Better known simply as Stevia, stevia rebaudiana is a wild herb which originates from the sub-tropical forest located on the border of Paraguay and Brazil.

History

The Guarani Indians who populate this region were the first to use this herb, which they call "ka'a he'ê" (sweet herb) as sugar to sweeten the bitterness of tea, as well as a medicinal plant.

The plant was introduced to populations outside of Latin America in 1888 by Dr Bertoni, who gave his name to the plant. Today, Stevia is cultivated in over 20 countries, including Brazil, China, Japan, Korea, and Thailand.  

The Stevia plants

Stevia is a small green plant which contains 10% of steviol glycosides (sweet compounds) in its leaves. It grows to approximately 30-40 centimetres in height.

Stevia is part of the Asteraceae family of plants. It grows naturally in prairies or on high plateaus, in semi-arid climates.

Steviol glycosides

Steviol glycosides are what give Stevia leaves their sweet flavour. These compounds are 40 to 300 times sweeter than sucrose (table sugar).

Stevia leaves are made up of four main steviol glycosides:

• Stevioside, which represents 5 to 10% of the dry matter (250 – 300 times sweeter than sugar). This substance has a bitter, mentholated taste.
• Rebaudioside A, which represents 2 to 4% of the dry matter. This is the sweetest substance (200 to 400 times sweeter than sugar) and it has no bitter taste. 
• Rebaudioside C, which represents 1 to 2% of the dry matter.
• Dulcoside A., which represents 0.5 to 1% of the dry matter.