Spider Venom or Cialis: Your Call

Arachnophobes beware, a new treatment's emerging, and you're not going to like it. Phoneutria nigriventer, also known as Brazilian wandering spiders, armed spiders, or the harmless sounding banana spiders, are large spiders native to South America. Their ranking in the Guinness World Records as the most venomous spider in the world belies their cute nickname, which they share in common with a harmless species of spider.

As if a spider the size of your hand wasn't scary enough, they also really pack a punch.

While most news involving Brazilian wandering spiders is related to deaths of agriculture workers in South America, one of the side effects of their venom has been turned into a potentially positive effect, which has been drawing plenty of headlines.

Their venom may cure erectile dysfunction.

Don't get bitten just yet!

In case you were planning on jetting out to a Brazilian plantation and finding one of these guys, you should know that while erections are one of the effects of the venom, the other effects are loss of muscle control, breathing problems, and suffocation. People who are bitten and injected with the powerful neurotoxin experience intense pain and inflammation, and usually die if untreated.

Venom, Priapism, and ED

The venom is also notorious for causing priapism, which is the condition of having a painful, dangerous erect penis (in the case of males) or clitoris (for females). These are no laughing matter; priapism should be treated as emergencies and require immediate medical attention.

Priapism, if not properly treated, can result in impaired erectile function (ED) in the best cases and gangrene leading to penis removal in the worst cases.

This is the condition that prompts those warnings about 4-hour erections in many ED pharmaceutical treatments.

Under no circumstances should you intentionally be bitten by a spider. It will not cure anything.

New Studies Showing Promise

Research about the effects of the neurotoxin on erections is ongoing, but the results have been looking surprisingly positive. While the venom alone is not a solution for anything, one compound within the neurotoxin might actually be helpful to humans suffering impotence.

Kenia Nunces, a scientist with the Medical College of Georgia, explained to MSNBC that they have been studying the toxin to see which part of the venom causes erections.

What did they find?

PxTx2-6.

When tested on lab rats-who we can assume didn't just wake up with ED themselves one day but were given it-erections were normalized, according to Nunes.

How the Venom Might Be Used

It is highly unlikely that this will be a first treatment option for most people. For those who have erectile dysfunction due to high cholesterol, blood pressure issues, lack of exercise, obesity, smoking, or drinking, the best medical solution is to modify your behavior-using therapy if necessary-and diet and exercise. Of course, Cialis can be included in that regimen.

Cialis is also a first treatment option for people whose erectile dysfunction is caused by any number of disorders, including Diabetes, Neuralgia, and Anxiety Disorders.

Still, for the less than 20% of people who Cialis does not work for, this research provides hope.