Stevia herb: the benefits and harms of a sweetener and its medicinal properties. The whole truth about stevia and its benefits and harms - is it really a safe sugar substitute

In the pursuit of a healthy lifestyle, the fight against obesity occupies a leading position. One of the “culprits” of excess weight, sugar, is recommended to be excluded from the diet and replaced with a harmless and low-calorie sweetener stevia.

History reference

For a long time, sugar cane was the only source of sugar. Black slaves worked hard on plantations so that Europeans could indulge in sweets.

The monopoly was broken only with the arrival of sugar beets on the sweet market. Meanwhile, a plant has been discovered in Central and South America whose leaves have a sweet taste.

The discovery belongs to the Swiss Mose Giacomo Bertoni, who headed the agronomic college in the capital of Paraguay. After 12 years, having received a plant as a gift (and not dry leaves, as it was before), the scientist was able to describe a new type of stevia and get an extract from it.

The natural habitat of stevia is not large: the highlands on the border between Brazil and Paraguay. However, the plant takes root quite easily with the right care and gives rich harvests. In temperate climates, stevia grows like an annual, the plant must be planted every year. Although, having set a goal, you can grow a perennial in a greenhouse or on a windowsill. When cultivating stevia, it is difficult to grow from seeds; for reproduction, a vegetative method is used - shoots.

A natural sweetener is widely used in Japan, in the United States stevia is positioned as a dietary supplement (not competing with aspartame common there). In addition, stevia is extremely popular and in demand in the countries of East Asia, Israel, South America, China, and southern regions of Russia.

A unique plant, or what can replace sugar

Stevia is used as a sugar substitute due to its chemical composition:

• stevioside is a glycoside containing a non-carbohydrate fragment and a carbohydrate glucose residue. It was synthesized from the leaves of the plant in the thirties of the last century, the content is up to 20% of dry weight. Has a slightly bitter taste.
• Rebaudiosides A are substances that have an ideally sweet taste, many times greater than sugar in concentration. 1 g of the substance isolated and purified after obtaining the extract is replaced by up to 400 g of sugar.

Stevia Benefits

The calorie content of sugar is very high - 400 kcal per 100 g of sand. Excess glucose turns into fat, which inevitably leads to an increase in body weight and, with excessive consumption of the product, to obesity.

Separately, it should be said about people suffering from diabetes. In diabetes mellitus, elevated blood glucose levels are dangerous not only for health, but for the life of the patient.

For diabetics and people struggling with excess weight, chemical sugar substitutes are produced:

1. Aspartame (E951), beloved by Americans, is 150-200 times sweeter than sugar, has a low calorie content of 4 kcal / g, collapses when heated and is not suitable for sweetening tea instead of sugar;
2. Sodium cyclamate (E952), 30-50 times sweeter than conventional sugar. Studies have shown that cyclamate causes the development of cancerous tumors in experimental rats, but a carcinogenic effect has not been established for humans. However, the substance is listed as conditionally teratogenic and is prohibited for use during pregnancy, especially in the first trimester. Banned for use in the United States of America;
3. Instead of sugar, saccharin (E954) is used as a diabetic product. Its production has been greatly reduced in recent years. Saccharin, when added to foods and drinks, gives them an unpleasant metallic taste, in addition, inhibits the growth of beneficial intestinal flora and prevents the absorption of biotin (vitamin H), which is necessary for the synthesis of enzymes, collagen, and regulation of carbon dioxide transport.

Along with chemical, natural sweeteners are used - xylitol, sorbitol, fructose, but their calorie content differs little from sugar.

The main trump card that the stevia herb has is an extremely low calorie content. Stevia extracts have zero calorie content, which allows them to be used for weight loss.

Stevia leaves contain vitamins, trace elements, amino acids, essential oils, bioflavonoids and other substances that explain the benefits of the plant.

Useful properties of stevia:

• gives a feeling of rapid satiety and suppresses appetite;
• absorbed by the body without the participation of insulin;
• lowers blood glucose levels;
• normalizes metabolic processes in the body;
• prevents the deposition of cholesterol on the walls of blood vessels;
• normalizes digestion;
• stabilizes blood pressure and protects the myocardium;
• stimulates the immune system;
• has antibacterial action.

