Our first plant in this category of Natural Sweeteners is Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana), also called sweet leaf or candyleaf, is a flowering plant in the sunflower family (Asteraceae) grown for its sweet-tasting leaves. The extracts of its leaves are processed into a powder and stevia is used as a sugar substitute in most of the developed world.

The plant is native to Paraguay, where it has a long history of use by the Guaraní people. The leaves contain a number of sweet-tasting chemicals known as steviol glycosides, which can be used fresh or dried to sweeten beverages or desserts and can be commercially processed into powdered noncaloric sweeteners. The glycoside extracts from Stevia are 300 times sweeter than table sugar and are nonglycemic (i.e., they do not affect blood glucose levels).

🌿THE PLANT

Stevia is a tender perennial herb that grows to about 1m in height. The oblong aromatic leaves are 2.5 cm (1 inch) long with a prominent midrib and are arranged oppositely along the stems. The small tubular flowers have five white petals and are borne in terminal clusters; the flowers are usually removed to improve the flavour of the leaves. 

🌿CULTIVATION

Germination from seed is difficult, and most plants are grown from cuttings. The plant requires rich well-drained soil and thrives in warm humid climates.

🌿HISTORY

Stevia leaves have been used over centuries by the Guaraní people of Brazil and Paraguay. Traditionally, the plant was used to sweeten the local yerba mate tea, as medicine, and as a "sweet treat". 

The first scientific record of the plant dates to 1899, when Swiss botanist Moisés Santiago Bertoni announced his discovery of the sweet-tasting plant and named it Eupatorium rebaudianum.  

In the early 1970s Japanese scientists developed the first commercial stevia-derived sweetener, which quickly gained popularity in that country. After an initial ban because of carcinogen concerns, specific glycoside extracts were later approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2008. The European Union approved stevia sweeteners in 2011.

🌿THE SWEETENER

There’s a big difference between the stevia you buy at the grocery store and the stevia you may grow at home.

Stevia products found on grocery store shelves, don’t contain whole stevia leaf. They’re made from a highly refined stevia leaf extract called rebaudioside A (Reb-A).

🌿BENEFITS

Stevia is a nonnutritive sweetener. This means it has almost no calories. If you’re trying to lose weight, this aspect may be appealing. However, the impact of nonnutritive sweetener on an individual’s health may depend on the amount that is consumed, as well as the time of day it’s consumed.

If you have diabetes, stevia may help keep your blood sugar levels in check. Studies have found that stevia lowered total cholesterol, LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, and triglycerides with no negative side effects. It also increased HDL (“good”) cholesterol.

🌿SIDE-EFFECTS

Stevia glycosides such as Reb-A are considered safe by the FDA, but whole-leaf or crude stevia extract are not approved due to a lack of safety information. Raw stevia herb may harm certain bodily systems and can interact with medications. Brands containing dextrose or maltodextrin should be used cautiously, as they can add carbs and calories. Nonnutritive sweeteners, including stevia, may disrupt beneficial intestinal flora and cause metabolic disorders. Stevia has a mild, licorice-like taste that may not be enjoyed by everyone, and sugar alcohols in stevia products may cause digestive problems like bloating or diarrhoea in some people. 

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