Stevia, the sweet herb, known botanically as Stevia rebaudiana, is a very popular, non-caloric, low glycemic sweetener. Herbalists and herb enthusiasts have know about Stevia for many years, but it is only recently that it was approved by the FDA (United States Food and Drug Administration) as a food rather than an "herbal supplement". That means now Stevia can be sold on the shelf with the other sweeteners, natural and otherwise, in a grocery store.

History of Stevia- its discovery and introduction into Europe and America

The history of Stevia and how it was introduced into the mainstream diet is rather convoluted. It starts in the Amambay Mountain region of Paraguay with the native people known as the Guarani. These people used the local plant, kaa he-he, to sweeten their mate and other drinks and as a medical potion. They also would simply chew on some leaves as a sweet treat. In the 16th Century, the Spanish Conquistadors encountered the Guarani and learned of the sweet plant. They sent word back to Spain about the plant and its uses. Documentation of the Spanish interest in Stevia is preserved in the Paraguayan National Archives in Asuncion, Paraguay.

In the late 1880's, Dr. Moises Santiago Bertoni, director of the College of Agriculture in Asuncion, was exploring the eastern forests of Paraguay. His native guides showed him "a very strange plant" rarely found in this area. It was 12 years later that Mr. Bertoni received a packet of dried leaves and twigs from a friend who had gotten them from a mate plantation in the northeast of Paraguay.


Stevia Farm

Mr. Bertoni thought he had discovered a new species and named it Stevia rebaudiana, in honor of a Paraguayan chemist named Rebaudi who became the first person to extract the sweet constituent of the plant. "In placing in the mouth the smallest particle of any portion of the leaf or twig," Bertoni wrote, "one is surprised at the strange and extreme sweetness contained therein. A fragment of the leaf only a few square millimeters in size suffices to keep the mouth sweet for an hour; a few small leaves are sufficient to sweeten a strong cup of coffee or tea."

Stevia use caught on in various parts of the world: Japan, Germany, China, Israel, South Korea and others. In the United States it was allowed to be sold only as an herbal supplement, not as a food ingredient as it was being used in all other countries. Extensive studies were done proving no harmful side effects of even large daily amounts of Stevia. Soft drink, ice cream and candy companies were using it in Japan instead of sugar.


Purvia Package

In the U.S. it wasn't until 2008 that Stevia became accepted by the FDA as a safe food product. The food giant Cargill has partnered with Coca-Cola to produce the stevia-based sweetener Truvia and PepsiCo has partnered with Merisant, the maker of the aspartame sweetener Equal to produce its own brand of stevia-based sweetener, PureVia. There are other producers of stevia extracts, as well, now allowed to sell their products along side sugar, Equal, Truvia, PureVia and other sweeteners on grocery shelves.

What Makes Stevia So Sweet?

The leaves of the Stevia plant contain a substance dubbed 'Stevioside', which is said to be 300 times sweeter than sugar. The leaves also contain another substance called Rebaudioside A. Stevioside is usually the higher glycoside in the Stevia plant; it is also the one that has the bitter factor. Plants are being developed with a higher Rebaudioside A content to reduce the bitterness sometimes found as an aftertaste in Stevia Products.

How To Grow Stevia

Stevia is not a difficult plant to grow. It is a small shrubby, leafy plant that like sun, well draining soil and average water. It is not considered drought tolerant. It is not frost tolerant, either. Potted culture allows the grower to keep a Stevia plant alive all year.

Or plant Stevia in a garden spot that gets sun to part shade. Especially in the hot summer areas such as the Gulf Coast or the Southwest, Stevia need some afternoon shade. It has a shallow root system, so a generous layer of mulch will help it weather a hot, dry summer. In Zone 8 and below, Stevia should be root hardy in the ground when well mulched. The tops will die back in the winter, and regrow when the weather warms up.

It is best to start Stevia from an established purchased plant or from cuttings. Seed germination is very slow and erratic and the resulting plants are not consistent in their sweetness.

How To Use Fresh Stevia Leaves

There are several ways to use your fresh Stevia leaves. The easiest way is to pick a couple of leaves, crush them a bit in your hand, and add them to a cup or pot while tea is steeping in hot water. Fresh leaves can be added to your ground coffee to sweeten the whole pot.

To prepare Stevia for use other than using fresh leaves, you can pick leaves at any time during the growing season and dry them. Then, grind them up very finely to use as a powder. This is a good way to sweeten one cup of coffee or a cold drink.


A tall glass of Iced Tea with a fresh Stevia sprig! How sweet!!

Another way to use fresh leaves is to steep the Stevia leaves themselves in hot water until the water cools. Then, remove the leaves and store the sweet liquid in the fridge. You will have to experiment to see how much of the extract you need to sweeten various dishes and drinks.

Health Benefits

There are health benefits to using Stevia besides the obvious one of replacing refined sugar in one's diet. Studies have concluded that 1,000 mg/day of rebaudioside A have no significant negative effects of blood pressure in healthy persons or on glucose homeostasis or blood lipid s in Type 2 Diabetic patients. No adverse affects were detected. Also, no adverse affects were detected in blood pressure or blood sugar after high doses of steviosol glycoside were delivered over several months.

(This information is not a substitute for talking with your physician if you have health issues that may be affected by use of Stevia)

If you have a sweet tooth and would like to replace some or all of your refined sugar with Stevia, I encourage you to look for a Stevia plant and grow it out and try it. It's amazingly sweet and so easy to use. And, it's inexpensive, as most things are that we grow for ourselves.

Here are a few recipes using Stevia extract: http://theherbcottage.com/Stevia_Resources.pdf
There are lots of other resources and recipes to be found on the Internet, including the ones listed below.

Resources for this article:

QUOTE FOR THE MONTH

There is more to life than increasing its speed.
-Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948)