Stevia Plant comes in Stevia powder and Stevia extract

The popularity of stevia continues to rise as more and more people find out about this natural herb.    Stevia typically refers to a crude preparation (powder or liquid) made from the leaves of the stevia plant. Such preparations contain a mixture of many components, not just those that give a sweet taste to the leaf.

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 will be one of the most popular and widely used sweeteners in the world. With the availability of stevia, there seems to be little reason to use artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and saccharin. For more stevia information.

Stevia Clear Liquid Extract 2 oz.
NuNaturals,
• Stevia plant pure liquid
• Dietary Supplement

NuNaturals uses an EXTRACT which has been laboratory tested and certified to contain a minimum 90% of the steviosides, the active ingredient of Stevia while retaining the other beneficial components. Because of this, you can be assured that you are indeed buying a true Stevia 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 Extract 140 mg
     Stevia rebaudiana (20:1)

Click Stevia Clear Liquid to purchase various stevia products including stevia gum, stevia packets, and stevia powder, or to sign up to a Free newsletter
 

Stevia Powder Planetary Formulas

Stevia Powder Supplement Facts
Serving size: 1/8 teaspoon (316 mg)
Stevia Leaf - 316 mg per seving
Suggested Use: 1/8 teaspoon stevia powder or as desired in cooking or baking.
To buy stevia powder, click on the Stevia clear liquid link above in blue

Stevia gum
Stevia is available as a gum, usually 12 gums in a box. See the link above for Stevia clear liquid.

Brief History and safety of Stevia Plant
Stevia 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 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.

The Stevia Cookbook

Part I, History of Stevia Plant

1. Donna's Story--Dealings with the FDA
    The Envelope with the White Powder
    The No-Calorie Miracle
    FDA Ruling Sours Sweet Stevia Story
    Sweet Revenge--The Dietary Supplement Law of 1994
    Stevia Citizenship Reinstated: Will Sugar Industry Now Hobble on Cane?

2. The Super Sweetener
    Characteristics of Stevia and stevia plant
    God's Gift to the Guarani
    Stevia plant Cultivation and Growing Pains
    The Sweet Rediscovery
    Sayonara Saccharin
    Stevia plant Goes Global
    The FDA versus Forty Boxes of that South American White Powder
    Sweetening the Palm?
    Pass Me That Legal White Powder
    Déjà vu in 1998—the FDA and Fahrenheit 451?

3. How Safe Are Sweeteners?
    Artificial Sweeterners
    Saccharin
    Aspartame
    Acesulfame K
    Neotame
    Stevia Safety
    Our Daily Stevia Dose
 
4. The Many Faces of Stevia Plant
    Fresh Leaves
    Dried Leaves
    Green Stevia Powder
    White Stevia Extract
    Liquid Concentrates

5. Staying Healthy the Stevia Way
    A Godsend to those with Diabetes
    Stevia and Weight Loss
    Stevia and Tooth Decay
    Stevia and High Blood Pressure--stevia helps lower blood pressure
    Pregnancy
    Anti-Aging

6. Cooking with Stevia
    Advantages
    Stevia is Not Perfect
    Practical Tips and Suggestions
    Baking with Stevia
    Stevia Conversion Rate
    Time to Get Started

7. Stevia Sunrise Breakfasts
8. Salads and Dressings
9. Satisfying Entrees and Side Dishes
10. Sauces, Frostings, and Other Toppings
11. Heavenly Cakes and Pies
12. Homestyle Cookies, Candy, and Ice Cream
13. Luscious Custards, Puddings, and Fruit Treats
14. Sweet Drinks Are Made of These

Stevia helpful for diabetes and hypertension
The popularity of stevia continues to grow as more and more people find out about this amazing no-calorie herbal sweetener. One of the primary constituents of stevia that gives it its sweet taste is stevioside, which has been commercialized as a sweetener in Japan for more than 25 years. Lately, studies have shown that stevia, in addition to being a sweetener, has certain health benefits, too, particularly for diabetics and those with elevated blood pressure.

