What if there were a natural sweetener that:

Was 300 times sweeter than regular sugar, with minimal aftertaste
Had no calories
Was suitable for diabetics and those with high blood pressure
Appropriate for children
Did not cause cavities
Was heat stable and thus could be used for cooking and baking
Was a great alternative to synthetic sweeteners
Easily blended with other sweeteners, such as honey
And already widely and safely consumed in many countries around the world for decades.

Wouldn't you think that you would already know about it? Wouldn't you think that many of our food products would already be sweetened by it instead of artificial sweeteners?
   Well, this remarkable,  no-calorie sweetener called stevia is, unfortunately, not a household name. It should be. I believe that eventually stevia leaf extract will be one of the most popular and widely used sweeteners in the world. With the availability of stevia herb, there seems to be little reason to use artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and saccharin.

Best Stevia product Liquid Extract 2 oz.
NuNaturals,
• Stevia herb liquid
• Dietary Supplement

NuNaturals uses an extract which has been laboratory tested and certified to contain a minimum 90% of the steviosides, the active ingredients of Stevia herb while retaining the other beneficial components. Because of this, you can be assured that you are indeed buying a true Stevia leaf extract and that it will be consistent in quality. This is a highly concentrated extract and should not be confused with less potent tinctures or extracts.

Stevia Clear Liquid Supplement Facts
Amount Per Milliliter
Stevia herb Extract 140 mg
     Stevia rebaudiana (20:1)

Click here to buy Stevia Liquid on sale


Brief History and safety of Stevia leaf
Stevia herb has been used as a sweetening ingredient in foods and drinks by South American natives for many centuries, and there is no report of any plant toxicity to the consumers (Suttajit, 1993). Stevia has been added to a number of food products in Japan since the mid 1970s. No indications of any significant side effects have yet been reported after more than 20 years of use. Similarly, no reports of any adverse reactions to stevia have been reported in the United States. Donna (co-author of The Stevia Cookbook) and her family have been using stevia herb since 1990 without any health problems. I have used stevia daily in my morning tea since 1997 without any health problems. There are no indications at this point from any source that stevia has shown toxicity in humans.

Benefit of stevia leaf
Stevia leaf extract has the major benefit of having no calories. Another benefit of stevia herb is that it does not cause tooth cavities. Studies have shown that stevia may be of benefit to those with diabetes since they can substitute stevia for artificial sweeteners or sugar. For practical purposes, a stevia benefit is that you can take a stevia liquid bottle with you to a restaurant and drop 2 or 3 drops in your tea or coffee to sweeten it.

Stevia drink
We all know that soda - even diet soda - is a terrible choice when you’re thirsty. Fruit juice can have health benefits, but it’s usually high in fructose. And the majority of flavored drinks on the market have a lot of added sugar. So, how does one ingest more fluids if they find it difficult to drink enough water? Try stevia drinks. My fluid intake increase dramatically since I started adding lime-flavored Stevia drink packets to a quart of water. The taste is delicious and I can easily drink an additional quart of water a day. Plus, it is calorie free. I have served this drink to my friends and guests and almost everyone has loved it. Add a packet to a quart of water, then refrigerate it or add ice. Kids are likely to enjoy the refreshing taste, which may reduce their dependence on sodas and sugared lemonade. If you substitute this calorie free drink for sugared sodas, you may actually consume a few hundred calories less a day. The stevia drink is available in some health food stores.

Stevia and the FDA
The FDA does not believe stevia is safe, but believes aspartame is safe. Scientists looking at the safety data for stevia and aspartame may come to a different conclusion.
   In August of 2007, the FDA sent a letter to Hain Celestial Group Inc regarding the use of stevia in some of its herbal teas, saying it might be dangerous to blood sugar, reproductive, cardiovascular and renal systems. Stevia is being considered by Coca-Cola Co and Cargill Inc to market to use as a sweetener, despite lack of FDA approval. Stevia has been approved in a dozen other countries including Japan, China and Brazil. See also rebiana information.

Stevia benefit questions
Q. What is the best stevia sweetener product?
   A. There are dozens of companies that sell stevia products and since we have not evaluated all of these products we don't know the best stevia supplement for sale. However, stevia clear liquid is a great option and we have tried this ourselves.

Q. Is there danger with stevia leaf use?
   A. We see absolutely no danger with stevia herb intake unless it is in massive quantities, and and such research is not yet available.

Q. Can you please tell me why stevia sweetener can be sold as a 'stand alone' supplement sweetener, but not as an ingredient in a supplement formulation? The FDA seems to be inconsistent in its rulings on stevia's safe use! What's the difference if a person consumes stevia in the pure supplement form, or in a supplement formulation?
   A. Stevia can be added as an ingredient to a supplement formulation as long as no claim is made that it is a sweetener.

Q. Stevia is the only sugarless product I trust. I have a terrible habit of eating mints. I would love to see you discuss Sugarless Mints by Stevia.
   A. We have not yet come across stevia mints but we will keep any eye out.

Q. Is stevia safe to use during pregnancy?
   A. As long as reasonable amounts are used, we don't see why stevia would not be safe to use during pregnancy.

Q. Is there a stevia recipe book that describes desserts with stevia?
   A. Yes, consider The Stevia Cookbook which has stevia recipes including desserts.

