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Viagra Makes Flowers Stand up Straight
UK Medix ^ | 12 January 2005

Posted on 01/12/2005 3:03:37 PM PST by Lorianne

Viagra (sildenafil citrate) is good not only for treating male impotence. Israeli and Australian researchers have discovered that small concentrations of the drug dissolved in a vase of water can also double the shelf life of cut flowers, making them stand up straight for as long as a week beyond their natural life span.

They have already tested Viagra on strawberries, legumes, roses, carnations, broccoli, and other perishables. In this latest research they found that 1 mg of the drug (compared with 50 mg in one pill taken by impotent men) in a solution was enough to prevent two vases of cut flowers from wilting for as much as a week longer than might be expected.

Professor Yaacov Leshem, a plant researcher at Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan, Israel, and Professor Ron Wills of the food technology department of the University of Newcastle, Australia, also patented a safe, cheap process for increasing the shelf life of fruit, vegetables, and cut flowers using nitric oxide. The produce and cut flowers were fumigated with the colourless, odourless gas, an environmental pollutant that in minute quantifies acts as the body's most important signalling molecule.

The results of the applied research on nitric oxide were first fully reported in late 1998 in Plant Physiology and Biochemistry and have since been the topic of discussion at international conferences of the food storage and packaging industry. Professor Leshem will present his discovery at the opening plenary session of the September 1999 international conference on flesh cut produce in England.

An unexpected finding of Professor Leshem's group is that Viagra has a similar effect on plant ripening as it does on men's sexual organs. Viagra increases the vase life of flowers by retarding the breakdown of cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) (the production of which is mediated by nitric oxide).

Both chemicals could provide the food industry with entirely new, dramatically improved processes for preserving agricultural produce, Professor Leshem said.

"Nitric oxide is practically free and plentiful, with no identifiable side effects at the very low concentrations we used," he added. "Right now, Viagra costs much more but does have certain advantages over nitric oxide-for example, it's easier to use in cut flowers.

"It is now up to industry to develop the engineering methods for large scale, pretreatment of produce based on our discoveries."


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: agriculture; health; viagra
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To: OSHA

Pingified U B.

< |:)~


61 posted on 01/12/2005 8:27:52 PM PST by martin_fierro (</pith>)
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To: cyborg
unruly bramble trimmed every two weeks"

I wasn't asking about your grooming. :-)

(Wonders if the smiley face will keep her from throwing a frying pan at me).

62 posted on 01/12/2005 8:28:41 PM PST by Larry Lucido
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To: Larry Lucido

Errr... what were we talking about again?


63 posted on 01/12/2005 8:30:27 PM PST by cyborg (http://mentalmumblings.blogspot.com/)
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To: Larry Lucido
(Wonders if the smiley face will keep her from throwing a frying pan at me).

INCOMING!!! (*clang*)

64 posted on 01/12/2005 8:30:43 PM PST by Slings and Arrows ("The Internet, where men are men, women are men, and little girls are FBI agents..." --Anon.)
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To: manic4organic

No kidding, there is a such thing as a STIFF GOLDENROD plant! Perennial 1-5 ft. tall, flowers Aug. to Oct. STEM: Erect, stout, clustered, usually un-branched, leafy, rough-hairy....LOL! Perfect for the Viagra bottle.

65 posted on 01/12/2005 8:39:01 PM PST by Bassfire
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To: martin_fierro

66 posted on 01/12/2005 9:17:42 PM PST by Bassfire
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To: dubyaismypresident
Wonder what Viagra would do with overcooked noodles or pasta? Make them hard again? The possibilities are endless.

My doctor would never believe this. I must save this article for her.

67 posted on 01/12/2005 9:32:05 PM PST by Slip18
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To: reagan_fanatic

ROTFLMAO!!!


68 posted on 01/12/2005 9:33:13 PM PST by RandallFlagg (FReepers, Do NOT let the voter fraud stories die!!!! (Magnetic bumper stickers-click my name))
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To: GAWnCA
haha! :^D

69 posted on 01/13/2005 2:21:24 AM PST by MeekOneGOP (There is only one GOOD 'RAT: one that has been voted OUT of POWER !! Straight ticket GOP!)
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To: Lorianne

bump


70 posted on 01/13/2005 2:31:43 AM PST by stlnative
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To: sweetliberty

ROFL!!!


71 posted on 01/13/2005 2:36:11 AM PST by dansangel
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To: Bassfire

Lewd and lascivious plants! ROFL!


72 posted on 01/13/2005 2:38:51 AM PST by dansangel
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To: dubyaismypresident; martin_fierro
making them stand up straight for as long as a week beyond their natural life span.

Weekend at Bernie's

73 posted on 01/13/2005 3:54:43 AM PST by beyond the sea (Andrea Mitchell is Barbra Streisand on peyote ......and the north end of a south bound mule.)
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To: Slings and Arrows

Does Don King put Viagra on his hair?


74 posted on 01/13/2005 4:59:34 AM PST by Conspiracy Guy (Could someone tell me how to set up a tagline? Any help is appreciated. Thanks)
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To: dubyaismypresident

Now that sounds like a ping list I want to be on!


75 posted on 01/13/2005 5:03:51 AM PST by Fierce Allegiance (MY COUSIN GREG IS HOME SAFE FROM IRAQ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
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To: Lorianne; lindor
Did someone say Viagra?

SUSAN: Come on, George, just tear it open.

GEORGE: I'm trying, dammit.

SUSAN: Tear it.

GEORGE: I tried to tear it from the side, you can't get a good grip here. You gotta do it like a bag of chips.

SUSAN: Here give it to me.

GEORGE: Would you wait a second? Just wait?

SUSAN: Give it to me. Come on. Come on!

GEORGE (tosses the condom aside): It's too late.

76 posted on 01/13/2005 6:50:42 AM PST by MotleyGirl70
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To: Clintonfatigued; Molly Pitcher; lysie

LOL!


77 posted on 01/13/2005 10:07:00 AM PST by b4its2late (You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say will be misquoted, then used against you.)
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To: OSHA

KA Boyoyoyoyoy YOING!


78 posted on 01/13/2005 10:06:57 PM PST by Shryke (My Beeb-o-meter goes all the way to eleven.)
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To: thoughtomator

Why is it when I wash a cucumber under cold water it gets harder but when I was my own cucumber under cold water it gets softer? Is that supposed to happen?


79 posted on 02/06/2005 1:59:09 PM PST by beaver fever
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To: Lorianne
Wired News (Aug 1999):
Flaccid Flowers Bloom on Viagra

An Israeli scientist has found a way to defer the droop in daisies and firm up flaccid freesia. He feeds them Viagra.


80 posted on 02/11/2005 12:37:53 PM PST by Tern
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