Including toxicological ones- the huge involvement in stevia sweeteners as a non-caloric, natural sweetener has fueled many studies on it . Rats, rabbits, guinea pigs, and birds has been found to be nontoxic in intense toxicity studies with the main sweet chemical ,stevioside . It in addition has been shown not to cause cellular changes (mutagenic) or to have any effect on fertility. The natural stevia leaf in addition has been found to be nontoxic and has no mutagenic activity but studies conflict as to the issue of stevia leaf on fertility. A water extract of the leaf was shown to reduce testosterone levels and sperm count in male rats as per one study but almost all of them are clinical research shows stevia extract to have no effect on fertility in both males and females.
As safe, natural, non-caloric sweeteners stevia extracts have been used from nearly 20 years , by a lot of consumers in japan and brazil where stevia sweetener is approved as a food addiitive . It is used to sweeten everything from soy sauce to pickles, confections, and soft drinks in japan as stevia leaves and extracts are being consumed largely there. For sale in Japan, Brazil, and other countries where it is approved as a food additive MNC like Coca-Cola and beatrice foods use stevia sugar to sweeten foods (as a substitute for NutraSweet and saccharin) . Many people think that the national non-caloric sweetener giants have failed in preventing this all-natural, inexpensive, and non-patentable sweetener from being used to substitute their patented, synthetic, more expensive sweetener products.
They are sold in the United States as dietary/herbal supplements, and food additives or sweeteners as it has been appoved by the FDA as food additives so sweetener stevia and leaf extracts are ordinarily found in most health food stores . As a perennial plant Stevia leaf extract can be utilized either fresh or dried and may be grown as a houseplant year-round where temperature remain above 50 degrees fahrenheit .
Stevia rebaudiana ,sugarleaf, sweetleaf and sweet honey leaf are the stevia sweeteners, that grows in south the USA and cooler climates of the United states is a perennial herbaceous plant . As a sugar replace the leaves of the stevia plant can be utilized by you as it does not add calories, raise blood sugar levels or cause cavities. infuse fresh stevia leaves to build a liquid sweetener that doesn’t add color to food ,or in drinks and Stevia leaf powder can be used to sweeten any fresh cut fresh cut fruit . In place of a man-made sweetener or sugar, sprinkle stevia leaf powder over cut grapefruit, pears or even tart apples.



