About Stevia
By now, most of us that concern ourselves with nutrition and healthy lifestyles have heard of and used stevia in some form. Most have tried it as a healthy substitute for processed sugar or more harmful artificial sweeteners. On my website [www.DiverticulitisInfo.com], I recommend it to not only those following the protocol for the Homeopathic Weight Loss but for those struggling with other gut issues where sugar and artificial sweeteners can cause flare-ups i.e. agave and IBS.
Stevia is the short name for Stevia Rebaudiana Bertoni. The genus is named after Pedro Jaime Esteve (Stevus) a Spanish physician and botanist who first researched the plants from South America and the Swiss botanist Moises Santiago Bertoni who in 1899 described the particular plant and its sweet taste in detail.
Native to the northeastern rain forests of Paraguay, the indigenous Guarani people have been thought to use the plant consistently for the last 1500-2000 years. They referred to the plant as ka’a eirete meaning “leaf-like honey”. Long before modern man had the term for it, stevia was used by the shaman and herbalists to treat diabetes as well as other ailments such as upset stomach, heartburn, fatigue and even emotional issues. It is no wonder, as it has been discovered in modern research to have antibacterial, antihyperglycemic, antifungal, hypotensive (blood pressure lowering) properties and more. They reportedly used it topically for wounds, sores and even wrinkles!
In 1931, two French chemists (Bridel & Lavielle) researched the herb and isolated the glycosides that provide the sweetness found in the stevia plant and called them rebaudioside and stevioside. They found that these glycosides are 250-300 times sweeter than sucrose or table sugar.
During World War II, when sugar was being rationed in the U.S and Britain, much research was initiated into the production of stevia but before it could get under way and become feasible, the war ended and research was dropped. Once sugar was readily available again, the insatiable appetite for sugar was satisfied with subsidies of sugar cane and sugar beets.
The Japanese however, having to import all of their sugar, decided to investigate and invest in stevia following the war. In 1956, they researched the toxicology of stevia and improved on the extracting, processing and use of the various glycosides from the leaves of the plant and verified its safety. In the early 1970s, they began cultivating stevia as an alternative to artificial sweeteners such as saccharin and aspartame, which were suspected carcinogens. . Since the Japanese firm Morita Kagaku Kogyo Co., Ltd. produced the 1st commercial stevia sweetener in Japan in 1971, the Japanese have been using stevia in food products, (including Coca Cola) and for table use By 1987, there were 11 extraction factories in Japan for stevia ‘crystals’ (extract). Japan currently consumes more stevia than any other country, with stevia accounting for more than 40% of their sweetener market though China is the largest grower and exporter.
More than just a sweetener
Though Stevia is generally used as a natural sweetener, (being 25-300 times sweeter than typical white sugar) there are medicinal values found in this plant. Having a glycemic index of 0, no calories or carbohydrates, it is perfectly suited to those with diabetes or for weight loss. It has also been found to actually improve insulin secretion and lower blood sugars in those dealing with hyperglycemia (high blood sugar).
Several studies have shown that whereas sugar causes much decay in teeth, stevia actually suppresses the growth of bacteria in the mouth aiding in preventing cavities.
In November 2003 Hsieh et al., found that after only one week of using stevioside a significant decrease in blood pressure occurred and continued throughout the 2 year study with no affects on heart rate or cardiovascular function. More than that, the participants reported an improvement in their ‘quality of life’ expressed in: better physical function, general body pain, vitality, social function and even emotional well-being. In another study done in September 2000 by Chan et al, 250 mgs of stevioside was administered 3 times a day to 60 patients with high blood pressure. After 3 months it was found that both systolic and diastolic blood pressure had decreased significantly and continued through the entire year of the study. This is good news for these patients as there were no side effects with the stevioside that are often found with their drug counterparts such as lipid changes, glucose effect and sexual performance.
It is interesting to note that as of 2010 there has even been an application for a patent by a pharmaceutical company for “a novel nutriceutical composition containing stevia extract or its constituents”, which would serve “as active ingredients to improve cognitive functions, such as learning, memory and alertness, as well as relieving psychosocial pressure.” Found in their study was that “mice treated with 150 mg/kg of Stevia extract showed a significantly better learning and memory performance than their age-matched controls.”
Dr. Jan Geuns, who has studied stevia and its extracted counterparts extensively has found that “It is not carcinogenic [cancer causing], not cariogenic [cavity causing] and no allergenicity [allergy causing] problems seem to be known”. [Info in brackets my additions].
1500 studies have now shown what indigenous people have long known, that stevia is not only a great sweetener without the bad effects of either table sugar or artificial sweeteners but also is beneficial and improves one’s health and well-being!
- Rajbhandari A, Roberts MF, The flavonoids of Stevia Rebaudiana leaves. J Nat Prod. 1983
- Kinghorn AD, ed. Stevia: The Genus Stevia, New York, NY. Taylor and Frances; 2003
- Jeppesen PB, Gregersen S, Rolfsen SE, et al. Antihyperglycemic and Blood Pressure-reducing effects of steviaside in the diabetic Goto-Kakizaki rat. Metabolism 2003
- Geuns, JMC. The safety of stevioside used as a sweetener. Proceedings of the First Symposium; The Safety of Stevioside. April 16, 2004
- Hsieh MH, Chan P, Sue YM, et al. Efficacy and tolerability of oral stevioside in patients with mild essential hypertension: a two year study, randomized, placebo-controlled study. Clinical Therapy 2003 Nov
- Chan P, Tomlinson B, Chen YJ, et al. A double-blind placebo-controlled study of the effectiveness and tolerability of oral stevioside in human hypertension. Br J Clinical Pharmacology. 2000 Sept.
- Patent Application No. 12/745.421 Novel Nutraceutical Compositions Containing Stevia Extract Constituents and Uses Thereof. Pub date: February 17, 2011.
- May JA, Stevia: Versatile Sweetener and Effective Medicinal. Price-Pottenger Journal of Health and Healing, Spring 2012









