In the late 1960s, the Japanese developed a procedure for creating a sweetener out of the refined stevia leaf that was 300 times sweeter than sugar called stevioside. Stevioside does not effect blood glucose levels and is an excellent sweetener for diabetics and hypoglycemics. The whole leaf extract has a unique sweet-bitter taste with a licorice aftertaste which disappears quickly. In the Herbal community, dried stevia leaves are added as sweeteners to herbal teas and mixes. The Stevia plant is a perennial.
Mature plants produce two annual harvests in low fertility soil.
The leaves measure from 2 to 3 inches long and up to 1 inch wide. When the plant reaches maturity, it is about 2-3 feet tall. The yield of twenty pounds of dried leaves leaves of good quality produces 2 pounds of Stevioside, the main sweetening principal of the leaf. For the home gardener, 6-8 plants should provide a years supply of leaves to dry and add to your tea and herbal blends. The Stevia plant is currently being cultivated in Paraguay, Brazil, South Korea, Mexico, and the Far East, which is the largest producer in the world.