Stevia rebaudiana
(Bertoni) Bertoni
Asteraceae
Eupatorium rebaudianum Bertoni
Stevia rebaudiana Hemsl.
Common Name: Stevia
General Information
Stevia rebaudiana is a slender, erect, perennial plant growing around 1 metre tall. The plant has a vigorous rhizome and shallow root system[
].
The plant is often cultivated in tropical and subtropical areas for its sweet-flavoured edible leaves from which a sweetener can be extracted[
K- Title
- Plants for a Future
- Author
- Ken Fern
- Description
- Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
]. The plant also has medicinal uses and is an ingredient of commercial cosmetic preparations.
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
Range
S. America - southern Brazil, Paraguay.
Habitat
The edges of marshes and grassland communities at elevations up to 700 metres[
]. Infertile, sandy acid soils with shallow water tables.
Properties
Edibility Rating | |
Medicinal Rating | |
Other Uses Rating | |
Habit | Perennial |
Height | 1.00 m |
Pollinators | Insects |
Cultivation Status | Cultivated, Wild |
Cultivation Details
A plant of the subtropics and tropics, where it can be cultivated at elevations from sea level up to 1,500 metres. It can also be grown in more or less frost-free regions of the temperate zone. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 18 - 30°c, but can tolerate 15 - 43°c[
]. When dormant, the plant can survive temperatures down to about -6°c, but young growth can be severely damaged at 0°c[
]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,000 - 1,400mm, but tolerates 500 - 1,800mm[
].
Prefers a sandy soil, requiring a warm sunny position[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
]. Prefers a pH in the range 5 - 6.5, tolerating 4 - 7.5[
].
A first harvest can take place 2 months after planting, which is about 6 months after sowing the seed[
]. Further harvests can be taken at monthly intervals and can continue for about 5 years before the plants will need to be replaced[
].
Flowering occurs 40 - 60 days after sowing or cutting. Long days, however, promote more leaf production resulting in a higher content of stevioside, on dry-matter basis[
].
In Japan, the yield in the first year is 400 - 500 kilos per hectare of the dried leaves, while yields in the following years vary between 1.5 - 2 tonnes of dry leaves. In western Java a yearly production of 3 tonnes of dry leaves is possible[
].
Edible Uses
Leaves - raw or cooked. A very sweet liquorice-like flavour[
K- Title
- Plants for a Future
- Author
- Ken Fern
- Description
- Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
]. The leaves contain 'stevioside', a substance that is 300 times sweeter than sucrose[
183- Title
- Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications
- Year
- 1990
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-0-9
- Description
- Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
]. Other reports say that they contain 'estevin' a substance that, weight for weight, is 150 times sweeter than sugar[
4- Title
- A Modern Herbal.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Grieve.
- Publisher
- Penguin
- Year
- 1984
- ISBN
- 0-14-046-440-9
- Description
- Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
,
46- Title
- Dictionary of Economic Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Uphof. J. C. Th.
- Publisher
- Weinheim
- Year
- 1959
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
,
61- Title
- A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Usher. G.
- Publisher
- Constable
- Year
- 1974
- ISBN
- 0094579202
- Description
- Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
,
105- Title
- Tanaka's Cyclopedia of Edible Plants of the World.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Tanaka. T. & Nakao S.
- Publisher
- Keigaku Publishing; Tokyo
- Year
- 1976
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- The most comprehensive list of edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.
]. The dried leaves can be ground and used as a sweetener or soaked in water and the liquid used in making preserves[
183- Title
- Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications
- Year
- 1990
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-0-9
- Description
- Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
]. The powdered leaves are also added to herb teas[
183- Title
- Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications
- Year
- 1990
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-0-9
- Description
- Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
]. The leaves are sometimes chewed by those wishing to reduce their sugar intake[
183- Title
- Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications
- Year
- 1990
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-0-9
- Description
- Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
]. The leaves can also be cooked and eaten as a vegetable[
105- Title
- Tanaka's Cyclopedia of Edible Plants of the World.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Tanaka. T. & Nakao S.
- Publisher
- Keigaku Publishing; Tokyo
- Year
- 1976
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- The most comprehensive list of edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.
,
177- Title
- Plants for Human Consumption.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Kunkel. G.
- Publisher
- Koeltz Scientific Books
- Year
- 1984
- ISBN
- 3874292169
- Description
- An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of Latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
].
