Brazilian love bite: poisonous banana spiders may help treat erectile dysfunction in ‘few minutes’
- A Brazilian company is looking to sell an ointment extracted from banana spider bites to treat erectile problems
- Further research into one of the world’s most poisonous spiders could even prove useful in the fight against prostate cancer
Three decades ago, Brazilian researchers began studying a curious side effect from banana spider bites: the toxin left victims with priapism, a painful and persistent erection.
The scientists were inspired to develop a synthetic molecule using some properties of the spider’s poison to create a gel to treat erectile dysfunction, which is now undergoing promising clinical trials.
Covered in thick brown hair, and with a maximum size of up to 15 centimetres (six inches), the arachnid is one of the most poisonous in the world.
It is found in several South American countries, and was nicknamed for its common presence in banana plantations, but it is also called the “wandering spider” or “armed spider.”
In the southeastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, it is found in rural areas as well as urban centres.
At the Ezequiel Dias Foundation (FUNED), a medical research centre in the state’s capital Belo Horizonte, a biologist delicately grabs one of the spiders with a pair of tweezers and stimulates its fangs to get a few drops of venom.