Diabetes -- Stevioside reduces postprandial blood glucose levels in type 2 diabetic patients, indicating beneficial effects on the glucose metabolism. Stevia has been used for many years in the treatment of diabetes among Indians in Paraguay and Brazil. However, the mechanism for the blood glucose-lowering effect remains unknown. A study conducted at Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark found that stevioside enhances insulin secretion from mouse pancreatic islets in the presence of glucose. The researchers state, “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.”

Q. Nowhere in your stevia article could I find the information I was looking for... does stevia cause glycation ?
   A. Since stevia is not a sugar and does not have calories, we doubt if it causes glycation.


Hypertension -- In a 2-year study in Chinese patients with mild hypertension, oral stevioside significantly decreased blood pressure compared with placebo. No significant adverse effects were noted.
   A double-blind, placebo-controlled study in Taiwan studied 106 Chinese hypertensive subjects ages ranging from 28 to 75 years. Each subject was given capsules containing 250 mg stevioside or placebo three times daily and followed-up at monthly intervals for 1 year (the average person who uses stevia ingests about 100 mg a day of stevioside). After 3 months, the systolic and diastolic blood pressure of the stevioside group decreased by about 6 points, and the effect persisted during the whole year. Blood biochemistry including lipid and glucose showed no major changes. No significant adverse effects were observed.

Our Daily Stevia Dose
It has been estimated that sugar consumption in Japan is about 80 grams a day while in the US and Europe it is between 120 to 140 mg a day (Akashi). Assuming we substitute stevia for sugar, what would be our daily consumption?
For the sake of simplicity, let's say we consume about 100 grams of sugar a day. Since the sweetness of stevioside is 300 times that of sugar, the maximum daily consumption of stevia would be 100 grams divided by 300, or a third of a gram (roughly 330 mg). Actually, Chinese researchers have already estimated that the daily human consumption of stevioside would be about 2 mg per kilogram of body weight (Xili, 1992). This is a very small amount and we should keep this in mind when we evaluate the toxicity studies with Stevia done in animals. Another point to keep in mind is that most people would only partially substitute stevia for sugar and other sweeteners. Therefore, the intake of stevia on a daily basis would even be less than 330 mg.
   There have been a number of studies performed in rodents and other laboratory animals to determine whether stevia has any toxicity. In many of these studies, stevia was provided in extremely high dosages, sometimes up to 5 percent of the weight of their food. Let's compare this to humans. Assuming we eat about two kilograms of food a day, and we ingest 200 mg of Stevia, the proportion of Stevia to our daily food intake would be about 0.01 percent; a very small amount, indeed.
Let's examine a few studies done over the past two decades with stevia.

