Stevia rebaudiana - Stevia Seeds - Plus Recipes and Use

For almost 2,000 years, of recorded history (and very probably much longer), Stevia has been used as a sweetener in South America. Only recently has the FDA allowed its use in this country, due to the sugar lobby.

Stevia leaves are considered to be up to 300 times sweeter than traditional white sugar, however they contain no calories nor any carbohydrates.Though stevia only recently gained publicity in the U.S., it has been used as a sweetener for thousands of years by native South American peoples.

It is a wonderful sweetener for diabetics and dieters alike, as an alternative to sugar or honey. To some it has a mild, bitter, licorice-flavored aftertaste, but that depends on the individual.

Medicinally, stevia is used as a flavoring agent, a wound healer, a treatment for hypoglycemia, as a cardiotonic, for obesity, hypertension, and heartburn, and to help lower uric acid levels. Europeans started learning about it in the 16th century, when the Spanish Conquistadors brought it back from South America as part of their hoards.