Stevia Leaf Extract

Stevia is the safest natural, non-toxic sweetener available on the market. It doesn't cause health concerns like obesity, diabetes and heart disease associated with sugar.
It doesn't cause nuerological problems, learning problems or cancer scares associated with aspartame or saccharin.

It comes from an herb plant, a shrub native to South America in the regions of Paraguay and Brazil. It is in the plant family of Asteraceae and is cousin to the Chrysanthemum flower. After the sweetener was discovered in Paraguay and Brazil, Peru, Argentina, Japan and China started cultivating and mass-producing stevia.

Stevia names

In 1887, a scientist named Antonio Bertoni discovered the herb that had been used for centuries by Paraguayan natives to flavor their tea drinks. He later genus named the plant after a fellow scientist named Rebaudi who found the sweet component of the leaf. Bertoni marketed it abroad to countries outside of South America.

Sometimes it is called Eupatorium rebaudianum. The native Guarani tribe of its native Paraguay call it ka'a he'ê. Other nicknames for the plant are capim doce, sweet-herb, honey yerba, honeyleaf and candy leaf. In stores, people can find it by the name Stevia or other brand names discussed later in this article.

Stevia extract

Stevia leaf extract is the medicinal solution obtained from the leaf of the Stevia plant.
It is medicinal because all extracts are medicinal. This is the form of the plant that is marketed to the public as capsules or powders/condiments. It is used as a sweetener because when you eat it a sweet taste forms in your mouth.

The leaf extract is comprised of glycosides. A glycoside is a sugar/non-sugar compound. For example, all sugars have a carbon base with hydrogen and oyxygen added, hence the word carbogydrate - where, carbo- comes from carbon and -hydrate comes from the hydrogen and oxygen from water.

When a glycoside goes through hydrolysis, water is used to split the sugar part of the compound from its "uncarbonated" counterpart.

Unmetabolized stevia

The glycosides in Stevia are called steviosides. Even though the body usually metabolizes any sugar to use it as energy, it does not metabolize the steviosides. Therefore, it produces no calories, as well, and no sugar is imparted to the body because the body does not process the glycosides it possesses. It causes no adverse side affects, which also makes it an ideal sweetener for people watching their diets and for patients with diabetes.

Sweet stevia

The Stevia leaf extract is up to 300 times sweeter than table sugar. The taste of the extract is partially akin to anise or licorice. Sometimes when making homemade ice tea using honey, if you leave it sitting for awhile, it will start to ferment and smell like alcohol. Stevia does not do that; it doesn't ferment. Stevia will not damage your teeth. It does not caramelize like sugar does.

Stevia nutrients

It has many phytonutrients, like iron, cobalt, calcium, potassium, magnesium zinc, vitamin A & C and its own essential aromatic oil ideally used for various medicinal and beautification purposes. The liquid extract has a green to black color which can discolor some foods it is added to. The powder of Stevia leaf extract is of an ivory white coloration. The extract has less nutrients and oils because it is refined.or processed to a more palatable state. All of these forms of Stevia can be found at major grocery chains or health food stores. Just find an associate to help you find the product.

Where to find it

You can find current versions of the zero calorie sweetener and its extracts on the shelves of Walmart and Albertson's in the United States in the form of products called Truvia and Sun Crystals. Sun Crystals combines Stevia with oure cane sugar. In garden departments of home improvement centers, the plant is sold so you can take it home and plant it and grow Stevia plant in your own backyard. You can pick off the leaves and eat it like that or grind them up to make your own extract and it will not harm you. It is edible as homemade solution.