Since I've got a sweet tooth, I decided to give this a shot in my garden this year. Reading up on it, it appears to have some health benefits to diabetics.

Phillip

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Stevia is a plant which is very well known for its quality as a sweetener, it is said that only one leaf is needed for keeping the mouth sweet for hours; it was first discovered by native South American people and nowadays we can find people who use it all around the world. The place where Stevia has been most successful is ironically not in its place of origin, but rather far from there; it is in Japan where this amazing and exotic plant has almost substituted sugar in the food market. It is very impressive to look at the numbers when talking about the Stevia sweetener since one would never imagine that there is a sweetener more impressive than sugar any place in the world; but it is, Stevia has broken all of the market sales and it is quickly advancing towards the west, to the lands that saw it emerge from the ground and become the magnificent phenomenon that it is today; and it threatens to go further, all the way to North America where sugar has done its job for centuries. There are many benefits of ingesting Stevia instead of other sweeteners, first of all the sweetener is obtained directly from the Stevia Rebaudiana plant, which is why you can be sure that this product is 100% natural, it holds no threat for diabetic people, it reduces obesity in people who tend to gain weight since no calories are ingested; also it is very important to know that Stevia Rebaudiana has been used successfully in the treatment of several different diseases or health problems, some of them include: diabetes, gingivitis, acne, digestion related problems, and others. It is the perfect ingredient for accomplishing effective diets without having to give up on the sweet flavor that many people enjoy; Stevia Rebaudiana is also very good in the treatment of several different oral diseases, many people have already discovered the benefits of this herb by mixing some Stevia extract with their daily used toothpaste; since Stevia Rebaudiana inhibits the propagation of bacteria in the mouth, there is a significant oral health improvement in the treatment of tooth decay and gum problems when using Stevia as part of daily oral care; and the best part is that your toothpaste will also provide you with a sweet taste that will last for hours which translates into good breath. This incredibly sweet plant is very special since it can come as a substitution for sucrose, an ingredient which has made many people addicted; however Stevia contains no calories at all and when extracting the main components of the plant, acquiring a Stevia extract, its sweetness can be up to 350 times sweeter than sugar! Also, there is nothing chemical about Stevia herb, unlike other artificial sweeteners which are so common nowadays but that only bring health problems if continuously used for long periods of time. If you ever imagined being able to acquire a 100% natural product, which contains no calories, that you can use without any previous treatment of any kind, ideal for children, which was excellent for your health and that could sweeten your meals in a manner not even accomplished by sugar, then you have found your dream product in Stevia Rebaudiana. It is so versatile that many companies use it as a sweetener not only for their meals, but for soft drinks, candies, tobacco products, chewing gum, etc. So this product is ideal for you if you are just an individual who would like to try something new and exciting, full of advantages, or if you are a successful entrepreneur with your own business that would like to offer your customers the best quality in your products with an edge that can easily beat the competition; imagine this, a non fat, natural soft drink is now possible; or a chocolate for diabetics; imagine the possibilities, and make them happen.

http://www.steviarebaudiana.com/

If you search our very own citrus forum site, I have some nice postings about it.

You can sometimes buy Stevia at Lowe's, Ace Hardware, OSH, even at HD. It is in the herbal section.

Here's the original post
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And also here where I mentioned of using it as my natural sweetener for freshest green tea.
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In my experience it doesn't taste much like sugar, it is sweet but with an odd flavor and a nasty aftertaste.

I've tasted it, and it is perfect to go along as a tea sweetener. But for coffee, I'm with MrTexas there!

I always drink black coffee, that way, I'm able to distinguish and enjoy the subtle flavors of various coffees.

If it is the sweet taste craving that I am after, I just pick some Stevia leaves and chew them. Tastes no different than a super-sweetened salad. After that my sweet tooth craving is gone. This is a lot better than the artificial sweetener based snacks.

I was able to be free of my addiction to any soda, including diet soda. One of these days, I'm gonna melt me dark chocolate and mix Stevia with it. It should taste similar to mint chocolate with a hint of licorice, but completely sugar free and none of those carcinogenic sweeteners.

Well this sounds like it will be fun to grow. I like black licorice so maybe I'll like (or endure) the aftertaste Mr. Texas wrote about. I like the dark chocolate idea also. Joe are you making it from scratch or are you melting dark chocolate chips to be mixed with Stevia?
I'd be interested in any recipe that you come up with. I'm sure some experimentation would be needed to determine how much Stevia to use, but that's the type of experimentation you can't go wrong with. Any bad product will still get used.

Does anyone have any growing advice? Sunlight, soil, pest problems?

Phillip

They are very easy plants to grow. They do well in any ordinary garden soil in direct sun or even in semi shade. Once you get a bunch grown the plant can be propagated easily by simple division and replanting. - Millet