Hydrogen sulfide may boost erections

ROME, March 7 (UPI) -- U.S. and Italian researchers say hydrogen sulfide emitted by hot springs may act as a natural version of Viagra.

The gas, which has a pungent odor often compared to the smell of rotten eggs, has been found to widen blood vessels and appears to be able to combat impotence, the Italian news service ANSA reported.

The research was conducted under the guidance of researchers at Naples University and Nobel prize-winning pharmacologist Louis Ignarro of the University of California at Los Angeles.

The report, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, said the discovery could lead to the development of a new therapeutic target against impotence.