Stevia, commonly known as sweetleaf or sugarleaf, is a class of plant in the sunflower family that is widely grown for its sweet leaves. This plant originally comes from rain forests of Brazil and Paraguay but is now also grown in Japan, Korea, Thailand and China. Because its extracts have about 300 times the sweetness of sugar and does not appear to contain any calories, stevia is used as a sugar substitute.
Due to its negligible effects on blood glucose, stevia is often a popular food additive in low-carbohydrate and low-sugar food alternatives. It has also shown promising results in medical research for treating conditions such as obesity and high blood pressure. Stevia is also a great choice as a natural sweetener for those with diabetics. In the early 1970’s, Japan began cultivating stevia as an alternative to artificial sweeteners, many of which were suspected carcinogens back then. Aqueous extracts of the leaves were purified and stevioside, the main sweetener in stevia, was obtained. Since 1971, the Japanese have been using stevia widely as a sweetener in food products, soft drinks and even table use. However, stevia’s availability is limited in many other countries. Despite the fact that it shows wonderful usage in the food additive industry, health and political controversies have kept stevia as only a supplement. For example, the United States banned stevia in the early 1990’s as a sweetener, allowing it only to be a dietary supplement. Nonetheless, extensive human and animal studies have indicated stevia to be safe.
Usually, the powdered herb is added directly into tea or food. It is important to keep in mind that stevia is about 300 times sweeter than sugar. It is recommended that no more than 1 gram per day should be used as a sweetener