Q. I found your site via one of the stevia websites, so I assume you've done a fair amount of research regarding this sweetener. I understand that stevia is safe for diabetics, so that's not what I'm asking about. What I would like to know, if you can answer, is this: Studies have been done on artificial sweeteners that show that they increase insulin flow (via the brain perceiving sweetness) and therefore can still cause the onset of diabetes. From what I've read about stevia, stevia "regulates the pancreas" and, to pull a quote from a stevia book, ""Stevioside stimulates insulin secretion via a direct action on pancreatic beta cells. The results indicate that the compounds may have a potential role as an anti-hyperglycemic agent in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus." Now, what I want to know is if the use of stevia, via increase of insulin flow, can cause eventual intolerance to sugar, causing diabetes.
   A. We seriously doubt this would occur. No such stevia diabetes connection has been mentioned in the medical literature and stevia has been used in the USA since the mid 1990s and in Japan since the 1970s. Plus, the amount of stevia used by humans is so small compared to the amounts given to laboratory animals when conducting studies.

Stevia testing
ChromaDex, Inc., is involved in phytochemical reference standards and contract testing. ChromaDex does Stevia leaf and extract contract testing for nine known Stevia compounds and HP-TLC identity testing. “Recently, Stevia has become a force in the sweetener market as food giants Coca-Cola Co. and Cargill Inc. have jointly filed patents for a calorie free sweetener based on Stevia,” said ChromaDex Director if Technical Services and Marketing, Brian Schaneberg, PhD, “well characterized standards and an HPLC testing kit are now available through ChromaDex for testing in Stevia and its products”. ChromaDex, Inc., a privately-held, Irvine, California based company, is involved in the development of Phytochemical and Botanical Reference Standards (www.chromadex.com). ChromaDex provides the dietary supplement, food, beverage, nutraceutical and cosmetic industries with the analytical tools, products, and services to meet the regulatory, quality, efficacy and safety standards for their products. Stevia Testing: Rebaudiosides A, B, C, and D, Isosteviol, Isoteviolmonoside, Steviol, Steviolbioside, Stevioside.

Stevia and animals
Q. An article mentioned that cats love to chew on the leaves of the stevia plant. Is stevia toxic to animals, specifically dogs and cats?
   A. We have no reason to believe that stevia leaves are toxic to animals when consumed in reasonable amounts although we has not seen such research.

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Stevia article - What if there were a natural sweetener that:
Was 300 times sweeter than regular sugar, with minimal aftertaste
Had no calories
Was suitable for diabetics and those with high blood pressure or other medical conditions
Appropriate for children
Did not cause cavities
Was heat stable and thus could be used for cooking and baking
Was a great alternative to synthetic sweeteners
Easily blended with other sweeteners, such as honey
And already widely and safely consumed in many countries around the world for decades?

What is Stevia?
Known by the official taxonomy name of Stevia rebaudiana, stevia is a plant of the daisy family that grows naturally in South America. The plant, at its full maturity, reaches a height of close to three feet. The green leaves of this plant contain large amounts (up to 5 percent of dry weight) of stevioside, a sweetener estimated to be 300 times as sweet as table sugar

Brief History and safety of stevia
Stevia rebaudiana has been used as a sweetening ingredient in foods and drinks by South American natives for many centuries, and there is no report of any plant toxicity to the consumers. Stevia has been added to a number of food products in Japan since the mid 1970s. No indications of any significant side effects have yet been reported after more than 20 years of use. Similarly, no reports of any adverse reactions to stevia have been reported in the United States. There are no indications at this point from any source that stevia has shown toxicity in humans.
I personally have used stevia daily since the mid 1990s without any side effects present.

Stevia is a natural sweetener with the following benefit:
Stevia is 300 times sweeter than regular sugar, with minimal aftertaste. Stevia extract has no calories and is suitable for diabetics and those with high blood pressure. Children can use stevia without health concerns. It does not cause tooth cavities. Stevia is heat stable and thus could be used for cooking and baking. Stevia extract is a great alternative to synthetic sweeteners. Can be easily blended with other sweeteners, such as honey. Stevia is already widely and safely consumed in many countries around the world for decades.

This remarkable, no-calorie sweetener called stevia is, unfortunately, not a household name. It should be. I believe that eventually stevia will be one of the most popular and widely used no-calorie sweeteners in the world. With the availability of stevia extract there seems to be little reason to use artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and saccharin.

How is it available?
Stevia comes in various forms, the most popular being stevia packets and clear liquid stevia extract. The clear liquid stevia is my favorite

Stevia product benefit questions
Q. I recently increased my intake of stevia products since I read about some of the dangers of Splenda. I went from putting stevia in my coffee once a day to putting it in my coffee about 5 times a day. The problem is, I started to develop a lingering metallic aftertaste in my mouth that lasted from the morning through the evening. It wasn't until the morning that it went away and then started again. This is how I knew it was from the stevia product. I want to avoid sugar and artificial sweeteners so this is a troubling development. Is this metallic aftertaste common and is there a way to avoid it?
   A. The aftertaste may depend on the stevia product that is used. We have not heard of this side effect before, you may consider trying another stevia product that may not cause the problem or try stevia packets.

Q. A suggestion for baking with stevia: try adding some powdered milk to the batter, or liquid milk if the recipe will allow. I add additional powdered milk to baked goods using whole wheat flour, and it gives a bit more ‘lift.’ And, if there’s a bitterness, try adding some orange juice? OJ seems to cancel out the sometimes bitter aftertaste with whole wheat flour. You might try adding gluten to some of the products, too. I have a container of gluten in my pantry, but haven’t gotten around to trying it in my bread and muffins, yet.

Stevia is not available in the uk... i have read on a website that it shows it can cause infertility. Is this true?
    No, there is no evidence that the normal amount of this natural sweetener consumed will cause fertility problems.

I started my research by reading The Stevia Cookbook, which is wonderful. Most of the recipes appear to include stevia in either liquid extract or powder form. Can you think of three or four ways you could use fresh stevia leaves in sweet and/or savory main dishes? If so, have you developed any such recipes?
    We have not used stevia leaves in recipes.