Where to buy stevia?

Preparations containing the sweetener stevia are sold in pharmacies and online stores specializing in the sale of healthy foods.

stevia tablets

A convenient and practical form of stevioside release is tablets. One tablet of sweetness replaces a teaspoon of sugar, contains 0.7 kcal. Additional sweetness is provided by the polyhydric alcohol erythrinol, the filler is dextrose. The tablets contain vitamins and elements.

Tablets are approved for use by people with diabetes mellitus and thyroid disorders, they normalize blood glucose levels, lower blood pressure, are indicated for disorders of the gastrointestinal tract and exacerbation of allergic reactions.

Tablets dissolve well and are used to add sweetness to drinks and dishes in cooking.

medicinal tea

Herbal tea Crimean stevia is a natural product containing more than fifty useful substances: amino acids, vitamins, trace elements, beta-carotene, pectins and others.

Tea removes radionuclides and salts of heavy metals from the body, strengthens the immune system, lowers blood glucose and cholesterol levels, and blood pressure. The brewed leaves have a sweet taste and additional sugar and its substitutes are not required. To prepare a drink 1 tsp. dry leaves are poured, 2 liters of boiling water and brewed for 5-7 minutes. Leaves can be used as a sugar substitute in other drinks, baked goods. Stevia suppresses appetite for a long time, you can add rose hips, chamomile to tea, and chicory to coffee.

sweet powder

Stevia honey - one of the varieties of stevia, is used to prepare a sweetener. Stevia powder is used not only to add to tea, but also in recipes for a wide variety of dishes. It has no contraindications, except for individual intolerance.

How to take the powder?

1 g of stevia powder is equal in sweetness to 2 tsp. Sahara. The powder has zero calories.

Stevia in sachets

Dry crushed leaves packaged in filter bags are convenient for brewing, since a single dose is accurately measured. 1 sachet is brewed with 0.2 liters of water and infused for about 5-7 minutes. Since stevia suppresses appetite, it is recommended to drink tea on an empty stomach (if the goal is to lose weight).

Sweets for joy

Stevia chocolate is one option for low-calorie, healthy treats. Its calorie content is 460 kcal per 100 g of product. Does not contain sugar, but contains the probiotic inulin. Thanks to him and stevioside, the level of sugar in the blood decreases, the level of cholesterol normalizes.

Numerous reviews testify to the benefits of this sweetness, unlike ordinary chocolate. In health food stores, you can find stevia sweets with the addition of figs, dried apricots, almonds and walnuts.

Homemade Stevia Recipes

1. Stevia syrup. To prepare a syrup (extract) at home, you need 150 g of dry stevia leaves. They are placed in a three-liter jar and poured with vodka so that the liquid level is 1.5-2 cm higher than the level of the leaves. The jar is corked and shaken vigorously, after which it is left to brew for a day. The finished syrup is filtered, separating the leaves, and stored in a glass container in the refrigerator for up to 4 months. 10 drops of stevia is enough to add sweetness to a cup of tea or coffee. A glass of sugar when baking will replace 1 tbsp. l. syrup.
2. For home preservation:

• stevia jam - 1 tsp extract per 1 kg of canned food;
• for compotes - from 15 to 80 g of dry leaves;
• for marinades - 3-5 g of leaves per three-liter jar;
• for pickles, leaves are added instead of sugar - 5-6 pcs.

1. Meringue with stevia. Separate 5-7 egg whites and beat them until a white thick foam that holds its shape. Add 10 drops of stevia extract. On a preheated baking sheet lined with baking paper, put small balls with a spoon. Bake at a temperature of 110 0 C for 40 minutes.
2. Stevia casserole. Mix a pack of fatty cottage cheese, 2 egg yolks, 1 tbsp. l. butter, 3 g powdered leaves or 5 drops of stevia extract. Add 1 tbsp. l. flour, vanilla and raisins to taste. Transfer the resulting mass into a mold and bake in the oven at a temperature of 120 0 C for 25-30 minutes.
3. Oatmeal. Pour 150 g of water and 100 g of milk into a bowl, heat slightly, add 2 tbsp. l. oatmeal. Cook over low heat for 5-7 minutes after boiling. Turn off, add 1/3 tsp. salt, 10 drops of stevia extract or 2-3 tablets, 1 tsp. butter.

