Uses: from dogs to flower design

Viagra may be best known for its effect in the bedroom, but it has also found another use around the house.

Viagra may be best known for its effect in the bedroom, but it has also found another use around the house.

Studies have shown that small concentrations of the drug dissolved in a vase of water can double the shelf life of cut flowers, making them stand up straight for as long as a week beyond their natural life span.

And in at least one case, the family pet has stopped wilting too. A vet in England recently prescribed the drug, which can improve blood flow, for a dog with heart problems. The collie's owner reported her pet as having a "new lease of life".

More ominously, long-term use of the anti-impotence drug has been reportedly linked with lowered fertility in men, but Pfizer says the research is not corroborated by experience.