Stevia is a herb that belongs to the Aster family. Small branched bushes of stevia with small white flowers grow mainly in the southern regions, but if desired, this herb can be grown both in the garden and at home. Stevia is a natural, healthy and sweet sweetener.
In the wild, stevia grew only in South America, it was first discovered in Brazil and Paraguay, where the Mayan Indians lived. It was they who gave the plant such a name: “stevia” in translation from the Mayan language means “honey”. There was also a legend associated with stevia among the indigenous people of America. This name was borne by an Indian girl, whom the gods gave sweet grass as a reward for her beauty and wonderful qualities. The Spanish and Portuguese conquerors of South America drew attention to the properties of the “honey herb”: it turned out to be not only sweet, but also useful – for example, the Indians brewed mate tea together with stevia for diseases.
In 1931, several French chemists isolated an extract from the plant – small white crystals similar to sugar. But this “honey sugar” turned out to be three hundred times sweeter than usual. They conducted a series of experiments and proved that stevioside, as chemists called it, has no toxic properties.
At the beginning of World War II, Britain began to use the possibilities of stevia as a sweetener, as due to the blockade on the islands there was not enough sugar. Scientists, having examined the plant, gave a positive answer – stevia could successfully replace sugar. Since then, the herb has been studied more than once, tested for toxicity, and the presence of beneficial properties. Soon they began to grow it in greenhouses. And today stevia began to conquer many countries of the world. Stevia is widely distributed in China, Taiwan, South Korea, as well as Brazil and Paraguay, but it has not yet become popular in our country.
In Japan, almost half of all sweeteners (including sugar) are stevia – the Japanese are suspicious of the harmful, caries and diabetes-causing substance from sugar beets and cane and prefer the medicinal sweet herb
Scientists believe that stevia is the healthiest sugar substitute in existence. Despite the fact that it is many times sweeter than sugar, it does not cause diabetes, promotes weight loss, does not destroy tooth enamel and contains a minimum amount of calories. There are many myths about the healing properties of stevia – for example, its ability to treat diabetes has not yet been proven – but researchers argue that the plant brings undoubted benefits to the body: – stevia has an anti-inflammatory effect; – stimulates the acceleration of metabolism; – strengthens the immune system; – slows down aging; – has an antimicrobial effect; – this plant contains a whole complex of vitamins, trace elements and amino acids.
All these properties have been confirmed by numerous reviews of people. Stevioside has no contraindications, so it can be used even by young children.
Despite the many studies and unequivocal scientists’ answers to the problem of the presence of toxic substances in stevia, there are several myths according to which this plant is not as useful as it seems. So, stevia was called a carcinogen that causes mutations in the body. They tried to prove this statement by research, but when checking it, it turned out that the experiment was carried out in such conditions that the purest distilled water could be called a carcinogen. Today, researchers confidently say that stevia has no carcinogenic properties.
Stevia has also been suspected of antiandrogenicity and the ability to disrupt the reproductive function of the body. Legends that women used herb as a contraceptive gave rise to such doubts, but they were completely dismissed. The myth that stevia causes cancer has also been debunked – on the contrary, it has been proven that consumption of stevioside reduces the rate of development of skin cancer and helps prevent adenoma. Thus, the harm of stevia has not been officially proven.
Stevia is a sugar substitute for diabetics as it does not raise blood glucose levels. But it is recommended to use it instead of sugar or other sweeteners for all people without exception. By its properties, stevia can even compete with honey – another natural and useful sweetener: for example, the healing effect of honey is destroyed when it is heated, so it is undesirable to use it in baking, and “honey grass” can withstand high temperatures (up to 200 degrees).
Different countries have different recipes for culinary products, drinks and other dishes using stevia or stevioside. In Japan, this substance is even added to pickles, since the sweet taste of the herb suppresses the pungency of sodium chloride in such products. Most Japanese foods – ice cream, yogurt, gum, hard candy, and even toothpaste – contain this substance.
Most recipes simply use stevia instead of sugar.
In Russia, the experience of using stevia is still small. It can be used to make tea by mixing the herb with ordinary tea leaves and mint. You can put a few stevia leaves in pickles without adding sugar. Stevia is put in jams and compotes. Stevisiod can be used as a sweetener in all foods and drinks.