What is stevia?

Stevia comes from the Stevia plant, which is grown mostly in South America and parts of Asia, where it’s become one of the most popular low calorie sweeteners. It is also used in homeopathic treatments for everything from hypertension, weight loss, digestion, diabetes and skin diseases to physical and mental fatigue. Stevia has even been shown to suppress the growth of bacteria in the mouth (from a study conducted at Hiroshima University). Gaining quickly in popularity, Stevia should be available at your neighborhood health food store.

This excellent sugar substitute is safe, healthy, and natural. Used for many decades, it has recently been approved by the FDA for use in food processing. Therefore, more and more foods-even sodas-that include this healthy sugar substitute will soon be available.

Stevia comes from leaves of the stevia plant, an herb in the chrysanthemum family. It grows wild as a small shrub in parts of Paraguay and Brazil. The leaves contain an extract (called a stevioside) that may be 200 to 300 times as sweet as sugar. This extract is safe and contains no calories. It can be used in cooking and as an excellent overall sugar substitute. It is even safe for diabetics.

Keep in mind, however, that unless stevia is properly filtered it will leave a bitter or licorice aftertaste. If you get a brand that does not taste good, it was not properly filtered. Simply switch brands.

Stevia is an all-natural sweetener made from the stevia leaf. Because stevia leaves are naturally sweet and have 300 times the sweetness of table sugar, you don't need to use much to satisfy your sweet tooth. Stevia is also low-carb and doesn't spike your blood glucose levels.

Extracts of leaves from Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni have been used for many years in traditional treatment of diabetes in South America. Paraguay's rural and indigenous populations have used Stevia rebaudiana for the control of fertility.

Stevia rebaudiana standardized extracts are used as natural sweeteners or dietary supplements in different countries for their content of stevioside or rebaudioside A. These compounds possess up to 250 times the sweetness intensity of sucrose, and do not have any calories. Stevioside, a natural plant glycoside isolated from the plant Stevia rebaudiana, has been commercialized as a non-caloric sweetener in Japan for more than 20 years.

Stevia is not generally recognized as safe (GRAS) nor approved as a food additive by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Stevia may be imported only if "explicitly labeled as a dietary supplement or for use as a dietary ingredient in a dietary supplement." Although stevia may be marketed as a dietary supplement or an ingredient of a dietary supplement under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), products that are labeled as using stevia plant parts or extracts as flavoring agents, sweeteners, or for other food additive purposes are deemed as "unsafe." Regulatory agencies in Canada and Europe also have not approved use of stevia as a food additive. However, rebaudioside A (reb-A) is a steviol glycoside that is extracted from stevia and obtained FDA GRAS status as of December 2008.

You should read product labels, and discuss all therapies with a qualified healthcare provider. Natural Standard information does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Stevia is a popular natural sweetener extracted from the Stevia rebaudiana plant. This herb has been used in South America for centuries, is about 300 times sweeter than sugar, and is calorie-free. Although the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not officially approved stevia as a safe food additive, in late 2008 it was classified as Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS).

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