Documentation
on Amazon Herbs
June 1999
Formula: Stevia
Statement: Research shows Stevia contains unique
compounds called steviosides. These steviosides have been
reported to be 300 times sweeter than sugar. Historical
accounts tell us that as early as the 1840's, natives of South
America used the leaves of Stevia plant as a sweetener for
their herbal teas.
Documentation:
1. Potential Sweetening Agents of Plant Origin. Ill.
Organoleptic Evaluation of Stevia Leaf Herbarium Samples for
Sweetness. by D. Soejarto, A. Kinghorn and N. Farnsworth. Jour
of Nat Prod, Vol. 45, No. 5 590-599.
Stevia contains eight ent-kaurene glycosides that are
responsible for its sweetening properties. Five are
rebaudiosides; the other three are stevioside, dulcoside A and
steviolbioside. The most abundant is stevioside. All the
glycosides except for dulcoside A (a carbohydrate) are
diterpenes. The sweet taste is accompanied by the bitter taste
of sesquiterpene lactones.
The sweetness of Stevia has been preserved in its leaves
for up to 62 years with no appreciable decrease in sweetness.
No other leaf samples exhibited an intensity of sweetness
equivalent to that of Stevia rebaudiana.
2. Early uses of Stevia rebaudiana Leaves as a Sweetener in
Paraguay. Economic Botany, Vol. 46, No. 3, 336-340, 1992.
The earliest documented use of Stevia goes back to 1887
when it was used as a sweetening agent by the Indians in
Paraguay. The dramatic sweetening property of Stevia
rebaudiana may approach 250 times that of sucrose.
3. Chronic Administration of Aqueous Extract of Stevia
rebaudiana in Rats: Renal Effects by M.S. Melis Jour of
Ethnopharm 47 (1995) 129-34.
"Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni is a sweet herb indigenous
to elevated terrain in the northeastern corner of Paraguay,
adjacent to it frontier with Brazil. Stevioside, the major
sweet substance of this plant (5-10% of dry weight) is 300
times as sweet as sucrose, having steviol as its aglycone and
attached to three glucose molecules. The leaves of Stevia
rebaudiana also contain several structurally related compounds
such as rebaudioside A-E, dulcoside A and steviolbioside,
several of which are sweet.
Statement: Currently it is being researched for many
additional beneficial properties including supporting proper
blood sugar levels.
Documentation:
1. Hypoglycaemic Action of Stevia Rebaudiana Bertoni (Kaa-he-e)
by C.A. Oviedo, G. Fronciani, R. Moreo, and L.L. Maas.
Excerpta Medica, Vol. 209, 92, 1970.
These researchers reported antihyperglycemic actions of
Stevia in 1970 and beneficial effects in the treatment of
diabetes mellitus. Twenty-five healthy adults were given the
dried aqueous extract orally. An average fall in blood glucose
levels of 35.2% was noted between 6 and 8 hours later.
2. Efeito Hipoglicemiante De Stevia Rebaudiana Bertoni by M
Alvares, R. B. Bazzone, G. L. Gody, R. Cury, L.M. Botion. 1st
Brazilian Seminar on Stevia rebaudiana, 1981. Reprint of
handout.
In 1981 at the 1st Brazilian Seminar on Stevia rebaudiana,
researchers presented findings of the hypoglycemic action of
this herb. Fifteen human participants aged 19-25 years old
took the equivalent of 1 gm stevioside per day, divided into 4
applications of 250 mg each every 6 hours. The results showed
an accentuated hypoglycemic response in the subjects studied.
3. Chronic Administration of Aqueous Extract of Stevia
rebaudiana in Rats: Renal Effects by M.S. Melis. Jour
Ethnopharm 1995, Vol. 47, 129-34.
Stevia extract promoted vasodilation of the afferent and
efferent arterioles. After 60 days of oral Stevia treatment,
there was a statistically significant decrease in mean
arterial pressure 15.5%. Urinary excretion of sodium increased
from .63 to 1.31. As time went on, the blood pressure
decreased even more. It also significantly increased water
excretion, revealing a decrease in tubular reabsorption of
sodium and water and sodium. Researchers suggested that some
renal autoregulatory capacity may exist.
4. Anticavity Sweetener Composition by Mitaui Sugar Co., Ltd.
Chemical Abstracts, 1983, Vol. 98.
An anticavity sweetener is formulated from palatinose 100,
Stevia extract sweeteners.
Statement: As a dietary supplement it shows promise
for supporting proper metabolic function and it may facilitate
natural weight loss.
Documentation:
1. Hypoglycemic Action of Stevia Rebaudiana Bertoni (Kaa-he-e)
by C.A. Oviedo, G. Fronciani, R. Moreo, and L.L. Maas. Ecxerta
Medica, Vol. 209, 92, 1970.
These researchers reported antihyperglycemic actions of
Stevia in 1970 and beneficial effects in the treatment of
diabetes mellitus. Twenty-five healthy adults were given the
dried aqueous extract orally. An average fall in blood glucose
levels of 35.2% was noted between 6 and 8 hours later.
2. Efeito Hipoglicemiante De Stevia Rebaudiana Bertoni by M.
Alveres, R. B. Bazzone, G. L. Gody, R. Cury, L.M. Botion. 1st
Brazilian Seminar on Stevia rebaudiana, 1981. Reprint of
handout.
In 1981 at the 1st Brazilian seminar on Stevia rebaudiana,
researchers presented findings on the hypoglycemic action of
this herb. Fifteen human participants aged 19-25 years old
took the equivalent of 1 gm stevioside per day, divided into 4
applications of 250 mg each every 6 hours. The results showed
an accentuated hypoglycemic response in the subjects studied.
Return to Science & Research |
