Zevia Home

ABOUT STEVIA

Stevia is an herb in the sunflower family, native to subtropical and tropical South America and Central America. For centuries, the Guarani Native Americans of Paraguay and Brazil used stevia as a sweetener in native foods and medicinal teas. The extract from the stevia leaf has no calories, no effect on blood sugar levels, and is hundreds of times sweeter than sugar.

Some stevia extracts may have a bitter after taste at high concentrations. ZEVIA® stevia supplement is formulated with erythritol, a natural sugar alcohol which counteracts this effect. Zevia LLC has a patent pending on its unique and delicious flavor formula.

Stevia is Approved as a Dietary Supplement

Because stevia has no effect on blood sugar levels, it is attractive as a natural sweetener to people who must control their intake of certain carbohydrates. But, in 1991, responding to an anonymous complaint, the United States Food and Drug Administration labeled stevia as an "unsafe food additive" and restricted its import. Many believe the complaint came from Monsanto, owner of Nutrasweet® artificial sweetener. Stevia was later approved for use as a dietary supplement but not as a food additive. >Learn More

Stevia is Used Around the World as a Sweetener

Multinational giants like Coca-Cola and Beatrice Foods have used stevia to sweeten foods for sale in Japan, Brazil, and other countries where it is approved as a food additive. >Learn More

The Canadian government is developing an agricultural production system for stevia. >Learn More

Recent Research Indicates Stevia May Be Beneficial to Health

Purdue University's Dental Science Research Group concluded after two studies that stevia "significantly" inhibits the development of plaque and may help to prevent cavities. For more information click here for one article and also click here for another article.

Stevia also has shown promise in medical research for treatment of obesity <Link to Obesity Research> and high blood pressure. <Research Link #2> <Research Link #3>

In 2006 the World Health Organization evaluated numerous stevia studies and concluded that stevia has shown evidence of beneficial effects on hypertension and diabetes. <Click Here for the WHO Research>

Recent research published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry concludes that stevia could also be a rich source of antioxidants and may protect against DNA damage and cancer. <click here for an abstract of the research.>

Learn More About Stevia, Its History, and Benefits

We strongly recommend the easy to read paperback book, The Stevia Story; A tale of incredible sweetness & intrigue, by Linda and Bill Bonvie and Donna Gates.

MORE STEVIA LINKS

ARTIFICIAL SWEETENER LINKS