Sugar-Free and Health-Promoting

Sugar-Free and Health-Promoting 

The wonderful, sweet-tasting herb stevia (STEE-vee-uh) has extraordinary health-promoting properties. Glucose, sophorose, and steviol make up the intricate stevioside molecule that gives Stevia its sweet taste. Stevia contains rebaudioside, a second component that adds to its sweetness. One way to describe stevia's flavour is as unusually sweet, with a hint of licorice and an almost bitter aftertaste. Very little of this bitterness is often seen in high-quality stevia. Stevia has a very distinct sweetness profile compared to sugar, artificial sweeteners, and other natural sweeteners; still, it is incredibly tasty. While the flavour may take some "getting used to," the majority of folks find that they really enjoy it rather soon.

For generations, the indigenous peoples of Paraguay and Brazil have sweetened stimulant drinks like yerba mate with the leaves of the South American shrub stevia. Members of the Compositae (the sunflower family of plants) include the stevia plant. This little herbaceous, semibushy perennial shrub's leaves were used to sweeten bitter drinks by Paraguayan natives centuries ago. It was originally from the wilds of South America and now grows in semiarid environments like mountainous regions, grasslands, and scrub forests. The plant eventually made its way to nations around the Pacific coast, where it has recently become a popular domestic crop, both for its raw leaf consumption and its commercial processing into a sugar substitute.

Stevia is incredibly sweet, as anyone who has tried it can attest. This extraordinary, low-calorie herb has a long history of use as a flavour enhancer and sweetener; it is native to Paraguay. The natural sweetener, stevia, has a pleasant flavour and is calorie-free. It is also being studied for its possible role in reducing blood pressure and fat absorption. Stevia is used all over the world for its delicious flavor.

Natural stevia is around 300 times sweeter than sugar, and processed stevia is even sweeter. Blood sugar regulation, hypertension prevention, skin problem treatment, and tooth decay prevention are some of its medical uses. Research has also shown that it has antiviral and antibacterial properties. Stevia has health benefits! Plus, there are no calories or carbohydrates in it. If you are diabetic, managing your weight, or just concerned about your health, stevia is a fantastic sweetener option to consider.

When applied topically, stevia exhibits remarkable medicinal properties. When applied to cuts or scrapes, it stings at first, but then the pain subsides, and the wound heals faster and scarless than before. You can make a face mask out of whole leaf Stevia extract by applying a black liquid all over your face, waiting 30 to 60 minutes for it to dry, and then washing it off. Skin tightening, wrinkle smoothing, and acne and blemish healing are all benefits of this. Seborrhoea, dermatitis, and eczema are among the skin conditions that have reportedly responded effectively to this treatment. Stevia is great for your hair and scalp in general, but it works especially well when added to shampoo or applied to damp hair after a wash and left on for a few minutes before rinsing.

Stevia has several additional useful uses as well. For instance, research suggests that Stevia may improve mood as well as boost energy and cognition. Also, it prevents the development of cavities and gingivitis by halting the proliferation of oral bacteria, which produce the acids that cause these conditions.

The East has been introduced to Stevia in the last many years. Japan, Paraguay, Brazil, Israel, China, and Korea have all made extensive use of stevia, a sweetener and flavour enhancer that was discovered in the 1970s and 1980s. Soy sauce, sweet pickles, and soft drinks in Japan incorporate it; therefore, it's widely used there. Stevia has been added to Diet Coke in Japan.

Stevia has found its way into many different goods, including those for the skin, soft drinks, ice cream, cookies, pickles, gum, and chewing gum. Stevia accounts for about 40% of Japan's sweetener sales. Paraguay, Brazil, China, Taiwan, Paraguay, Thailand, and Korea are the top stevia producers.

Stevia is also used in numerous skin care products that are accessible in the cosmetics sector. When administered topically, it helps diminish skin imperfections. Additionally, stevia eases indigestion.

Everyone can benefit from using Stevia, and there are no signs of a lack. Those who are diabetic, overweight, old, young, or athletic may all reap benefits from stevia.

Because of its capacity to manage blood sugar, stevia may be useful as a supplement for those with diabetes, blood sugar issues, or obesity.

The use of stevia may potentially have beneficial effects on individuals with hypertension. Experimental evidence suggests that stevia can help reduce hypertension by acting as a vasodiolator, which is a condition characterised by elevated blood pressure.

When Stevia first appeared on the US market in the late 1980s, an "anonymous firm" filed a "trade complaint" with the FDA. Celestial Seasonings, a herbal tea manufacturer, was one that used stevia. The FDA issued a directive for them to cease manufacturing tea that was "adulterated" with stevia. During an impromptu raid by the FDA, another tea firm, Traditional Medicinals, had its Stevia teas confiscated and threatened to have them burned.

For what reasons was Stevia classified as a controlled substance by the government? According to FDA papers, stevia is a "dangerous food additive" despite extensive testing of its safety conducted by Japanese scientists over a long period of time. Despite FOIA requests, the FDA has refused to identify the "trade complaint"'s" author. However, many believe that aspartame (also known as "Nutrasweet") producers were attempting to shield their product from competition because of the high profits they receive from the artificial sweetener.

One could think Stevia was a hazardous narcotic based on the FDA's enormous efforts to keep the public in the dark about it. Despite millions of individuals using it for centuries (in some places), no negative side effects have ever been linked to it.

The FDA has been so firm on this issue that it is currently illegal to suggest using Stevia as a tea sweetener or in any way other than as a nutritional supplement, even though this was legalized in 1994.

The Food and Drug Administration partially overturned its 1995 ban on stevia. As of recently, the US government has approved stevia for sale as a "nutritional supplement" rather than a sweetener. The World Health Organisation is putting pressure on other nations to do the same, and the European Union is no exception.