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Stevia Rebaudiana: Nature's Sweet Secret by David Richard Covers history, safety, uses, chemistry, growing, and more. Check it out at |
Stevia Rebaudiana: The Sweet Herb by Jeffrey Goettemoeller There are hundreds of species of the genus Stevia native to North and South America. Only one species, rebaudiana, tastes sweet enough to be called "sweet leaf" in Brazil and Paraguay where it grows wild. Amazingly, Stevia sweetens with almost zero calories, does not encourage cavities, is non-glycemic, and may even strengthen the pancreas. All this makes it a great natural alternative to artificial sweeteners and sugar. Stevia was used for centuries as a sweetener by the people of South America. In 1899, Moises S. Bertoni discovered and introduced Stevia to the rest of the world. During the second world war, when England was cut off from its usual supply of Caribean sugarcane, Stevia was investigated as a possible substiute. While it grew well in parts of England, the end of the war meant the end of stevia production. In the 1970's, concerns about possible negative health effects from artificial non-caloric sweeteners caused the Japanese government to begin importing stevia plants for research into its potential uses. By the 1980's, tons of stevia extract was consumed each year and use continues for all kinds of processed products including ice cream, beverages, and more. Many other countries have embraced Stevia as well, without a single report of negative health effects. In fact, positive health claims for Stevia abound. For more on stevia's safety, see the article, "Stevia Ready for Prime Time" by Allen Weber. Stevia has long been presribed for the treatment of diabetes in Brazil, although research is lacking regarding this use. In the United States, the FDA has approved the sale of Stevia as a dietary supplement. This means that individuals can now purchase Stevia at health food stores. The sweetness of stevia is due to a high concentration of eight phytochemicals called glycosides. The most abundant of these, stevioside, is over 200 times sweeter than sucrose. One form of stevia available in health food stores is a 80-95% extract of stevioside. It is a white powder that must be used sparingly. In our experience, One teaspoon has roughly the same sweetening power as 1 cup granulated cane sugar. Many factors must be considered when cooking with stevia. My cookbook, Stevia Sweet Recipes, Sugar-Free -- Naturally! tells about these factors so that you can experiment on your own in addition to enjoying the many recipes we have developed over the years. You can even grow your own stevia and make a green powder (also available in health food stores) by processing dried leaves in a kitchen blender or food processor. This powder will have the full range of nutrients found in stevia, but does present some additional challenges for use in recipes. We have developed many very good recipes for the green powder, however, which you can find in Stevia Sweet Recipes. Feel free to contact me by e-mail if you have any questions: |
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A young Stevia rebaudiana plant |
Stevia Rebaudiana: Nature's Sweet Secret by David Richard Covers history, safety, uses, chemistry, growing, and more. Check it out at |
Established May, 2000 |
Jeffrey Goettemoeller Horticulturalist & Author, Stevia Sweet Recipes |
Site navigation: Stevia Sweet Recipes Growing Stevia Home |