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By LAURA KURELLA
Times Correspondent | Wednesday, February 13, 2008 | (No comments posted.)
Nature has something nearly 300 times sweeter than sugar that holds a dieter's dream of being calorie-free, but that's not all.
This substance also has the ability to help the body balance itself, correcting both high and low blood sugar, which decreases a person's desire for sugary foods.
It also helps to normalize blood pressure levels, regulate a heartbeat, and it can help destroy infectious organisms that can cause colds and flu, but wait, there's more.
Swish this around in your mouth and inhibit bacteria growth that can cause gum disease and tooth decay.
Use it topically and help heal skin problems like seborrhea, dermatitis, acne, eczema and yes, even wrinkles.
Or, place it in a cut or wound and speed healing and reduce scarring.
It is so amazing that many people have even reported a decreased desire for tobacco and alcoholic products while using it.
So what is it?
One tiny little magical green plant called Stevia.
The Spaniards discovered Stevia in the 16th century, but it took until 1921 for the U.S. Trade Commissioner George Brady to present Stevia to the Department of Agriculture.
Brady called it "a new sugar plant with great commercial possibilities."
By the 70's, the Japanese developed Stevia into a sugar substitute that today now holds 47 percent of the Asian sweetener market.
Virtually all studies on Stevia have found it to be extremely safe.
In fact, few substances have ever yielded such consistently negative results in toxicity trials as Stevia has, but Stevia's sweetness left a very bitter taste on the tongues of our sugar industry.
So much so that by the 80's, Stevia was literally knocked off our grocery shelves by successful sugar lobbyists who had strong-armed the FDA into banning Stevia's importation. (Canada decided to develop a Stevia crop of its own.)
It wasn't until 1995 that the FDA finally allowed Stevia back into the country, but only as a supplement, not as a food additive.
What this means is that Stevia can only be sold alongside vitamins at health-specialty stores.
Stevia works well in recipes that do not rely on sugar to brown or crisp things and Stevia cookbooks are available to help.
It is superb in beverages. Teas like Sympacho and Symfre contain it.
Stevia comes in many forms so for best results follow package instructions.
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