Stevia Rebaudiana
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Common name: Stevia, Sweet Leaf, Sweet Honey Leaf
Botanical name: Stevia rebaudiana
Family: Asteraceae (Sunflower family)
Synonyms: Eupatorium rebaudianum
I
still remember the day I popped a stevia leaf in my mouth, the sweet
taste lingered in my mouth forever and I was mesmerized with the plant.
It is not that I use artificial or natural sweeteners daily, in fact I
have never used them and always prefer our good old jaggery.
But still
as a person who is mad about herbs, I wanted to know all about stevia, I
even started growing it in my garden. I became very interested because I
have seen some of my relatives who are diabetic patients buy sweets
made with artificial sweeteners sometimes.
I wanted to know about natural sweeteners that does not rise blood
sugar levels but with no side effects. Stevia plant has been used by
people of South America for thousands of years to sweeten their tea and
they also used it as a remedy for some ailments.
Few years back
scientists isolated the glycosides that were the cause for the plant's
sweetness. The botanical name of stevia plant is Stevia Rebaudiana and
it is also called as sweet leaf, sugar leaf plant and candy leaf in
English and Meethi Patti in Hindi. In other languages like Tamil, Telugu
and Malayalam, it is usually called by it's English name. You can find
this plant in some herbal nurseries in India.
The usage of white sugar
is increasing every year and scientists say that the usage is only going
to increase and with it obesity, diabetes and heart problems are also
on the rise. Many are switching over to low calorie artificial
sweeteners, but though artificial sweeteners have low calories, they
also have many side effects and so natural sweeteners like stevia are
getting very very popular.
Now stevia is found in many of the packaged
foods we eat like sweets, candies, sweetened yogurts, etc. But though
stevia is derived from a plant, in my humble opinion we should get to
know fully about it before we start using it daily in our diet. The
stevia we get from the markets are highly refined, I have listed the
different varieties of stevia we get in the markets below.
Stevia Side
Effects:
When a culture uses a herb for thousands of years, in my humble
opinion they have almost perfected using it. All we have to do is
respect their knowledge and follow it exactly but if we try to meddle
with it for increasing the profits we experience very bad side effects
from the usage. Stevia has been used by native people of countries like
Paraguay for many years but they use the fresh or dried leaves to
sweeten their tea and no major side effect has been reported.
They use it for treating cold and cough, for improving digestion, for
reducing blood pressure and blood sugar levels. The commercial stevia we
get in the markets are highly refined. Since whole leaf cannot be
patented, the glycosides are extracted from the plant and then purified
by big companies. The 2 main types of glycosides derived from stevia are
stevioside and rebaudioside.
Rebaudioside is sweeter by almost 30 times
than stevioside (it is also sweeter than sugar by 200 to 300 times
approximately). The white crystalline powder derived has a slight bitter
after taste so steviosides are converted synthetically into rebauside
for improving the taste.
This kind of isolating the glycosides and
trying to convert it synthetically into an other glycoside by adding
chemicals will of course have side effects. Some people might experience bloating, nausea and gastric problems while taking refined stevia. Though
many research has been done on the purified extract for human safety, I
would still suggest using the fresh leaves or dried leaves to sweeten
the tea.
Diabetic patients and people whoe are on pressure medication should be cautious while taking any form of stevia. Also if you are on any medication please mention stevia usage to your doctor before consuming it often....
6 Top Health Benefits, Medicinal Uses & Side Effects Of Stevia
1. Stevia For Weight Loss:
Stevia has zero calories but the dried leaves of stevia is said to be 20 to 25 times sweeter than sugar. The glycosides got from the plant which is refined and sold as pure white powder is said to be 150 to 200 times sweeter than sugar but with zero calories! It is because of this quality that it has caught the attention of the whole world....
2. Stevia For Diabetes:
Stevoside present in the plant helps in reducing the blood sugar levels. You can read the research paper here. Another study done on sucrose, stevia and aspartame showed that stevia helps in regulating blood sugar levels after the meal compared to sucrose and aspartame.
3.Stevia For Blood Pressure:
Stevioside, one of the compounds found in stevia has been proven through research to reduce blood pressure. So consuming stevia will have a positive effect on people who have high blood pressure. It is beacuse of this reason that people with high blood pressure are asked to be cautious when taking stevia and pressure medications together...
4. Stevia For Digestion:
Being a herb, stevia leaves contains antioxidant properties and contains vitamins and minerals. Tea made with stevia helps in digestion and has a soothing effect on the stomach. It is also used as an effective remedy for cold and flu in countries like Paraguay...
5. Stevia For Dental Carries:
Stevia has antimicrobial properties especially against dental carries producing microbe and it has been proved through research. It is because of it's anti microbial property and sweeteness that it is added to many of the dental products that we use regularly...
6. Stevia For Skin:
Fresh stevia leaf extract made by pounding the leaves and applying it as a poultice on the affected area has been done by the native South American people to treat skin problems like acne, eczema, cuts, bruises, acne scars, etc..
.
DIFFERENT FORMS OF STEVIA AVAILABLE IN THE MARKET:
The stevia we get in the markets are highly refined and we should get to know the different varieties available first to choose the best out of it.
1. Stevia Powder:
This is the most commonly used form of stevia that can be easily bought everywhere. Though in India we don't get it in all the shops, we can easily order it online. Stevia powder is a refined product got after separating the glycosides from the plant and refining it.
2. Stevia Tablets:
Purified stevia is compressed into small tablets, packaged and sold. This is also a refined product.
3. Stevia Drops:
Stevia drops is made by mixing the purified stevia extract with artificial colors, fragrances and water to form a liquid. You can easily add a few drops of stevia drops into your liquid and you need very less to sweeten compared to our regular sugar. But it is a refined product.
4. Dried Stevia Leaves:
You can get dried stevia leaves online and it is not processed. I would suggest using dried stevia leaves than the refined stevia mentioned above. Try a few brands to select the one that you like as stevia leaves have varying degrees of sweetness depending on where it is grown.The sweetest variety are said to be found only in South American countries...
5. Raw Stevia Leaves:
Fresh stevia leaves are the best! I love to pluck a leaf and pop it in my mouth, you can also add it to your salads, tea or even as a poultice for skin problems...
Thanks:
http://www.wildturmeric.net