Stevia – a medicinal plant which is a low-calorie sugar substitute. The sweet secret of stevia lies in a complex molecule called stevioside, which is a glycoside made up of glucose, sophorose and steviol. It is this complex molecule and a number of other related substances that are responsible for the extraordinary sweetness of stevia. Stevia in its natural form is about 10-15 times sweeter than regular sugar. Stevia extracts in the form of steviosides can vary in sweetness from 100 to 300 times more than sugar. Stevia is a natural preservative, has an antimicrobial and antifungal effect, helps eliminate metabolic products, waste, salts of heavy metals from the body, has a tonic effect, restores human strength after nervous and physical exhaustion, slows down the aging process.