Medicinal
The leaves are said to be used as a herbal remedy for diabetes[
]. Stevia is not a remedy for diabetes, but can be used as a sugar-free sweetener, and is reported to have some effect upon regulating glucose levels[
360- Title
- Philippine Medicinal Plants
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.stuartxchange.org/CompleteList.html
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A lovely site, giving brief details on the medicinal uses of several hundred (over 400 at the last count) plants in the Philippines, plus a picture of each plant.
,
K- Title
- Plants for a Future
- Author
- Ken Fern
- Description
- Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
].
The plant has also been used in the treatment of candidiasis, skin abrasions, dental caries, depression, hypertension, obesity, wound healing and as tonic and sweetener[
360- Title
- Philippine Medicinal Plants
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.stuartxchange.org/CompleteList.html
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A lovely site, giving brief details on the medicinal uses of several hundred (over 400 at the last count) plants in the Philippines, plus a picture of each plant.
].
There have been various studies into the activities of stevia:-
Lupeol 3-palmitate, found in the leaf, has shown marked inhibition of inflammatory activity[
360- Title
- Philippine Medicinal Plants
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.stuartxchange.org/CompleteList.html
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A lovely site, giving brief details on the medicinal uses of several hundred (over 400 at the last count) plants in the Philippines, plus a picture of each plant.
].
The administration of a crude extract of Stevia dried leaves for 40 to 60 days induced systemic and renal vasodilation causing a lowering of blood pressure, increased urine flow and the increased excretion of sodium in the urine[
360- Title
- Philippine Medicinal Plants
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.stuartxchange.org/CompleteList.html
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A lovely site, giving brief details on the medicinal uses of several hundred (over 400 at the last count) plants in the Philippines, plus a picture of each plant.
].
Stevioside, the main sweetening agent in the leaves, has been shown to cause vasorelaxation through an inhibition of calcium influx into the blood vessels. A study using 250mg stevioside capsules three times daily found stevioside to be a safe and effective compound or supplementary therapy for hypertension[
360- Title
- Philippine Medicinal Plants
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.stuartxchange.org/CompleteList.html
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A lovely site, giving brief details on the medicinal uses of several hundred (over 400 at the last count) plants in the Philippines, plus a picture of each plant.
].
A study of the ethanolic and ethly acetate extracts of the leaves have indicated that they may be useful as a potential source of natural antioxidants[
360- Title
- Philippine Medicinal Plants
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.stuartxchange.org/CompleteList.html
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A lovely site, giving brief details on the medicinal uses of several hundred (over 400 at the last count) plants in the Philippines, plus a picture of each plant.
].
Stevioside has been shown to lower blood glucose. It dose-dependently decreases the protein levels of phosphoenol pyruvate carboxykinase, reducing insulin resistance. The study concludes that stevioside can regulate blood glucose by enhancing insulin secretion and insulin utilization where there is insulin-deficiency[
360- Title
- Philippine Medicinal Plants
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.stuartxchange.org/CompleteList.html
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A lovely site, giving brief details on the medicinal uses of several hundred (over 400 at the last count) plants in the Philippines, plus a picture of each plant.
].
The dried and powdered leaves have shown significant hypoglycaemic effects and body weight reducing effects[
360- Title
- Philippine Medicinal Plants
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.stuartxchange.org/CompleteList.html
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A lovely site, giving brief details on the medicinal uses of several hundred (over 400 at the last count) plants in the Philippines, plus a picture of each plant.
].
Four solvent extracts of the leaves have shown effective antibacterial potential. The acetone extract showed no toxicity to normal cells and showed both anti-proliferative and anticancer activities. The study confirms the antimicrobial and antitumor activities of the leaf extracts, suggesting a potential drug that warrants further studies and development[
360- Title
- Philippine Medicinal Plants
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.stuartxchange.org/CompleteList.html
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A lovely site, giving brief details on the medicinal uses of several hundred (over 400 at the last count) plants in the Philippines, plus a picture of each plant.
].
A study on the effects of aqueous extracts of the leaves on glucose tolerace in normal volunteers showed an increase in glucose tolerance, with a significant decrease of plasma glucose during the test and after overnight fasting in all volunteers[
360- Title
- Philippine Medicinal Plants
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.stuartxchange.org/CompleteList.html
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A lovely site, giving brief details on the medicinal uses of several hundred (over 400 at the last count) plants in the Philippines, plus a picture of each plant.
].
Other Uses
An extract of the leaves is used as an ingredient in commercial cosmetic preparations as a skin conditioner[
].
Propagation
Seed - sow in a nursery bed and only just cover the seed. Make sure the compost does not dry out. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots and grow them on fast, planting them out when 10cm or more tall.
Division of the rootstock.