Remedies Using Stevia Herb

Stevia herb is also known as sweetleaf and stevia rebaudiana. Stevia is a sweet herb and the extract from the leaves which taste up to 300 times sweeter than sugar are used as natural sweeteners and food addictives. The active compounds stevioside and rebaudioside A are responsible for the sweetness.

Before stevia sweetener was made popular as a sugar substitute, the ingenious people of Paraguay have already been using stevia leaf to sweeten their foods and beverages. They were also using this sweet herb as a folk medicine as well as added to oral unpleasant medications to conceal the taste.

Even though a teaspoon of stevia is so much sweeter than sugar, it has negligible amount of calories. In fact, stevia leaf extract is used as a remedy for diabetes. A study that was published in metabolism journal in 2004 provided evidence that stevioside was able to reduce blood cholesterol levels of 12 type 2 diabetic patients. Another separate study on 16 volunteers showed that stevia managed to increase glucose tolerance. These findings indicate that stevia herb is safe for people with diabetes and hypoglycemia.

Stevia is also used as an aid for weight control. Since it has no calories, substituting stevia with table sugar and syrups in foods and beverages will help in maintain and managing weight.

Stevia rebaudiana may also benefits the heart and reduce the risk of heart diseases. A study conducted on mice found that stevia extract was able to reduce the buildup of plague inside the arteries. If this is confirmed and established, there is hope that stevia may help stop or treat atherosclerosis.

Stevia extract is also beneficial for people who suffer from yeast infection or candida albicans. Sugar encourages the growth of yeast and using stevia as a sugar substitute in the diet will help control it.

Some studies were also done to ascertain the effects of stevia on high blood pressure. The result indicated that the stevioside present in this sweet leaf from the stevia plant has the ability to reduce blood pressure.

Stevia tea is also used as a remedy for heartburn and indigestion. The easiest way to have your stevia leaf tea is to steep stevia tea bags, liquid stevia or stevia powder in hot water. If you do have the whole dried sweetleaf, steep the leaves in hot water for a few minutes and drain it before drinking.

Stevia extract is also available as health supplement in the form of capsules and dissolved tablets. Some food manufactures use stevia extract for baked foods, chewing gums, ice creams and soft drinks. Stevia extract is also used in some skin care products.

Even though there are quite a number of concerns on the dangers of stevia, so far there has not been any concrete proof of stevia side effects. The Japanese who have been consuming stevia sweeteners for decades as a sugar substitute in their diets have yet received any complaints. So are the people of Brazil, Columbia, Paraguay and Venezuela who have been using stevia herb for centuries.

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