Learning From The Guaranì

Growing wild in the highlands of land-locked Paraguay is found a small perennial shrub which produces the sweetest substance on earth. This shrub, once found only there, is rapidly becoming much more widely known and cultivated for this sweet essence which is harvested from its leaves.

The plant, which grows to be one metre tall and bears leaves two to three centimetres long, is called Khaa Jeé by the natives. It is more commonly known as stevia Stevia rebaudiana or by its common names of "sweet leaf of Paraguay" or "honey yerba." Since pre-Columbian times the indigenous peoples of this area have collected stevia from the rainforests to use as a sweetener, to treat diabetes, hypertension, and to keep skin looking young.

In the 16th century the Spaniards noted this mysterious plant, but it wasn't until 1889 that the first studies were done by botanist M. S. Bertoni. He "discovered" stevia after seeing its use by Guaraní natives, and his studies showed that stevia is 200-400 times sweeter than sugar - but has no negative side effects.

In the early 1900s stevia was being widely used throughout Paraguay, and had earned the attention of other countries. By 1941 it was being grown in Britain as a sweetener to combat the shortages brought on by the Second World War. In the mid 1950s the Japanese started growing
stevia and by the 1970s, after extensive studies, they began marketing it as an alternative to aspartame. Today, health conscious Japan is one of the world's largest users of stevia, although stevia is widely used in other countries as well. It is used in Japan in gum, diet soda and in a large multitude of other products.

Studies now show that stevia's benefits include: pancreas nourishment, blood sugar regulation, stabilization of high blood pressure, digestive aid, prevention of tooth and gum decay, suppression of cravings, safe for diabetics and candida sufferers and as a great weight loss aid: the native Guaraní knew their stevia well!