Stevia Plant Animal Studies
Whenever researchers want to test the dangers of a substance they give it to laboratory animals such as mice or rats. They give progressively higher doses of the substance until a lethal dose (LD) is reached where 50 percent of the test animals die. This level is called the LD 50. Back in the 1970s, several research groups attempted to find the lethal dose of stevia (Kinghorn, 1985). They discovered that, on average, a dose of 8,000 milligrams or more per kilogram of body weight was necessary to achieve this LD 50. In human terms, this would be equivalent to a 70 kg male ingesting more than 480,000 milligrams (or two pounds) of the extract. In most cases, a glass of water can be sweetened by less than 5 drops, an extremely minimal amount. As can be expected, no human has ever died from stevia overdose.
In a study published in Japan in 1985, researchers determined that giving rats 550 mg/kg of body weight every day of stevioside for 2 years did not cause any abnormalities. However, could the ingestion of stevia cause abnormalities in the offspring?
   In 1991, an excellent study was done by researchers at the Chulalongkorn University Primate Research Center in Bangkok, Thailand (Yodyingyuad, 1991). The researchers wanted to study the consequences of daily ingestion of stevioside in hamsters and the effects on two subsequent generations. (You may recall that stevioside is the main active sweetening agent in the stevia plant.) Three groups of 20 one-month-old hamsters (10 males and 10 females) were force-fed daily with stevioside, while the fourth group stayed as the controls; they did not get any stevioside. The first group was given 500 mg per kilogram of body weight; the second group got a higher dose at 1,000 mg per kilogram of body weight, and the third group got the highest dose at 2,500 mg per kilogram of body weight. The experiment was started with 80 one-month-old hamsters, 40 of each sex, each weighing between 30 and 50 grams. The 2,500 mg per kg of body weight would be equivalent to a human ingesting 150,000 mg. The likely amount most humans would ingest from sweetening their drinks and certain foods is often less than 500 mg.
   In the first generation, the average growth of the hamsters receiving various doses of stevioside did not differ significantly between each group. In the second generation, no significant difference in body weight was observed among groups of males receiving various doses of stevioside until 90 days of age. Thereafter, growth of males in the group receiving stevioside at 500 mg/kg of body weight was significantly higher than in the other groups. Nevertheless, male hamsters in the second and third groups grew the same amount as did the control group.
In the third generation, at 120 days of age, no significant differences in body weights were observed in all groups of male and female animals. As to the mating performance, all three generations performed the same no matter what dose of stevioside they received. Their performance was equal to the controls.
   Microscopic examination of reproductive tissues from all experimental groups, both male and female, did not differ from the control group. The production of sperm was normal, even in the males who received the highest dose of stevioside. In the females, the ovaries of all the animals were perfectly normal.
   In summary, no abnormalities were found in growth and fertility in both sexes. All males mated females efficiently and successfully. Females became pregnant after mating. The duration of pregnancy, number of fetuses, as well as number of young delivered each time from females in the experimental groups were not significantly different from those in the control group. The researchers say, "The results of this study are astonishing. Stevioside at a dose as high as 2,500 mg /kg of body weight did not do any harm to these animals. We conclude that stevioside at a dose as high as 2.5 grams per kilogram of body weight affects neither growth nor reproduction in hamsters. If this is true in other mammalian species including humans, this substance will be of great benefit to industry and medicine, and can be used more widely as a non-caloric sweetener in a variety of foods and drinks as already seen in Japan and Brazil."

Summary
Hopefully, with time, stevia sweetener can be added to a variety of sodas, candies, gums, and other foods in the US, just like it currently is in Japan and other countries. And we could see stevia packets at restaurants.

Stevia Plant Research Update
Antihyperglycemic effects of stevioside in type 2 diabetic subjects.
Gregersen S. Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism C, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark.
Metabolism. 2004 Jan;53(1):73-6.
Stevioside is present in the plant Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni (SrB). Extracts of SrB have been used for the treatment of diabetes in, for example, Brazil, although a positive effect on glucose metabolism has not been unequivocally demonstrated. We studied the acute effects of stevioside in type 2 diabetic patients. We hypothesize that supplementation with stevioside to a test meal causes a reduction in postprandial blood glucose. Twelve type 2 diabetic patients were included in an acute, paired cross-over study. A standard test meal was supplemented with either 1 g of stevioside or 1 g of maize starch (control). Blood samples were drawn at 30 minutes before and for 240 minutes after ingestion of the test meal. Compared to control, stevioside reduced the incremental area under the glucose response curve by 18% (P =.013). The insulinogenic index (AUC(i,insulin)/AUC(i,glucose)) was increased by approximately 40% by stevioside compared to control (P <.001). Stevioside tended to decrease glucagon levels, while it did not significantly alter the area under the insulin, glucagon-like peptide 1, and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide curves. In conclusion, stevioside reduces postprandial blood glucose levels in type 2 diabetic patients, indicating beneficial effects on the glucose metabolism. Stevioside may be advantageous in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

Antihyperglycemic effects of stevioside in type 2 diabetic subjects.
Gregersen S,. Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark.
Metabolism. 2004 Jan;53(1):73-6.
Stevioside is present in the plant Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni (SrB). Extracts of SrB have been used for the treatment of diabetes in, for example, Brazil, although a positive effect on glucose metabolism has not been unequivocally demonstrated. We studied the acute effects of stevioside in type 2 diabetic patients. We hypothesize that supplementation with stevioside to a test meal causes a reduction in postprandial blood glucose. Twelve type 2 diabetic patients were included in an acute, paired cross-over study. A standard test meal was supplemented with either 1 g of stevioside or 1 g of maize starch (control). Blood samples were drawn at 30 minutes before and for 240 minutes after ingestion of the test meal. Compared to control, stevioside reduced the incremental area under the glucose response curve by 18% (P =.013). The insulinogenic index (AUC(i,insulin)/AUC(i,glucose)) was increased by approximately 40% by stevioside compared to control (P <.001). Stevioside tended to decrease glucagon levels, while it did not significantly alter the area under the insulin, glucagon-like peptide 1, and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide curves. In conclusion, stevioside reduces postprandial blood glucose levels in type 2 diabetic patients, indicating beneficial effects on the glucose metabolism. Stevioside may be advantageous in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