Stevia is a useful plant both for those who want to lose weight, but do not find the strength to give up sweets, and for those whose body, due to endocrine disorders, is not able to process sugar. Various forms of release of stevia preparations allow everyone to choose the best for themselves. Clinical trials have proven that stevia has no side effects, but excessive consumption of the sweetener will harm the body.

If you have not even heard of such a plant as Stevia, then you will surely want to know more about it when you realize that it is in theory the most useful type of sugar, and even 300 times sweeter than regular white sugar, and more , this is almost the only truly natural vegetable sugar substitute. Well, what are the specific beneficial properties of stevia as a natural sweetener? Does it have any contraindications? Is stevia harmful to the body? You will find answers to these and other questions in this article.

"Honey grass" or the sweetest grass in the world

You may not believe it, but regular sugar is three hundred times less sweet than this plant, or rather than the “stevizoid” substance that it contains, but at the same time, stevia has an extremely low amount of calories. Thanks to this, an excellent, and most likely the most useful, sweetener comes out of it. The benefits of which, by the way, are scientifically confirmed by WHO (World Health Organization) research.

Where does stevia grow?

The first who thought of growing stevia was the Mayan Indian tribe, located in South America. When in the 18th century the Spaniards saw the Indians who drink tea with stevia for illnesses, they also decided to try this medicine and began to use this herb. Stevia spread throughout Latin America and Europe by the 19th century.

In the 20th century, scientists proved that stevia protects the body from the harmful effects of the environment, slows down the aging process and restores metabolism.

Why is stevia better and healthier than other sweeteners?

Synthetic sweeteners with a low calorie content can change a person's metabolism and thus increase body weight. But stevia bypassed this drawback, studies have shown that stevia does not affect human metabolism in a negative way.

The sweetener from stevia, on the contrary, is useful, and reduces blood glucose levels, which helps with weight loss. If stevia is exposed to high temperatures, this herb will not change its properties, so it can be safely used in the preparation of hot dishes.

What are the benefits of stevia?

Using the beneficial properties of stevia, you can reduce the calorie content of foods and make them more beneficial for humans, such as juices, salads, baked goods, etc. if you use it instead of regular sugar. Also, this plant helps to reduce appetite. As a result of all this, stevia helps people suffering from excess weight to get rid of their problem.

Stevia sweetener can be used by people suffering from diabetes, because stevia does not affect the level of human blood sugar.

Stevia helps against the spread of thrush

The beneficial properties of stevia help blood to clot faster and, due to this, helps with burns and wounds. It is also a good remedy for colds and toothache.

Stevizoid extract is added to drinks that are consumed before lunch and dinner to eat less food by reducing appetite. When the concentration of stevia in food is too high, it starts to taste bitter. To prevent this from happening, you need to use it in smaller quantities.

Useful properties and contraindications of stevia in medicine

In more than 30 years of experience using stevia in Japan, no side effects have been identified. Stevia is one of the few sweeteners that has such a low toxicity rating. The biological mechanism of stevizoid has not yet been established, but it can already be interpreted that it can block calcium channels, i.e. acts as an antihypertensive drug.

Moreover, scientists have found that stevia is a very good a means of preventing pancreatic cancer and other forms of this disease. All thanks to the "Kempferol" contained in the leaves of this plant.

Stevia is also useful for cleansing the body, directly related to weight loss, it helps to remove harmful substances such as heavy metals and cholesterol from the body, and also helps with certain types of allergies. With pain syndrome of the gastrointestinal tract, this sweet herb - stevia can also help you.

Is stevia harmful?

Healthy people should not use it as a main food additive and abuse it, because due to the abundance of sweets, the body will begin to produce too much insulin, as a result of which a person's sensitivity to this hormone will greatly decrease.

