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| Featured Herb |
| NAME: Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) DESCRIPTION: A perennial herb growing up to 1m tall, Stevia is a member of the daisy family. The leaves are mid green and intensely sweet. The compounds in the leaves are called stevioside and rebaudioside and they can be more than 200 times sweeter than sugar. The plant bears greenish cream flowers in autumn. ORIGIN: Northern parts of South America CULTIVATION: Stevia grows best in upland areas in sub-tropical climates. In other places it can be grown as an annual. The plant prefers a lightly-textured, well-drained soil to which organic matter has been added. It needs ample water so that the soil is consistently moist, but not wet. In hot, sunny climates it will do best in semi-shade. Propagation is from seed sown in spring, but germination rates can be low - expect half the seeds sown not to germinate. Plant seedlings out once all danger of frost is over. Leaves are best harvested just before flowering. The plants will also grow from cuttings which are best taken in late winter. USES: Stevia can be used as a substitute for sugar or artificial sweetener. Dried leaves retain their sweetness. In South America it has been used for centuries as sweetener and medicinally as treatment for high blood pressure among other things. In Japan 40% of all sweeteners come from Stevia, but in USA & Canada, Stevia is not approved as a sweetener for food products. Opinion is divided as to whether this is because of a genuine concern about safety (some research indicated that Stevia at high dosages had an effect on the reproductive capacity of rats) or about protection of powerful business interests. |
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