Stevia lowers blood pressure
Chan P, et al. A double-blind placebo-controlled study of the effectiveness and tolerability of oral stevioside in human hypertension. Taipei Wan Fang Hospital, Taiwan.: Br J Clin Pharmacol 2000 50(3):215-20
A multicentre, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was undertaken. This study group consisted of 106 Chinese hypertensive subjects with diastolic blood pressure between 95 and 110 mmHg and ages ranging from 28 to 75 years with 60 subjects (men 34, women 26) allocated to active treatment and 46 (men 19, women 27) to placebo treatment. Each subject was given capsules containing stevioside (250 mg) or placebo thrice daily and followed-up at monthly intervals for 1 year. RESULTS: After 3 months, the systolic and diastolic blood pressure of the stevioside group decreased significantly (systolic: 166.0+/-9.4-152.6+/-6.8 mmHg; diastolic: 104.7 +/- 5.2-90.3+/-3.6 mmHg, P<0.05), and the effect persisted during the whole year. Blood biochemistry parameters including lipid and glucose showed no significant changes. No significant adverse effect was observed and quality of life assessment showed no deterioration. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that oral stevioside is a well tolerated and effective modality that may be considered as an alternative or supplementary therapy for patients with hypertension.

Stevia References
Alvarez M, Bazzote RB, Godoy GL, et al. Effect of aqueous extract of Stevia plant on biochemical parameters of normal adult persons. Arq Biol Tech 24:178, 1981. A daily dose of 250 mg of stevioside four times a day on the glucose tolerance test showed a marked hypoglycemic effect.
Akashi J, Yokohama S. Safety of extract of dried Stevia leaves--results of toxicity tests. Shokuhin Kogya 10B, 34-43, 1975.
Arent, Fox, Kintner, Plotkin and Kahn: GRAS petition to the FDA on behalf of the American Herbal Products Association: 18, April 23, 1992. For more details, contact the Herb Research Foundation (see Resource section).
Aquino RP, Behar I, Biondi A, De Simone F, Scalesse G. Isolation of the principal sugars of Stevia rebaudiana. Boll Soc Ital Biol Sper, 61(9):1247-52, 1985.
Bertoni, Moises. Kaa he-he, its nature and its properties. Paraguayan Scientific Annals. 10, December, 1905.
Blackburn GL, Kanders BS, Lavin PT, Keller SD, Whatley J. The effect of aspartame as part of a multidisciplinary weight-control program on short- and long-term control of body weight. Am J Clin Nutr 65(2):409-18, 1997.
Boech EMA, Humboldt G. Cardio-circulatory effects of total water extract in normal persons and of stevioside in rats. Ciencia e Cultura 32:208-210, 1981.
Brady, George, American Trade Commissioner, Memo for Latin American Division, August 31, 1921.
Bridel M, Lavielle R. Le principe a saveur sucree du Kaa'-he'-e (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni). J Pharm Clin 14:99-154, 1931.
Brown JP. Mutation Res 75:243-277, 1980.
Crammer B, Ikan R. Progress in the chemistry and properties of rebaudioside; in Greenby TH (ed): Developments in Sweeteners. London, Elsevier, vol 3:45-64, 1987.
Curi R, Alvarez M, Bazotte RB, Botion LM, Godoy JL, Bracht A. Effect of Stevia plant on glucose tolerance in normal adult humans. Braz J Med Biol Res 19(6):771-4, 1986. "It is generally accepted that the inhibition of gluconeogenesis is able to lead to hypoglycemia. Thus, some substances which inhibit gluconeogenesis are therapeutic to diabetes. It is possible that the stevia extract, by increasing the mitochondrial respiration rate and inhibiting the gluconeogenetic pathway, can indeed lead to hypoglycemia. Nevertheless, a possible effect of this plant on insulin secretion or peripheral action should be considered."
D'Agostino M, De Simone F, Pizza C, Aquino R. Sterols in Stevia reabudiana Bertoni. Boll soc Ital Biol Sper 60(12):2237-40, 1984.
