London - If you are desperate for a way to get the spark back into your love life, the answer could be dynamite... literally.
Scientists believe the explosive could help create fireworks in the bedroom – as a radical treatment for erectile dysfunction.
One in ten men in the UK suffers from the problem at some point in their lives, and although drugs such as Viagra have revolutionised treatment, around 30 percent of those who take them see no improvement.
Now a fast-acting nitroglycerine gel that can be applied shortly before sex is being tested.
When rubbed in, the chemical releases the gas nitric oxide, which helps to dilate the tiny blood vessels that pump blood into the genitals during arousal.
Thousands of patients in Britain already take nitroglycerine daily to combat angina.
A gel made from the oily, colourless liquid could also be the key to a more explosive time between the sheets.
A trial for the treatment involving 200 UK men aged 18 to 70 with a history of erectile problems is now under way.
The volunteers are using a pea-sized amount of the gel, or an identical placebo, before sex, and will try to make love at least once a week for a month.
The men will then be followed up for five months to assess the long-term impact on their love lives.
David Ralph, consultant urologist at The London Clinic, believes the gel, which would cost less than £1 (about R20) a day, may be a promising – and cheap – treatment.
He said: “Previous studies have shown benefits and it seems to work quickly. I think it could be useful for men with mild erectile dysfunction.”
Daily Mail