Stevia: America's Prohibited Sweetener *

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Stevia: America's Prohibited Sweetener *

JoAnn Guest

Mar 24, 2006 15:38 PST

 

 

Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni is a perennial shrub native to the Amambay

Mountain region of Paraguay. It has been enjoyed by the Guarani

Indians for hundreds of years, who use it primarily to sweeten their

herbal mate' tea .

 

By the 1800's daily consumption of stevia had spread to South

American settlers in Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil. In 1899,

Stevia was

'rediscovered' by Italian botanist, Moises Santiago Bertoni.

 

This set the stage for the cultivation of stevia, which until that

time had only grown in the wild in its native Paraguay.

 

The first stevia crop was harvested in 1908. Soon plantations began

flourishing throughout South America and abroad. Stevia was first

brought to the attention of the US Government in 1918 by a US

Botanist.

 

In 1921 American Trade Commissioner George S. Brady, aware of

stevia's

great commercial possibilities, again brought it to the attention of

the US Government, this time to the USDA.

 

Brady noted that stevia had a long history of safe use, and was

especially ideal for use as a sweetener by " diabetics " .

 

This news no doubt, alarmed US sugar producers, much in the same

way that the sugar industry in Germany had felt " threatened " when

stevia was introduced there in 1913.

 

In 1931, the French isolated a pure white crystalline extract:

stevioside.

US government researcher Dr. Hewitt G. Fletcher labeled it 'the

sweetest natural product yet found.'

 

Curiously, it appears that stevia did not make

its emergence onto the US sweetener scene at this time.

 

In the late sixties and early seventies, the FDA was busy setting

the stage for " approval " of aspartame for mass consumption in the

US. But, Japan had already " banned " or severely restricted its use,

as it had with other " unsafe " food additives.

 

 

By 1970, the Japanese " discovered " stevia: the ideal

" replacement " for sugar and its synthetic substitutes.

 

In the mid-1980's stevia was being used by several US companies as a

flavor enhancer in herbal teas.

 

Suddenly, the FDA poised itself for an all out assault on stevia and

launched an aggressive campaign to stop its use.

Prompted by an anonymous trade complaint, a series of FDA actions

against companies using stevia included: embargoes, search and

seizures,

and ultimately an all out 'import alert.' (9)

 

Stevia was not granted GRAS (Generally recognized as safe) status,

despite it's long history of safe use and the numerous world wide

scientific studies supporting its safety.

Instead, it was classified as an 'unsafe food additive'.

 

Celestial Seasonings and other companies were forced to stop using

stevia.

 

While stevia was being grown and enjoyed in such countries as China,

Japan, Brazil, Israel, Malaysia, and even Germany, it " disappeared "

completely from the US marketplace until 1994.

 

Despite the FDA's opposition, passage of the Dietary Supplement

Health &

Education Act allowed stevia to reenter the US

market as a " food supplement " .

 

Companies which market stevia products are " prohibited " from making

the

slightest " implication " that stevia has sweetening

qualities. To do so is to risk stevia being relabeled as an unsafe

food

additive and to once again be banned entirely from the U.S. market.

 

To further protect the interests of Monsanto, and to continue the

" poisoning " of the American public, the FDA would ultimately resort

to

strategies frighteningly reminiscent of " tactics " practiced in Nazi

Germany.

 

Recently, the FDA placed an embargo on shipments of stevia to the

small Stevita Company of Arlington, Texas. In a letter to Stevita

dated May 19, 1998 the FDA further demanded that Stevita destroy a

warehouse full

of 'cookbooks, literature, and other publications' and promised to

be on hand to 'witness the destruction' of the offending materials.

 

In a later development, the FDA asked the Stevita Company to recall

the

more than 6,500 books already in distribution to stores, and private

individuals for the purpose of " destroying " these, as well.

 

Although the book burning has yet to take place (FDA officials

backed

off when local media cameras began rolling) and the FDA now denies

these allegations, the letter to Stevita is proof that these threats

were real. The matter has not gone unnoticed by the local chapter of

the ACLU either.

 

The FDA's actions which are in clear violation of the constitutional

right to freedom of the press, should be of particular concern to

all Americans at a time when free speech is being attacked on

several fronts.

 

As evidenced by the recent Oprah Winfrey trial, passage of food

disparagement laws in 13 states stifle free speech by threatening

legal

action against anyone with a disparaging word to say about a U.S.

agricultural product.

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*Sweet Surrender*

 

While the rest of the world freely enjoys an all-natural, non-toxic,

non-caloric herbal sweetener that is 180-400 times sweeter than

sugar,

but without any of sugar's side effects, Americans are being

kept " in the dark " .

