PRLog (Press Release) –
Oct 21, 2007 – Used as a sweetener and medicine for a thousand years by native Guarani Indians, Stevia Rebaudiana is perhaps the only known plant to worry the sweetener industry today. Stevia leaves contain steviosides, which are chemicals that cause Stevia to taste sweet. Stevia is 200-300 times sweeter than white sugar.
In China, Korea and Japan Stevia extract Stevioside is used as a table top sweetener because it has no calories, no carbohydrates and no fat and is many times sweeter than sugar. In the United States, Stevia is sold only as a dietary supplement.
In addition to being a sweetener, Stevia is considered to be hypoglycemic, hypotensive, diuretic, cardiotonic, and tonic. The leaf is used for diabetes, obesity, cavities, hypertension, fatigue, depression, sweet cravings, and infections.
Stevia is an exceptional aid in weight loss and weight management because it contains no calories and reduces one's craving for sweets and fatty foods.
Stevia has been shown to have many health benefits including nourishing the pancreas, regulating blood-sugar, reducing hypertension, preventing dental caries and healing skin burns and infections such as acne, dermatitis, seborrhea, exzema, psoriasis and various lip sores. Studies show it has antibacterial and antiviral properties. Its ability to destroy infectious organisms may explain why Stevia users also report a lower incidence of colds and flu.
Besides being a sweetener, Stevia has medicinal properties such as lowering and balancing blood sugar, supporting the pancreas and digestive system, protecting the liver, combating infectious microorganisms, fighting tooth decay, and promoting weight loss.
Some evidence from case reports and laboratory studies shows that oral doses of it may help to lower blood sugar levels and blood pressure. It may also have some effectiveness for promoting weight loss and relieving heartburn.
Scientific research has indicated that Stevia effectively regulates blood sugar and brings it toward a normal balance. An important benefit for hypo-glycemics is Stevia's tonic action which enhances increased energy levels and mental acuity.
Stevia has been used for centuries by the Guarani Indians of Paraguay both as a sweetener and as medicine. Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni was popularized, and named, by Dr. Moises Santiago Bertoni, the director of the College of Agriculture in Asuncion. He first heard of the herb in 1887, and encountered a live plant for the first time in 1903. In 1908 the first stevia crop was harvested, and plantations began to spring up. The fact that Stevia has no fat and no carbohydrates makes it perfect for diabetics, low-carb diets, and people with Candida. It has undergone dozens of tests world-wide and was found to be free of toxins. Like other natural sweeteners such as honey and maple syrup, Stevia has its own special flavor and does not taste exactly like sugar. You may not like the way it tastes in coffee, but find it great with tea. Unlike artificial sweeteners, it doesn't break down with heat, so you can learn to cook with it too.
