Stevia

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Formula: Stevia

 

Statement: Research shows Stevia contains unique compounds called

steviosides. These steviosides have been reported to be 300 times sweeter

than sugar. Historical accounts tell us that as early as the 1840s, natives

of South America used the leaves of Stevia plant as a sweetener for their

herbal teas.

 

Documentation:

1 Potential Sweetening Agents of Plant Origin. III. Organoleptic Evaluation

of Stevia Leaf Herbarium Samples for Sweetness. by D. Soejarto, A. Kinghorn,

and N. Farnsworth. Jour of Nat Prod, Vol. 45, No. 5, 590-599. Stevia contains

eight ent-kaurene glycosides that are responsible for its sweetening

properties. Five are rebaudiosides; the other three are stevioside, dulcoside

A and steviolbioside. The most abundant is stevioside. All the glycosides

except for dulcoside A (a carbohydrate) are diterpenes. The sweet taste is

accompanied by the bitter taste of sesquiterpene lactones. The sweetness of

Stevia has been preserved in its leaves for up to 62 years with no

appreciable decrease in sweetness. No other leaf samples exhibited an

intensity of sweetness equivalent to that of Stevia rebaudiana.

 

2 Early Uses of Stevia rebaudiana Leaves as a Sweetener in Paraguay. Economic

Botany, Vol. 46, No. 3, 336-340, 1992. The earliest documented use of Stevia

goes back to 1887 when it was used as a sweetening agent by the Indians in

Paraguay. The dramatic sweetening property of Stevia rebaudiana may approach

250 times that of sucrose.

 

3 Chronic Administration of Aqueous Extract of Stevia rebaudiana in Rats:

Renal Effects by M.S. Melis Jour of Ethnopharm 47 (1995) 129-34. " Stevia

rebaudiana Bertoni is a sweet herb indigenous to elevated terrain in the

northeastern corner of Paraguay, adjacent to its frontier with Brazil.

Stevioside, the major sweet substance of this plant (5-10% of dry weight) is

300 times as sweet as sucrose, having steviol as its aglycone and attached to

three glucose molecules. The leaves of Stevia rebaudiana also contain several

structurally related compounds such as rebaudiana also contain several

structurally related compounds such as rebaudioside A-E, dulcoside A and

steviolbioside, several of which are sweet. "

 

Statement: Currently it is being researched for many additional beneficial

properties including supporting proper blood sugar levels.

 

Documentation:

 

1 Hypoglycemic Action of Stevia Rebaudiana Bertoni (Kaa-he-e) by C.A. Oviedo,

G. Fronciani, R. Moreo, and L.L. Mass. Excerpta Medica, Vol. 209, 92, 1970.

These researchers reported antihyperglycemic actions of Stevia in 1970 and

beneficial effects in the treatment of diabetes mellitus. Twenty-five healthy

adults were given the dried aqueous extract orally. An average fall in blood

glucose levels of 35.2% was noted between 6 and 8 hours later.

 

2 Efeito Hipoglicemiante De Stevia Rebaudiana Bertoni by M. Alvares, R. B.

Bazzone, G. L. Godoy, R. Cury, L.M. Botion. 1st Brazilian Seminar on Stevia

rebaudiana, 1981. Reprint of handout. In 1981 at the 1st Brazilian Seminar on

Stevia rebaudiana, researchers presented findings on the hypoglycemic cation

of this herb. Fifteen human participants, aged 19-25 years old, took the

equivalent of 1 gm stevioside per day, divided into 4 applications of 250 mg

every 6 hours. The results showed an accentuated hypoglycemic response in the

subjects studied.

 

3 Chronic Administration of Aqueous Extract of Stevia rebaudiana in Rats:

Renal Effects by M.S. Melis. Jour Ethnopharm 1995, Vol. 47, 129-34. Stevia

extract promoted vasodilation of the afferent and efferent arterioles. After

60 days of oral Stevia treatment, there was a statistically significant

decrease in mean arterial pressure 15.5%. Urinary excretion of sodium

increased for .63 to 1.31. As time went on, the blood pressure decreased even

more. It also significantly increased water excretion, revealing a decrease

in tubular reabsorption of sodium and water and sodium. Researchers suggested

that some renal autoregulatory capacity may exist.

 

4 Anticavity Sweetener Composition by Mitaui Sugar Co., Ltd. Chemical

Abstracts, 1983, Vol. 98. An anticavity sweetener is formulated from

palatinose 100, Stevia extract sweeteners.

 

Statement: As a dietary supplement it shows promise for supporting proper

metabolic function and it may facilitate natural weight loss.