Stevia Leaves - Dried
Stevia Rebaudiana commonly also know as Stevia is a natural sweetener and sugar substitute the plant is native to Brazil and Paragual. Now it is widely grown naturally and organically in India.
Stevia is a tender perennial herb that reaches 30.5–80 cm (1–2.5 feet) in height. The oblong aromatic leaves are 2.5 cm (1 inch) long with a prominent midrib and are arranged oppositely along the stems. The small tubular flowers have five white petals and are borne in terminal clusters; the flowers are usually removed to improve the flavour of the leaves. Germination from seed is difficult, and most plants are grown from cuttings. The plant requires rich well-drained soil and thrives in warm humid climates.
The active compounds are steviol glycosides (mainly stevioside and rebaudioside), which have about 50 to 300 times the sweetness of sugar are heat-stable, pH-stable, and not fermentable. The human body does not metabolise the glycosides in stevia, so it contains zero calories as a non-nutritive sweetener. The sweetness in stevia-based sweeteners comes from the very sweetest parts of the stevia plant. The sweetness is extracted from the leaves and then further purified to produce a stevia leaf extract that is 95% pure.
Stevia's taste has a slower onset and longer duration than that of sugar. Stevia is used in sugar- and calorie-reduced food and beverage products as an alternative for variants with sugar.
The plant Stevia rebaudiana has been used for more than 1,500 years by the Guaraní peoples of South America, who called it ka'a he'ê ("sweet herb"). The leaves have been used traditionally for hundreds of years in both Paraguay and Brazil to sweeten local teas and medicines, and as a "sweet treat".
To extract the plant’s intense sweetness, stevia leaves are harvested and dried. The leaves are then steeped in hot water. After multiple stages of filtering and centrifuging to concentrate the sweetest components of the leaf, the resulting purified stevia leaf extract is ready to be sold commercially. Stevia leaf extract is comprised of steviol glycosides, which are the sweet-tasting parts of the leaves.
The European Union approved stevia sweeteners in 2011.
Dried Stevia Leaves are good for teas and herbal infusion to add a hint of sweetness without adding the calories.
