A potent toxin in the venom of the Peruvian green velvet tarantula has been shown to be a powerful natural painkiller.

Researchers from the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, have found the peptide toxin in the spider venom — known as ProTx-II — targets receptors in the brain to ease pain and could provide a natural alternative to potentially risky medications taken by million.

The findings, presented at the Biophysical Society's 60th Annual Meeting held in Los Angeles, indicate ProTx-II is “an ideal candidate as a future painkiller,” the researchers said.

"Our group is specifically interested in understanding the mode of action of this toxin to gain information that can guide us in the design and optimization of novel pain therapeutics," said Sónia Troeira Henriques, with the University of Queensland's Institute for Molecular Bioscience.