The benefit of Stevia inside Perfect Stem Cell

Stevia plant (herb) nutrition facts

Stevia plant is a small, sweet-leaf herb of South American origin used by native Guarani tribes of Paraguay since centuries. Is stevia safe alternative to common sugar in carbohydrate-controlled diets? Does it have healthy nutrient profile safe enough for human consumption as in other herbs such as basil, mint, thyme etc?
Recent scientific trials firmly establish that this sweet-leaf herb has, in fact, many health benefiting plant-derived phyto-chemical compounds that help control blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure in addition to its use as natural sweetener. Together with the rise in demand for low-calorie food alternatives, stevia has drawn the attention of health conscious fitness lovers all over the planet.
Stevia is a small perennial herb belongs to the Asteraceae family of the genus Stevia. Its scientific name is Stevia rebaudiana. Some commonly known names are honey leaf plant, sweet chrysanthemum, sweetleaf stevia, sugarleaf...etc.
Stevia plant grows 2-4 feet in height with slender, branched stems and flourishes well all over temperate and some parts of tropical regions. It is being cultivated as commercial crop in Japan, China, Thailand, Paraguay, and Brazil. Today, China is the leading exporter of stevia products.
Almost all the parts of the plant taste sweet; however, the sweet glycosides are typically concentrated in its dark-green serrated leaves. The Guarani Indians of Paraguay have used its leaves to sweeten drinks and foods and in various traditional medicines. In the modern times, it is widely used in foods in many parts India, East Asian region and South American countries.

Health benefits of stevia

• Stevia herb parts are very low in calories. Parts by parts its dry leaves are roughly 40 times sweeter than sugar. The sweetness of sugar in stevia is due to several glycoside compounds including stevioside, steviolbioside, rebaudiosides A-E, and dulcoside.
  
• Stevioside is non-carbohydrate glycoside compound. Hence, it lack of properties that sucrose and other carbohydrates have. Stevia extracts, like rebaudioside-A, are found to be 300 times sweeter than sugar. In contrast to sugar, however, stevia extracts have several unique properties such as long shelf life, high temperature tolerance, non-fermentative; but contain near-zero calories.
  
• In addition, stevia plant has many sterols and antioxidant compounds like triterpenes, flavonoids, and tannins. Some of flavonoid polyphenolic anti-oxidant phyto-chemicals present in stevia is kaempferol, quercetin, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, isoquercitrin, isosteviol…etc. Studies found that kaempferol can reduce risk of pancreatic cancer by 23% (American journal of epidemiology) [1].
  
• Chlorgenic acid reduces enzymatic conversion of glycogen to glucose in addition to decreasing absorption of glucose in the gut. Thus, it helps reduce blood sugar levels. The lab studies also confirm a reduction in blood glucose levels and an increase in the liver concentrations of glucose-6-phosphate and of glycogen.
  
• Certain glycosides in stevia extract have been found to dilate blood vessels, increase sodium excretion, and urine output. In effect, stevia, at slightly higher doses than as sweetener, can help lower blood pressure.
  
• Being a non-carbohydrate sweetener, stevia would not favor the growth of Streptococcus mutans bacteria in the mouth which is attributed to be a causative agent for dental caries and tooth cavities. On the other hand, certain compounds in stevia are rather found to inhibit caries causing bacteria in the mouth.
  
• In addition, being a herb, stevia contain many vitals minerals, vitamins that are selectively absent in the artificial sweeteners.

• Stevia extract has been in use by native South Americans (where it is known as caa-he-éé or kaa jheéé) to reduce weight; to treat wound infections, inflammatory conditions, swelling in the legs and as a tonic to treat depression.
  
  In its natural habitat, stevia plant leaves are harvested as and when required. However, most of stevia that is made available in the markets is grown under green house conditions or at least in supervised farming. If you grow your own stevia plant in the backyard, pick up leaves with short stem for fresh use. In general, fresh leaves are sun-dried, powdered and stored in an airtight container for future use.
  To store, place it in cool, dark, humid free place like the one you do it for other dried herbs such as oregano, where it will stay fresh for several months.