Originally introduced to Japan in 1970 by a consortium of food-product manufacturers, stevioside and other stevia products quickly caught on. By 1988, they reportedly represented approximately 41% of the market share of potently sweet substances consumed in Japan. In addition to widespread use as a tabletop sweetener, like the packets of saccharin (”Sweet-n-Low”) and aspartame (”Equal”) commonly found in the United States, stevia was also used by the Japanese to sweeten a variety of food products, including ice cream, bread, candies, pickles, seafood, vegetables, and soft drinks.

In addition to demonstrating stevia’s nearly instant popularity in locales far removed from its native habitat, Japan’s experience proved several other significant facts about this phenomenal plant: its adaptability and its safety. Adaptability was proven through the discovery that the plant could be grown throughout most of this temperate island nation, albeit under special hothouse conditions. Studies were even initiated to evaluate the substitution of stevia for rice under cultivation in some areas. Stevia’s safety was proven through extensive scientific testing.

The spread of the stevia phenomenon was not limited to Japan. Today it is also grown and used in approximately 10 other countries outside South America, including China, Germany, Malaysia, Israel and South Korea. Stevia might by now be entrenched in the United States as well, had it not been for a concerted effort to block its very entry.

Without going into all the details, which are available from several sources in the WWW, despite much research and many studies finding no negative effects of Stevia, the Federal Drug Administration will only allow the sale of Stevia as a dietary supplement. It cannot be called a “sweetener” or even referred to as “sweet.” To do so would render the product “adulterated,” according to the FDA, and make it again subject to seizure.

In the UK, The Food Standards Authority also does not allow Stevia to be sold. Why, you may ask. It is thought that the sweetener and sugar manufacturers have put their considerable weight against it because, being a natural product that can be grown by anybody and cannot be patented, they stand to lose so much money. They would much rather that everybody continue to use the deadly Aspartame despite the increasing evidence of the harm it causes.

Stevis Extract is made from Stevia leaves using an all-natural aqueous (water-based) extraction process. The resulting white powder is 200-300 times sweeter than sugar and sweetens without raising blood sugar levels. Steviva contains no carbohydrates, calories, artificial ingredients or fillers, and, because it does not raise blood sugar levels, it is suitable for both diabetics and persons suffering from hypoglycaemia. The healthiest sweetener ever: no carbs, no calories, no harmful side effects.

Stevia is widely used as a sweetener in Japan (consumers used the equivalent of 700 metric tons of leaves in 1987 alone), and is used there in the manufacture of sugar-free versions of Diet coke, Beatrice Foods yoghurt and Wrigley’s Gum. It has also been used for centuries in South America as a treatment for types I and II diabetes, and to sweeten the native beverage Mate since pre-Columbian times.

In recent research, Stevia has shown promise for treating such conditions as obesity and high blood pressure. Stevia will also control Candida infections when used instead of sugar, honey or artificial sweeteners.