Natural Herbal Sw--tener 
Stevia Rebaudiana 
 
What is stevia ? Stevia is a sweet herb native to Paraguay 
and Brazil. It contains stevioside in its leaves, a 
glycoside that is 100’s of times sweeter than sugar. It is 
best know as ( Sweet Leaf , Honey leaf or Candy leaf ) an 
all natural sweetener , 15 to 20 times sweeter than sugar 
with no calories. It can be found in many forms in health 
stores. Used to sweeten tea, coffee, fruit, cereals and 
even baked goods etc… and according to some research it 
may actually lower blood sugar levels and help to prevent 
cavities . However, this research has yet to be confirmed 
in the U.S.. 
 
Even after numerous toxicology studies where conducted 
in Japan and other countries Stevia may only be sold in 
the United States as a stand-alone "dietary supplement" or 
an herb, but not as a sweetener. The US FDAstrictly 
prohibits the herb to be labeled as a sweetener or tea.  
Even though Japanese government approved the plant for use 
in food back in the 1970‘s and believe it to be to be 
safer and more effective than other artificial sweeteners. 
The US FDA considers stevia leaves and stevioside as 
unapproved, non-GRAS food additives. 
“In 1992, the American Herbal Products Association(AHPA) 
petitioned the FDA to declare stevia as GRAS, citing 
historical usage and referring to numerous toxicology 
studies conducted in Japan and other countries. The FDA 
rejected AHPA's petition, contending inadequate evidence to 
approve the product. The agency does allow the herb to be 
used in dietary supplements as covered by DSHEA (Dietary 
Supplement Health and Education Act).” 
The bottom line 
The sugar industry must be really big business 
Well, with that said. I would like to stress the fact the  
FDA has left the decision up to the consumers as with most 
herbal products . The way I see it stevia has been use for 
hundreds of years in the past and for the last thirty in 
Japan and a few other countries with no problems. Their 
studies show stevia to be a safe alternative to white sugar 
. My advice is as always do your own research and if you 
have any questions or medical condition associated with 
sugar such as blood sugar levels always consult your 
physician before using herbal products.  
 
When buying stevia read the labels to see what other 
ingredients you are getting, as some contain fillers and/or 
alcohol. I generally use stevia in its natural form, either 
fresh, dried, or powdered. Want to try some ?There are 
also a lot of new cook books out now that are associated 
with stevia . We have added a few of these recipes for your 
use with in our recipe pages.