All studies that have shown the usefulness of the plant were not carried out on natural stevia leaves, but on extracts of stevizoid, which makes up only 10% of the total mass of the leaves. At the moment, Stevia has not been proven to affect human fertility, but this effect has been demonstrated in laboratory animals.

There is an opinion that infertility can develop from the use of stevia, however, in countries where it is grown and, accordingly, most often consumed, on the contrary, there is a high birth rate, so this has not been proven and, in theory, stevia can even have the opposite effect due to recovery of the body.

Especially compared to people who use artificial sweeteners, which certainly have a bunch of harmful and just side effects and contraindications.

Where to buy stevia?

Stevia is sold in pharmacies and specialized ECO stores. You can buy it in various forms: syrup, powder, extract, tablets, sweetener, tea, a scattering of dried leaves.

There are many options, but keep in mind that the extract is much sweeter than natural leaves, which, moreover, have a grassy taste that not everyone will like.

How can you tell if stevia is good quality?

To understand whether you bought high-quality stevia or not, look at the color of its leaves. A poor-quality product will have a brown color, and a green color will have a stevia that has been prepared and stored correctly.

To begin with, check if the product contains additives, if it contains additives such as sugar and fructose, then it would be better to refuse the purchase, as this will affect the benefits of stevia. As we have already said, so far stevia is the most useful sweetener, and even the most natural one.

How to cook stevia?

Stevia tea is made according to the following recipe:

It is necessary to pour two teaspoons of dried chopped herbs with one liter of boiling water, close the container tightly and leave for 20 minutes. Tea is ready in twenty minutes. Happy tea.

To make an infusion of stevia you need:

Pour 20 grams of dried grass in a thermos with a glass of boiling water, close the thermos and leave for 12 hours. After that, pour the liquid from the resulting infusion into another container, and pour the remaining leaves again with boiling water, only this time we need only half a glass, and it will need to stand not for 12, but for 9 hours.

Pour the resulting liquid into a container with another part of the infusion made earlier. Stevia infusion is ready. It is recommended to use it for high physical exertion, excess weight, loss of strength and diabetic disease.

To obtain stevia mouthwash, need:

place 20 grams of dried stevia herb in a gauze bag, sew the bag and place it in a container.

Next, pour 2 cups of water into the container. Boil water with stevia for half an hour. After half an hour of boiling, the broth will be ready. Such a useful decoction of natural stevia can help with skin diseases, periodontitis and stomatitis. To get a cosmetic tonic ice, simply freeze this decoction.

Also, both infusion and decoction can be used for rinsing hair and morning washing. Daily washing with infusion can help with acne and reduce oily skin.

Is Stevia Sweetener or Stevia Leaves Suitable for Everyone?

If you don’t really like its taste, but you are still inspired by the benefits of stevia for the body as the most useful sugar substitute, then there are options to kill its taste with mint, cinnamon, lemon zest and other spices. And if you want to make a stevia marinade, then you won’t even need this, because this grassy aftertaste is not noticeable in the marinade.

So in general, we advise health to use stevia as an analogue of a non-chemical sugar substitute, and as you remember, most modern nutritionists and doctors say that refined white sugar is very harmful to humans, and most sweeteners are even more harmful.

So if you have the financial ability and if you want to stay healthy and slim for a long time, it’s better to switch to stevia, natural honey or at least fructose or unrefined cane sugar instead of sugar and sweeteners, which we will write about in more detail in others. articles on our self-development portal. Well, on this we say goodbye to you, we wish you health, wisdom and, of course, a sweet and happy life).

Growing your own natural sweetener with no calories or carbs sounds too far-fetched? You just don't know about stevia yet! Stevia is a great natural sweetener that you can grow in your garden, vegetable garden or kitchen.

Stevia contains no calories. It is suitable even for baking. Just imagine: sweet donuts without sugar! As a sweetener, stevia leaves can be used in 3 ways:

• add fresh leaves to hot drinks instead of sugar,
• grind fresh leaves in a blender and add them to food,
• dry the leaves and grind them into a sweet powder - you can add to pastries.

stevia- This is a perennial shrub that can reach a height of 2 meters. Depending on the variety, stevia leaves are 10 to 300 (!) times sweeter than regular white sugar, but they contain neither calories nor carbohydrates.

