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All About Stevia, the Sweener Herb
Rate it! Votes (0) | Comments (1) By The Fine Folks at Sweet ‘n Natural Super Stevia Company Posted July 29th, 2007 FabulousFoods.com Recommends: Stevia: Naturally Sweet Recipes for Desserts, Drinks, and More, by Rita Depuydt, (2002, Book Publishing Company (TN))	Stevia: Naturally Sweet Recipes for Desserts, Drinks, and More

Stevia is an herbaceous plant (herb) that is grown in countries such as Brazil, Paraguay, Mexico and China. Stevia has been used in these and many other countries for more than a millennium.

Steviosides, the sweet glycosides from the Stevia Leaf are 200-300 times sweeter than sugar.

For centuries Stevia leaves have been chewed, crumbled, crushed, soaked and stewed by South Americans.

In Japan, Stevia has become the #1 sweetener with a 52% market share, more than sugar!

Not only is Stevia a naturally sweet dietary supplement, it may also have health benefits. Studies have shown that Steviocides may lower blood pressure without any apparent influence on blood chemistry results.*

In a study at Purdue University, Stevia was found to inhibit the growth of oral bacteria that causes tooth decay. It has also been found to inhibit the formation of plaque and also reduce he incidence of tooth decay.**

Perhaps the most important use of Stevia is its use as sweetening agent for persons with diabetes. Stevia has been shown to reduce blood sugar levels and increase glucose tolerance.***

In America, as of this writing, Stevia must be marketed as a dietary supplement and not a sweetener. This is aregely due to the lobbying efforts of companies that make artificial sweetneners. A simple search on Google will bring you a plethora of information about the controversial topic.

Stevia Powder for Baking
Stevia remains stable at extreme temperatures, making it excellent to use in hot food and in baking.

References:
*Chan P, Tomlinson; B. Chen YJ, et al. A double-blind placebo-controlled study of the effectiveness and tolerability of oral Steviosides in human hypertension. Br J Clin Pharmacol 50 (3): 215-220, 2000.

The statements in this article have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or medical condition.

**Das, S; Das AK; Murphy R.A; et al. Evaluation of cariogenic potential of intense natural sweeteners stevioside and rebaudioside A. Caries Res 26 (5); 363-366, 1992.

***Curi, R; Alvarez, M; Bazotte, RB; et al. Effect of Stevia rebaudiana on glucose tolerance in normal human adults. Braz J Med Biol Res 19 (6): 771-774, 1986.

Click here for more information about using Stevia and tips for growing your own Stevia plants.

Shop for Stevia at Amazon.com

	In U.S. Stevia Can Be Marketed as a Sweetener Written by: yoda smith Saturday, 14 November 2009
	In March 2008, SweetLeaf Sweetener stevia became the first stevia brand to receive GRAS (generally recogized as safe) status and approval for it to be marketed as a sweetener from the FDA. Other stevia brands did not receive the same distinction until as much as 9 months later. I use SweetLeaf and I love it! I tried it in chocolate chip cookies this past week, and I really liked them!

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