What Is Stevia Herb?

Waistlines in America are growing. About two-thirds of all Americans are overweight or obese, according to the "Dartmouth Undergraduate Journal of Science." Americans need to eat less and expend more energy to stop the growing obesity epidemic. One way Americans are reducing calorie intake is with the use of artificial sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners can be up to 600 times sweeter than regular sugar. Many people are concerned about the harmful effects of these sweeteners and are looking for natural alternatives. Stevia is a natural sweetener found in the leaves of a shrub grown in South America.

History

For centuries, South American natives have been using the stevia herb to sweeten their drinks and medicinal potions, says the Stevia website. In the 1970s, the Japanese, banning use of artificial sweeteners in their food, turned to stevia as an alternative natural sweetener. The Japanese use stevia as a tabletop sweetener and as a sweetener in various products such as ice cream, bread, pickles, seafood, vegetables and soft drinks. The United States did not approve the use of stevia until 2008 because of concerns regarding its safety, according to the Mayo Clinic and Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI).

Sweetener

Stevia herb is calorie free, and hundreds of times sweeter than table sugar, says CSPI. It is also a natural sweetener that does not raise blood sugar, according to the Mayo Clinic. Stevia is being used in 2010 to sweeten various beverages including Crystal Light Pure Fitness, Odwalla and Sprite Green. Stevia is also being used as a tabletop sweetener for use in coffee, tea and other foods. Stevia is sweet, but it does have a bitter licoricelike taste, says Food Navigator-USA.

Medicinal

In addition to being sweet, stevia may also be beneficial to health. A study by Paul Chan in the September 2000 issue of the "British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology" concluded the use of oral stevia lowered blood pressure. There has also been discussion of stevia helping to lower blood sugar, but research has been limited to animal studies and the data has been inconclusive.

Safety

There are safety concerns surrounding stevia. According to CSPI, stevia may affect the male reproductive organs leading to infertility. Studies on male rats fed large amounts of stevia led to reduced sperm production. Female hamsters given stevia produced fewer and smaller offspring, CSPI reports. In lab tests, stevia was shown to cause mutations in DNA. Stevia in large amounts may also disrupt the absorption of carbohydrates.

Considerations

The concern regarding the use of stevia in the United States is because of the potential for excessive consumption. CSPI and the Mayo Clinic suggest using stevia in moderation. Mayo Clinic further warns pregnant and nursing women to avoid stevia altogether. People on diabetes and hypertensive medication are also cautioned against the use of stevia because of the interaction with medication leading to hypoglycemia and hypotension.