Stevia health benefits.

Stevia is very beneficial for health. It not only has a hypoglycemic effect, but also helps to improve insulin production - which is likely to be of interest to diabetics. Stevia is a natural antioxidant that helps the body fight free radicals, molecules that can damage cells, lead to heart disease and cancer. Stevia can help manage hypertension and also inhibits the growth of bacteria that can cause cavities.

While stevia cultivation is only just gaining popularity in our country, it has been used as a sweetener by Central and South American peoples for thousands of years. For diabetics and those who want to lose weight, stevia is a good alternative to sugar. Stevia will also be of interest to gourmets, as it has a mild spicy aftertaste. There have been many studies on the use of stevia instead of sugar. The results proved absolute safety.

Stevia - growing at home.

Stevia is not as easy to grow and care for as most culinary herbs, but it is suitable for planting in the central lane and further south. This plant loves the sun, but not heat, cold, but not frost. At high and low temperatures, it can die. In northern latitudes, stevia can grow, but the plant will be small and with poorly developed foliage that does not contain much sweetness.

You can also grow stevia as a perennial plant - then 2-3 large bushes will be enough for you for personal needs. If you are growing stevia outdoors, it will most likely not overwinter if you live north of the middle lane, so you will need to plant it every year. It's up to everyone - do what feels right for you. In any case, for the winter, the plant must be covered with mulch.

What soil is suitable for stevia?

This plant does best in semi-humid places with acidic, well-drained soil. Suitable soil pH ranges from 6.7 to 7.2.

Seeds or seedlings?

In open ground, you can sow seeds or pre-prepared seedlings. The second option is better for the middle lane. It is better to sow seeds in warmer climates. We plant seedlings on the windows at the end of winter and transplant them into open ground in mid-April, if it is not cold. Seed germination is average, which is normal, so don't be discouraged if not all seeds germinate. This is what stevia seedlings look like, ready for planting in open ground.

It is better to plant bushes at a distance of 30 cm from each other. It will be easier for you to weed and collect the leaves. Be careful when weeding, as the plant is very fragile. But there is good news: Stevia does not have any known diseases or pests.

Stevia care.

Good air circulation is essential for growing stevia in warm, humid climates. Use raised beds or, if growing in containers, large drainage holes.

If you do not follow, then the stevia will actively grow up. To increase the deciduous mass, and it is precisely the leaves that we need, you can cut off the top of the plant when it reaches 20 cm. The cut leaves can be used immediately, or you can root them in moist soil.

Stevia blooms with white flowers in late summer - early autumn.

When to harvest stevia leaves?

There are two approaches here, depending on the climate. In warm climates, the crop is harvested twice:

• In the middle of summer - cut the plant in half
• In early autumn, with the advent of the first cold weather, all the leaves are collected.

In cold climates, you need to massively collect stevia leaves in late summer or early autumn, as soon as the buds appear, but before they begin to bloom en masse, otherwise the leaves will not just be sweet, but sweet with bitterness. As soon as the first flowers began to appear, we collect the leaves.

You can collect leaves little by little throughout the growing season. Stevia leaves should be harvested in the morning when their sugar content is highest.

How to dry and store stevia leaves?

Stevia can be dried in bunches like other herbs. But you will get better quality and more sweetness when drying in an oven or a vegetable dryer at a temperature of 65 degrees. Do not overdry, otherwise the mixture will be bitter.

Store dried stevia leaves in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. No need to grind the leaves into powder and store. It is better to grind just before use.

Wintering and new seedlings.

If the climate is warm, your plants will overwinter under the mulch and sprout the following year. In colder climates, prepare two healthy plants for indoor overwintering. Trim bushes to 15 cm and transplant into containers with light soil. Let the plant winter at home or in a greenhouse - but not in a dark place. Closer to spring, root the leaves - and you will get new stevia seedlings. We do this:

How to use stevia?