 

 

Even though the FDA acknowledges that it considers stevia 'a potent

sweetener',

U.S. companies are prohibited from implying that stevia has any

" sweetening properties " at all.

 

 

*The benefits of stevia as a sweetener are unrivaled*:

 

* Stevia actually " balances " blood sugar levels, and is " safe " for

use by both diabetics and hypoglycemics.

 

* Unlike aspartame, there are no reports of adverse effects from

stevia's use and " scientific studies " throughout the world " prove "

out its safety.

 

Stevia has never been shown to cause brain tumors, seizures,

blindness,

or any of the other 92 " adverse reactions " associated with

aspartame. *

 

Unlike aspartame, stevia " reduces " the " craving " for sweets, making

it the ideal sweetener for a society desperate to lose weight.

 

* Unlike sugar, stevia reduces cavities by " retarding " the growth of

plaque.

 

* Stevia is used as a " digestive aid " in Brazil.

 

* Stevia contains antiseptic properties which have proven beneficial

in speeding the healing process of skin wounds.

 

* Tests show that stevia's antimicrobial properties inhibit the

growth of streptococcus and other bacteria. This is especially

noteworthy since

some " forms " of streptococcus have become " antibiotic resistant " .

 

 

*The Fight for a Safe Sweetener *

 

I know that some might question my qualifications or motivation for

telling this story.

 

Very simply, both are rooted in my own personal experience with

aspartame and stevia. For twelve years, I suffered from chronic

migraine headaches, at least four times a week.

 

I was literally addicted to Fiorinal,

a prescription drug containing butalbital, caffeine, and aspirin,

and the only medication I found effective at alleviating the often

unbearable pain.

 

All the while, I had attributed these headaches to a whiplash injury

I sustained in an automobile accident around the same time the

headaches began occurring more frequently.

 

Several months ago as I started reading about the " hazards "

associated with artificial sweeteners, I decided to quit using all

products containing aspartame.

 

Since that day, I have not had one single headache.

The transformation from chronic pain to living pain-free has been

nothing short of " miraculous " .

 

I have also begun to learn about using stevia as a sweetener.

Granted, it takes some getting used to.

 

Stevia is so very powerful, that you have to learn to use the

smallest

amount to achieve a desired sweetness. But the rewards are more than

worthwhile.

 

In addition to not having to deal with splitting headaches, I have

noticed that my craving for sweets has become " significantly

diminished " .

 

Talk about an easy, painless way to stop overindulging in goodies.

(my weakness!)

And I have found stevia concentrate to be not only delicious, but an

invaluable aid in healing skin abrasions and a wonderfully

nourishing skin mask.

 

Don't wait for the FDA to give stevia its blessing. It may be a long

time in coming.

 

I urge you to immediately (if not sooner) empty your kitchen

cupboards of all products containing aspartame. Throw out your

Equal, Crystal Lite, diet sodas, chewing gum, and don't forget the

toothpaste!

You not only will become " liberated " , but a whole lot " healthier " in

the process.

 

And remember these words from Dr. Julian Whitaker:

 

'Frankly, I don't let aspartame into my house--

 

children live there.'(10)

 

Notes

 

1. Dr. Julian Whitaker, A Natural Sweetener That's Also Calorie

Free,

Health & Healing, Vol.

 

4, No. 12, December, 1994.

 

2. Ibid

 

3. Aspartame: Is it Safe? an Interview with H.J. Roberts, M.D.,

Mastering

Food Allergies #61, 1990.

 

4. Linda Bonvie, Bill Bonvie, and Donna Gates, The Stevia Story,

B.E.D.

Publications, Atlanta, Georgia, 1997.

 

5. Ibid 1.

 

6. Steven A. Farber, " Aspartame and the Regulation of Food

Additives: A

Study of FDA Decision-Making and a Proposal for Change, " Master of

Science

in Technology and Public Policy Thesis at Massachusetts Institute of

Technology, 1989.

 

7 Gregory Gordon, " NutraSweet: Questions Swirl, " UPI Investigative

Report,

10/12/87. Reprinted in US Senate (1987, page 483-510).

 

8. Ibid.

 

9. Ibid 4.

 

10. Ibid 1

http://www.herbalselect.com/stevia.asp

http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame/adverse.txt

http://www.oneearthherbs.squarespace.com/important-herbs/stevia-

leafstevia-rebaudiana-.html

http://kefir.net/spray/sinfullysweet.htm

http://www.holisticmed.com/sweet/stv-faq.txt

http://www.holisticmed.com/sweet/stv-ej.txt

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http://jaysonkroner.libraryonhealth.com/read.php?

id=4d2d503ab57ee964abea60fe6 & chapter=11

 

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JoAnn Guest

mrsjo-

www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets