the expression of genes involved in fat storage (TBX15 and CPEB4 namely). Not only this, but Cissus was shown to improve serotonin levels – our happy hormone that makes us forget we are dieting and thereby improves appetite control and mood (Oben 2007).

Nash, R., Azantsa, B., Kuate, D., Singh, H., Oben J. (2019). The Use of a Stem and Leaf Aqueous Extract of Cissus quadrangularis (CQR-300) to Reduce Body Fat and Other Components of Metabolic Syndrome in Overweight Participants. J Altem Complement Med. 25(1): 98 – 106.

Brahmkshatriya, H., Shah, K., Ananthkumar, G., Brahmshatriva, M. 2015. Clinical evaluation of Cissus Quadrangularis as osteogenic agent in maxillofacial fracture: A Pilot study. Avu. I36(2): 169 – 173.

Oben, J., Enveque, D., Fomekong, G., Soukontoua, Y., Agbor, G. 2007. The effect fo Cissus quadrangularis (CQR-300) and a Cissus formulation (CORE) on obesity and obesity-induced oxidative stress. Lipids Health Dis. 4(6): 4.