Stevia leaves can be used simply instead of sugar, or you can prepare healing decoctions and tinctures, which, moreover, are very tasty.

• Stevia extract.

Bring 1 cup of water almost to a boil, add half a cup of lightly crushed stevia leaves. Remove from heat, cover and leave for 40 minutes. Strain and pour into a dark container. Store in refrigerator for 1-2 weeks. The extract can be added to tea, coffee.

• Stevia tincture.

Pour half a glass of dried, lightly crushed stevia leaves into a clean glass jar. Add ¾ cup vodka or rum. Close tightly and shake. Store in a cool, dark place for up to 2 days, shaking the jar several times a day. Then strain through cheesecloth and pour into a saucepan. Simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. The tincture should not boil! Simmering creates a more concentrated tincture while removing the taste and smell of alcohol. Cool and store in refrigerator. Shelf life is 3 months, then the useful properties will disappear.

stevia stevia discord

Today, you can already buy various products using stevia instead of sugar. On labels, the sweetener made from stevia leaves is called rebaudioside, or Reb A. Unlike natural, this substance is an extremely processed product, devoid of any healing properties. So, grow your healthy stevia!

Stevia is a green herb that looks like nettle. It grows wild in Brazil, but is now actively cultivated throughout the world for the food industry, and many people even grow it at home.

Stevia leaves are sweet in taste, but unlike sugar, they are completely non-caloric.

Those who count calories know that in 100 gr. sugar contains about 400 kcal. There are only 18 kcal in green stevia leaves and 0 calories in stevia extract.

With a surprisingly low calorie content, stevia herb is 30-40 times sweeter than sugar. And if we talk about the extract, then it is already 200-300 times sweeter than sugar. And that is not all. Glucosoids contained in stevia do not affect the level of insulin in human blood, so stevia can be consumed by diabetics.

The food industry has long adopted sweet grass into service. There are dozens of companies in the world producing natural sweeteners based on stevia in various forms - white powders, tablets, syrups. Several types of stevia are already offered by Russian manufacturers.

A pinch of concentrated powder, added to tea, coffee, pastries or cereal, can significantly sweeten life without increasing the calorie content of your meal.

What stevia to buy?

Of all the companies represented on iHerb, the Truvia brand should be treated with some skepticism. Most of the Truvia powder is not stevia, but erythritol - an analogue of the sweetener xylitol you know from the chewing gum advertisement. This is a natural sweetener, but not much different from fructose and not very useful. Truvia sachets also contain flavors, the purpose of which in a natural sweetener is generally little understood.

In addition, the white extract is no longer green leaves. If you see stevia in the form of white powder or tablets from other companies, it means that this is not an herb, but its extract. In America, there are now heated discussions about whether white refined stevizoid powder has the right to be offered for a healthy diet, how safe it is, and how it affects the body.

If you are not a chemist and you do not have your own position on this issue, try to simply choose stevia in the most natural form. For example, in the form of dried crushed dark green leaves or in the form of a natural tincture.

An alternative to the finished product is a self-prepared stevia infusion. If you managed to buy a whole plant or get seeds and grow stevia "on the windowsill", make your own sweet syrup. It is very easy to do this.

Stevia tincture at home

A tablespoon of crushed stevia leaves is added to a glass of water. Bring to a boil and boil for 5-7 minutes. After removing the liquid from the fire, it must immediately be poured into a preheated thermos. After about 10 hours of infusion, the liquid must be filtered by draining the water into a sterilized dish. To the leaves left in the thermos, add another half a glass of boiling water and leave for 6 to 8 hours. After the specified period, combine fresh infusion with previously filtered. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

The infusion can be added as a sweetener to any drink, cottage cheese, cereals and other dishes.

Side effects

And now the bad news. Some American researchers suspect stevia is mutagenic. This is not a reason to ban stevia, but every commercial package of stevia will say that it should not be consumed during pregnancy. In addition, there are problems with the interaction of stevia with certain drugs. Doctors also talk about the possibility of adverse reactions, such as muscle pain or weakness, gastrointestinal upset.

