Product Description
Currently, Japan is the world’s largest consumer of Stevia, where it is used in the production of artificial sweeteners. Stevia is approved as a food additive in both Japan and Brazil, but has yet to be commercially accepted as a safe, effective sweetener in North American markets. The plant, besides its obvious use as a sweetener, is also used as a supplement in order to treat diabetes, high blood pressure, and infection. Medicinally, this plant is a hypoglycemic, a hypotensive, a diuretic, a tonic, and a cardiotonic, and can even inhibit cavity-forming bacteria in the mouth.
Stevia’s active constituents consist of glycosides - namely the substance stevioside, which is 300 times sweetener than sugar and virtually calorie-free. This makes Stevia ideal for use as a sweetener by anyone trying to lower their caloric intake without sacrificing food sweetness or having to resort to artificial sweeteners. In addition, due to the plant’s tendency to lower blood sugar levels, the use of Stevia as a sweetener will not have the ‘sugar high’ effect that tends to accompany sugar. (i.e.: The brief increase in energy levels followed by a sharp drop-off that occurs when ingesting large amounts of sugars.) In lab tests, these active constituents of Stevia rebaudiana have shown themselves to be both non-toxic and non-mutagenic and have been proven to be effective in treating hypertension. For ground leaves of the Stevia plant, ¼ teaspoon will be roughly equal to 1 teaspoon of sugar. For supplement by infusion, 1 cup should be taken 2-3 times daily. [From “Raintree Nutrition”, link provided below.] Note that this is a concentrated extract and not just raw leaf, so start at the low end of any recommended dose. One method is to stir a small spoonful of the extract into a ¼ - ½ cup of water and dispense this concentrate by the drop; this will prolong the shelf-life of the extract and make it simpler to measure out.
Stevia’s active constituents consist of glycosides - namely the substance stevioside, which is 300 times sweetener than sugar and virtually calorie-free. This makes Stevia ideal for use as a sweetener by anyone trying to lower their caloric intake without sacrificing food sweetness or having to resort to artificial sweeteners. In addition, due to the plant’s tendency to lower blood sugar levels, the use of Stevia as a sweetener will not have the ‘sugar high’ effect that tends to accompany sugar. (i.e.: The brief increase in energy levels followed by a sharp drop-off that occurs when ingesting large amounts of sugars.) In lab tests, these active constituents of Stevia rebaudiana have shown themselves to be both non-toxic and non-mutagenic and have been proven to be effective in treating hypertension. For ground leaves of the Stevia plant, ¼ teaspoon will be roughly equal to 1 teaspoon of sugar. For supplement by infusion, 1 cup should be taken 2-3 times daily. [From “Raintree Nutrition”, link provided below.] Note that this is a concentrated extract and not just raw leaf, so start at the low end of any recommended dose. One method is to stir a small spoonful of the extract into a ¼ - ½ cup of water and dispense this concentrate by the drop; this will prolong the shelf-life of the extract and make it simpler to measure out.
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