Definition of "stevia"

A naturally sweet herb called stevia is gaining in popularity as a sugar substitute, especially in beverages. Food additives must provide evidence of their safety and effectiveness before receiving FDA approval, and stevia lacks this approval for use as a sweetener because so little is known about its effects on human health, save that it can be absorbed by the human digestive tract.

2006, Frances Sizer, Ellie Whitney, Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies, 10th edition, page 49

Another natural sweetener comes from the stevia plant. In December 2008, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave a “generally recognized as safe” status to Truvia and PureVia, both of which are wholly derived from the stevia plant and have no calories.

2010, Rita Girouard Mertig, What Nurses Know...Diabetes, page 18

My absolute preference for a sweetener is the herb stevia—not the white crystalline extract, but the chopped green leaves. Stevia has no calories and does not cause any insulin response.

2010, Sam Graci, The Food Connection: The Right Food at the Right Time, page 139

Stevia is a natural, non-fattening sweetener that is 30 to 100 times sweeter than sugar and without any of the aftertaste that is common in many sugar substitutes.

2003, M. Sara Rosenthal, The Natural Woman's Guide to Living with the Complications of Diabetes, page 42

Around 1970, Japan approved stevia as a sweetener and flavor enhancer, and, in the last 35 years of Japanese employment, not a single case of toxic or deleterious effect has been brought to light.

2008, Jack Staub, 75 Exceptional Herbs for Your Garden, page 563

Stevia is made from the leaves of a small shrub found largely in South America and China, and has been used by indigenous peoples for hundreds of years. It is considered one of the healthiest sweeteners available, and often used as a tonic for healing wounds.

2011, Mary D Martino, Natural Health: Alternatives and Prevention of Disease, page 365