The question of the benefits and harms of stevia has become of great importance today, since recently this sugar substitute has become very popular in our country.

Stevia is a herbaceous perennial plant of the Asteraceae family native to South and Central America.

People have long noticed that the leaves of this plant have a sweet taste, and began to use it as a sweetener.

Medicinal properties of leaves

Normalization of blood pressure

It has been proven that regular intake of dietary supplements based on stevia reduces systolic pressure by 10 units (from 150 to 140 units of mercury) and diastolic pressure by 6 units (from 95 to 89).

Also, against the background of taking the extract, the likelihood of developing hypertrophy of the left ventricle of the heart decreases.

Optimizing sugar levels

Stevia herb lowers blood sugar levels. In one of the studies conducted, this medicinal plant was compared with a well-known sugar substitute - with, as well as with ordinary table sugar.

It turned out that patients with type 2 diabetes who took stevia had lower blood sugar after eating than those who ate sugar or used aspartame.

But is stevia really that great?

All scientific studies that show that stevia is useful were not carried out on the natural leaves of the plant, but on extracts.

Usually, two of its components are extracted from stevia - stevioside and rebaudioside A. Their sweetness is several hundred times greater than the sweetness of sugar.

Scientific studies are conducted using the stevioside extract, not the leaves.

Stevioside, on the other hand, makes up only 10% of the mass of the leaves. Therefore, it is obvious that by eating the leaves, it is impossible to achieve the positive effects that the extract gives.

To get bright therapeutic results, you need to take 500 mg of stevia extract three times a day. Just using it as a sugar substitute will not help lower blood pressure or glucose levels. Self-prescribing stevioside extract in such large quantities can be hazardous to health.

The exact biological mechanism of action of stevioside has not yet been established. But it is already clear that this substance can block calcium channels, that is, it acts as a real antihypertensive drug.

In addition, stevioside increases insulin levels while increasing the sensitivity of cells to this hormone.

In other words, stevia extract (stevioside) has too strong biological activity to be taken in large quantities uncontrollably. If you just use stevia as a sugar substitute, its medicinal properties will most likely not be manifested.

Other useful properties

In animal experiments, it was shown that the extract can:

• reduce the level of low-density lipoprotein - "bad" cholesterol;
• reduce chronic inflammation;
• fight cancer;
• act as a diuretic;
• exhibit immunomodulatory activity.

But! All this was shown only in experiments on rats. Therefore, it is too early to say that stevia has all these positive qualities for humans. What works on animals doesn't always work on people.

Harm

1. As mentioned above, negative health effects may be associated with taking the extract in large quantities when there is no medical prescription for this. In addition, there is a hypothesis that this medicinal herb may adversely affect fertility, since the structure of its extract is hormone-like. At the moment, there is no evidence that the sweetener adversely affects human fertility. But there are results of experiments conducted on laboratory animals in which a similar negative effect has been demonstrated.
2. Another negative impact on human health is associated with sweet taste.

Like all other sweet substances in the world (whether natural or artificial), stevia used as a sugar substitute can cause "metabolic confusion", whet the appetite and increase sugar cravings.

You can read more about this aspect of the effect of sugar substitutes on human health.

How to use?

Stevia is the most common sugar substitute in cooking. It is added to smoothies, dairy products, tea and coffee. It is convenient to bake with it.

Usually, a liquid extract is purchased for adding to drinks, and a powder for baking. In the second case, it is often mixed with another natural sweetener - erythritol.

When using stevia as a sweetener, you need to remember that it is wildly sweet: 1 teaspoon of the extract is equal in sweetness to a glass of granulated sugar.

Today, many people do not trust manufacturers of various dietary supplements. And they strive to grow this grass on their own. If you want to learn how to get 100% natural and pure weed in your home, read on

conclusions

Stevia is a natural sugar substitute. However, this does not mean that it is 100% useful, including for weight loss. Like all other sweeteners, this herb can adversely affect the weight loss process by increasing appetite and cravings for sweets.

The medicinal properties of the herb are not associated with fresh leaves, but with an extract from them, which should be taken in large enough quantities, but only as directed by a doctor.