HERBS: Stevia (GARDEN, REMEDIES, RECIPES, HEALTH)

[Guest guest]

Stevia

 

Stevia rebaudiana, a tender perennial in the daisy family, is 150 to 400

times as sweet as sugar, but has 1/300th of sugar's calories! For

hundreds of years, the Guarana Indians and others in stevia's native

Paraguay have used the leaves to sweeten bitter, caffeine-rich mate' and

many other beverages.

 

In the 1970's, Japanese companies tested stevia for food safety and

began using it as a sweetener. By now it is an ingredient in more than

seventy Japanese food products, including candy, ice cream, yogurt,

fruit drinks, gum, soy sauce, and Japanese pickles. The sweet herb of

Paraguay is also widely used in South Korea, Thailand, the People's

Republic of China, and Brazil.

 

In the U.S. however, stevia is intermittently available in health food

stores, sold in bulk as powder. The Food and Drug Administration has

classified it as a food additive rather than a food, and as such, it is

considered unsafe until proven safe. It must undergo extensive

toxicological tests before it can be approved for food use. But no

company is willing to pay for tests, because stevia exists in nature and

cannot be patented (unlike such additives such as NutraSweet.) If stevia

were approved by the FDA, all companies would have equal access, and no

one company could make big profit on the herb.

 

Fortunately, Pacific Northwest gardeners can now grow stevia in their

home gardens. It is completely legal both to grow stevia and sell it to

home gardeners, and also to grow it in home gardens.

 

Stevia is a fast-growing tender perennial that grows during the summer

from a rooted cutting to a large, sturdy, bright green bush, 3 to 4 feet

wide and 3 to 4 feet tall. Stevia thrives in full sun and well-drained

soil. It needs to dry out between waterings; its roots rot if they stay

too moist. When the plants develop flower buds, pinch the flowers off as

you would with basil. If stevia plants are allowed to flower, they droop

then become dormant.

 

After you have harvested the last stevia leaves of the season, cut the

plants back hard, leaving a few leaves on each branch, and grow them

indoors in pots during the winter. Grow them in the sunniest window you

can find, and make sure to water them only when the soil feels dry.

 

Stevia leaves are delicious fresh or dried in hot iced teas. You can

freeze fresh stevia leaves in ice cubes, and use them to cool and

sweeten iced teas, juices, and sodas. Stevia's flavor is stable when it

is cooked, so you can use it in jams and canned fruits, and in cakes,

cookies, and other cooked desserts. For cooking, stevia is most often

used powdered or as a syrup concentrate. Stevia leaves are easy to dry

and crumble into powder, and they hold their bright green color when

dry. Home-grown stevia tastes much better than store-bought, because

most stevia available in health food stores is made of stems as well as

leaves.

 

Stevia has many health benefits. It provides a natural, good-tasting

sweetener for people who are diabetic and for people who want to loose

or control their weight. Also, some studies have shown that it contains

substances that inhibit tooth decay and plaque formation - a sweetener

that is good for your teeth! And other studies show that stevia

increases mental alertness, decreases fatigue, improves digestion,

regulates blood pressure, and eases hypoglycemia

..

Despite such a wide range of health benefits, it is difficult to say

when stevia will be approved by the FDA and become widely available in

American food. Until that day comes, you can have a plentiful and

delicious local source - your own garden.

 

http://www.territorial-seed.com/stores/1/Stevia_Growing_Guide_W94C445.cfm?UserID\

=15963493 & jsessionid=8c30e1b23627$F6$E0F$

 

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[Guest guest]

I find this interesting. I currently live in South America, the world of the

Guarani Indian, but do you think I can find the plant or its seeds??? And of

course, importing the seeds from overseas is out of the question. I'm

determined to find Stevia here though. There has to be a way. This is one

plant that will be added to my herb garden. Thanks for all the information!

 

Hugz

Tint~

 

Courage does not always roar. Sometimes, it is the quiet voice at the end of

the day saying, " I will try again tomorrow "

 

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wildmouse

05/18/06 19:04:57

undisclosed-recipients:,

HERBS: Stevia (GARDEN, REMEDIES, RECIPES,

HEALTH)

 

Stevia

 

Stevia rebaudiana, a tender perennial in the daisy family, is 150 to 400

times as sweet as sugar, but has 1/300th of sugar's calories! For

hundreds of years, the Guarana Indians and others in stevia's native

Paraguay have used the leaves to sweeten bitter, caffeine-rich mate' and

many other beverages.