Das S, Das AK, Murphy RA, Punwani IC, Nasution MP, Kinghorn AD. Evaluation of the cariogenic potential of the intense natural sweeteners stevioside and rebaudioside A. Caries Res 26(5):363-6, 1992. "It could be argued that the concentration of the sweeteners used in this experiment was very low in comparison to that of sucrose. However, due to the fact that both these intense sweeteners are 300 or more times sweeter than sucrose, their normal human usage would be at very low concentrations."
Fletcher, Hewitt, Jr. The sweet herb of Paraguay. Chemurgic Digest, 18, July/August, 1955.
Hubler MO, Bracht A, Kelmer-Bracht AM. Influence of stevioside on hepatic glycogen levels in fasted rats. Res Commun Chem Pathol Pharmacol 84:111-8, 1994. Single doses of stevioside given orally to 24-hour fasted rats increased glycogen deposition in the liver. "It can be concluded that stevioside exerts a stimulatory action on hepatic glycogen synthesis under gluconeogenic conditions."
Ishii EL, Schwab AJ, Bracht A. Inhibition of monosaccharide transport in the intact rat liver by stevioside. Biochemical Pharmacology 36;9:1417-1433, 1987.
Ishii-Iwamoto EL, Bracht A. Stevioside is not metabolized in the isolated perfused rat liver. Res Commun Mol pathol Pharmacol 87:167-75, 1995. Stevioside was perfused into rat livers for two hours to see whether hepatic tissue metabolized this chemical. The concentration of stevioside remained constant during the whole perfusion time. Steviol was not detected.
Isima N, Kakayama O. Sensory evaluation of stevioside as a sweetener. Natl Food Res Inst 31:80-85, 1976.
Kelmer Bracht A, Alvarez M, Bracht A. Effects of Stevia rebaudiana natural products on rat liver mitochondria. Biochem Pharmacol 34(6):873-82, 1985.
Kinghorn AD, Soejarto DD, Nanzakkara NP, Compadre CM, Makapugay HC, Hovanec-Brown JM, Medon PJ, Kamath SK. A phytochemical screening procedure for sweet ent-kaurene glycosides in the genus Stevia. J Nat Prod 47(3):439-44, 1984.
Kinghorn AD, Soejarto DD. Current status of stevioside as a sweetening agent for human use. Economic and Medicinal Plant Research, Academic Press Inc. (London), 1985.
Klongpanichpak S, Temcharoen P, Toskulkao C, Apibal S, Glinsukon T. Lack of mutagenicity of stevioside and steviol in Salmonella typhimurium TA 98 and TA 100. J Med Assoc Thai Sep;80 Suppl 1:S121-8, 1997. Stevioside and steviol, at the concentrations up to 50 mg and 2 mg per plate, respectively showed no mutagenic effect on both tester strains, either in the presence or absence of metabolic activating system derived from the sodium phenobarbital and 5,6-benzoflavone pretreated liver S9 fractions from various animal species including rat, mouse, hamster and guinea pig. Stevioside and steviol at the concentrations up to 50 mg and 2 mg per plate, respectively showed no mutagenic effect on both tester strains either in the presence or absence of metabolic activating system. However, at the high concentration both stevioside and steviol showed some toxic effects on both tester strains. The toxic effect was decreased in the presence of the metabolic activating system.
Lee CK. Carbohydrate sweeteners: structural requirements for taste. World Rev Nutr Diet 33:142-197, 1979.
Matsui M, Matsui K, Kawasaki Y, Oda Y, Noguchi T, et al. Evaluation of the genotoxicity of stevioside and steviol using six in vitro and one in vivo mutagenicity assays. Mutagenesis 11:573-579, 1996. The genetic toxicities of stevioside and its aglycone, steviol, were examined with seven mutagenicity tests using bacteria (reverse mutation assay, forward mutation assay, umu test and rec assay), cultured mammalian cells (chromosomal aberration test and gene mutation assay) and mice (micronucleus test). Stevioside did not exhibit any mutagenicity. Steviol, though, produced dose-related positive responses in some mutagenicity tests.
