Stevia

Product description

Stevia the sweetest treat. No calories! add to tea, food, coffee instead of sugar or other sweeteners.

Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) is a member of the Asteraceae family. Perennial plant, which reaches a height of 60 cm, grows in sandy, low-fertility soils at the edges of rivers and streams. Its soil needs are quite limited so any neutral or slightly acidic potting mix is suitable. Stevia is a tender plant that cannot withstand the winter cold. In northern countries it is cultivated as an annual but in countries like Greece it can be cultivated as a tender perennial and with a little protection during the winter days with the lowest temperatures it can survive for the whole year. The sweet properties of its leaves have been known for centuries to the indigenous people of South America, such as the Guarani tribe of Paraguay, who seem to have been the first to use the plant's leaves to sweeten herbal drinks. By the 1800s the consumption of stevia was established throughout South America, such as Brazil and Argentina. The leaves of the stevia plant are 30 to 45 times sweeter than sugar and are eaten raw or used whole in herbal drinks and foods.