The Stevia

Description and geographic origin :

A small shrub that can reach 40 to 60 cm and sometimes up to 1 m in height, Stevia blooms from August to September. This plant is native from Paraguay, a region called the Amambay in the middle subtropical forest in the south-east. This area is very mountainous and somewhat isolated which may explain why the Stevia has been so long ignored in European countries.

History :

The Guarani Indians have used for centuries species Stevia rebaudiana
in nutrition and medicine. They called it "Ka'a He'e," which means "sweet grass" and used it to sweeten the bitter mate (local tea). It was first described in 1899 by the Swiss scientist Moisés S. Bertoni:

"When observing this plant, nothing in particular attracted the attention, but when even a small piece of leaf is placed in the mouth, one is impressed with its sweetness."

Dr Moisés Santiago Bertoni

Sweetening Power :

Stevia gets its sweetness from a family of molecules called "Stevioside". The members of this family of molecules that have a natural sweetness ranging from 60 to 350 times that of sucrose are not fermentable, indigestible, and therefore have almost zero calories.

Stevioside :

• Stevioside : 250 to 300 times the sweetness of sucrose.
• Rebaudioside A : 300 to 350 times the sweetness of sucrose.
• Rebaudioside C (or dulcoside B) : 60 to 120 times the sweetness of sucrose.
• Dulcoside A : 60 to 120 times the sweetness of sucrose.