Mauri P, Catalano G, Gardana C, Peitta P. Analysis of stevia glycosides by capillary electrophoresis. Electrophoresis 17:367-371, 1996.
Melis MS, Sainati AR. Effect of calcium and verapamil on renal function of rats during treatment with stevioside. J Ethnopharmacol 33(3):257-62, 1991. The data were consistent with the possibility that stevioside may act as a calcium channel antagonist, as in the case of verapamil.
Melis MS. Renal excretion of stevioside in rats. J Nat Prod 55(5):688-90, 1992. Stevioside is secreted by renal tubular epithelium and induces diuresis and natriuresis and a fall in renal tubular reabsorption of glucose.
Melis MS. Chronic administration of aqueous extract of Stevia rebaudiana in rats: renal effects. J Ethnopharmacol 47(3):129-34, 1995.
Melis MS. A crude extract of Stevia rebaudiana increases the renal plasma flow of normal and hypertensive rats. Braz J Med Biol Res 29(5):660-75, 1996. Stevia extract, at doses higher than used for sweetening purposes, dilates blood vessels in animals who have either normal or high blood pressure.
Miyazaki Y, Watanabe H, Watanabe T. Studies on the cultivation of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni. Yield and stevioside content of 2-year-old plants. Eisei Shikenjo Hokuku 96:86-9, 1978.
Mosettig E, Nes WR. Stevioside. II. The structure of the aglucon. J Org Chem 20:884-899, 1955.
Nakayama K, Kasahara D, Yamamoto F. Absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of stevioside in rats. J. Food Hygiene Soc Japan 27(1):1-8, 1986. "Stevioside was administered orally at a dose of 125 mg/kg to Wistar rats and its disposition and metabolism were studied. Analysis of intestinal contents, feces and bile showed that stevioside is decomposed by cecal flora to steviol and sugars, indicating that steviol and these sugars are absorbed from the cecum, distributed throughout the whole body, and excreted mainly into feces and expired air."
Nunes P, Pereira NA. The effect of stevia rebaudiana on the fertility of experimental animals. Revista Brasileira de Farmacia 69:46-50, 1988. A tea infusion in concentrations of 1 and 5 % was administered by gavage to mature female mice. The fertility of the mature females was reduced by 14% after intra-gastric administration of the tea and during the mating period. However, if given before mating, the numbers of uterine implants and the young per litter were not significantly lowered. Fertility was also reduced by approximately 20 and 40% after administration of the tea at 1 and 5% infusions, respectively, during a period of 12 days before mating. We conclude that the crude extract of stevia inhibits the cyclic mechanism of reproduction of mature female mice.
Oliveira-Filho RM, Uehara OA, Minetti CA, Valle LB. Chronic administration of aqueous extract of Stevia rebaudiana in rats: endocrine effects. Gen Pharmacol 20(2):187-91, 1989. "It is concluded that if the stevioside extract does have some potential to decrease rat fertility at all, this effect is almost certainly not exerted on the male.
Olney JW, Farber NB, Spitznagel E, Robins LN. Increasing brain tumor rates: is there a link to aspartame? J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 55(11):1115-23, 1996.
Pezzuto JM, Compadre CM, Swanson SM, Nanayakkara D, Kinghorn AD. Metabolically activated steviol, the aglycone of stevioside, is mutagenic. Proc Natl Acad Sci 82(8):2478-82, 1985. "Complete metabolic conversion of stevioside to an active mutagenic species by human enzyme systems involved in the biotransformation of endogenous substrates or xenobiotics is possible. It therefore appears that adequate information is currently not available to condone widespread human consumption of stevioside. Additional studies relevant to safety assessment are required. "Finally, it should be emphasized that no reports have thus far appeared indicating that adverse effects have resulted from human use of stevia products. Other substances found in the diet are known to mediate mutagenic responses with no apparent impact on health (Brown, 1980)."
