Stevia comes from a shrub native to Paraguay, Stevia rebaudiana.
It also grows in Brazil and Argentina, and is now widely cultivated in China. The leaves have been used for centuries by native peoples to make sweet teas, or to sweeten other foods, with no evidence of adverse reactions. In Japan, Brazil and other countries, people use the extracted sweet principle, called stevioside, as a table sweetener. It tastes faintly of licorice and is many, many times sweeter than sucrose. Stevia has minimal calories and is reputed to have beneficial effects on fat absorption and blood pressure.