Planas Mazzei G, Kuc J. Contraceptive properties of Stevia rebaudiana. Science 162 (857):1007, Nov 29,1968. This study found a reduction in fertility in female rats given stevia decoction. According to the article, Paraguayan Matto Grosso Indian tribes have been known to drink stevia tea as a form of contraceptive. Later inquiries made in several locations in northeastern Paraguay did not confirm the use of stevia for contraceptive purposes (Soejarto, 1983).
Schleicher E, Wagner E, Nerlich A. Increased accumulation of the glycoxidation product N (epsilon)-(carboxymethyl) lysien in human tissues in diabetes and aging. J Clin Invest 99:457-68, 1997.
Schleicher E, Wieland O. Kinetic analysis of glycation as a tool for assessing the half-life of proteins. Biochim Biophys Acta 884:199-205, 1996.
Shibata H, Sawa Y, Oka T, Sonoke S, Kim KK, Yoshioka SM. Steviol and steviol-glycoside glucosyltransferase activities in Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni--purification and partial characterization. Arch Biochem Biophys 321(2):390-6, 1995. The leaves of Stevia contain sweet compounds that are glycosides of the diterpene derivative steviol. Two glucosyltransferases acting on steviol and steviol-glycosides were isolated from Stevia.
Soejarto DD. Potential sweetening agents of plant origin, field search for sweet-tasting Stevia spieces: Economic Botany 77, 1983.
Suttajit M, Vinitketkaumnuen U, Meevatee U, Buddhasukh D. Mutagenicity and human chromosomal effect of stevioside, a sweetener from Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni. Environ Health Perspect Suppl 101 (3):53-6, 1993. "This study indicates that stevioside and steviol are neither mutagenic nor clastogenic in vitro at the limited doses; however, in vivo genotoxic tests and long-term effects of stevioside and steviol are yet to be investigated."
Toskulkao C, Deechakawan W, et al. Nephrotoxic effects of stevioside and steviol in rat renal cortical slices. J Clin Biochem Nutr 16(2):123-131, 1994. Subcutaneous administration of stevioside at 1.5 g/Kg body weight to rats for 9 hours was nephrotoxic.
Toskulkao C, Sutheerawattananon M. Effects of stevioside, a natural sweetener, on intestinal glucose absorption in hamsters. Nutr Res 14(11):1711-1720, 1994. Oral administration by gavage of a high dose of stevioside at 2.5 g/kg body weight/day for 12 weeks caused inhibition of glucose absorption, but lower doses of 0.5 and 1 g/kg BW/day had no effect. The high doses of stevioside caused a reduction of body weight.
Toyada K, Matsui H, Shoda T, Uneyama C, Takada K, Takahashi M. Assessment of the carcinogenicity of stevioside in F344 rats. Food and Chemical Toxicology 35(6):597-603, 1997.
Von Schmelling GA, et al. Stevia plant Evaluation of the hypoglycemic effect in alloxanized rabbits. Ciencia e Cultura 29(5):599-601, 1977. Stevia extract, administered to alloxanized rabbits in a dose of 12 mg /kg of body weight, had a hypoglycemic effect.

Home - Tribulus Terrestris Extract

Stevia gum is available for sale

Candy stevia
Stevia story is an interesting book.

Stevia tea use - stevia can be easily added to almost any tea except teas that are already sweet such as licorice and fennel may not need the sweetener

Q. I have my son on the specific carbohydrate diet as he was diagnosed with an overgrowth of harmful bacteria. Basically, he can only have monosaccharides, not disaccharides or polysaccharides which feed the bacteria. I cannot seem to find out for sure if stevia sweetener fits into one or any of these categories. Is it any of the above?
   A. Stevia has a unique, complicated biochemical structure and it is not a saccharide.

stevia plant stevia recipes stevia safety stevia cookbook stevia sweetener