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  • Stevia useful properties

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    Another name for this plant is "two-leafed sweet".This is a perennial herb shrub, strongly branched, with a height of 60-90 cm, sometimes up to 1-1.5 m. It is famous for its unusual leaves. They look uncomplicated, small, and resemble mint leaves. The shoots end in loose 2-6 flowers. Seeds stevia are often unviable. But it easily reproduces vegetatively - by cuttings or by dividing a bush.

    The leaves of stevia are 10-15 times sweeter than the usual sugar or lump refined sugar. And this sweetener of non-carbohydrate nature, with virtually zero calorie content, has unique healing, health and preventive properties.

    In the genus Stevia there are over 80 species, some of them native to North America, others - aborigines of the South American continent. But only Stevia Rebaudiana and two other species that have not survived until now are distinguished by the natural sweetness of their green mass. In the wild, sweet stevia was first discovered in the highlands of Paraguay and Brazil. The indigenous inhabitants of those places - Guarani Indians - called it "sweet grass" or "honey grass" and used its leaves for food 1,500 years ago. They sweetened herbal drinks and bitter medicinal drugs. Surely you are already familiar with such a novelty of our "tea market", as paraguay tea "mate".It includes together with the raw materials of other tonic plants and leaves of stevia.

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    In our country this plant, although it begins to gain popularity, but it is not widely known yet. Meanwhile, it is very easy to grow stevia at home or in a garden, even if you do not have any experience in plant growing. Now, thanks to its unique nutritional and medicinal properties, it is grown around the globe: and where the climate is favorable, and in more severe conditions. In Crimea, stevia appeared in 1986, and now there are large plantations, and it is grown for industrial purposes. In Russia, valuable planting stock fell at the turn of the 80's and 90's. In the summer, the harvest of sweet leaves is obtained in the garden areas in our North-West, in the middle belt and even in the Urals. Well, if you settle this overseas guest on your windowsill, it will supply you with medicinal raw materials all year round.

    The first scientific description of "sweet grass" was published at the end of the XIX century by naturalist Dr. Antonio Bertoni. Then the plant was called Eupatorium Rebaudianum - in honor of the Italian scientist Ovid Rebaudi. In his expeditions, he studied relic plants

    Paraguay and, of course, could not not hear from local residents about the unusual substitute for sugar. The Italian was the first to tell the Europeans about the presence in the leaves of stevia of special sweet substances.

    In the early XX century, the study of these substances engaged in chemical analytics, a little later - physicians. Already in 1913, the Hamburg State Laboratory announced the results of research: stevia can be an industrial alternative to cane and beet sugar, and replace sugar in diabetic patients. The famous Russian scientist NI Vavilov planned a serious work on stevia cultivation in our country. He visited the American continent in the 30s of the XX century and brought back several flower heads with seeds. Unfortunately, his plans did not come true. Then the seeds did not rise, and then came the gloomy times of repression, the war, and Russia for a long time forgot about the exotic guest - more than half a century. But even in Europe the new plant for a long time did not find wide application in industry or medicine. A new round of interest in stevia arose during the Second World War - due to a shortage of habitual vegetable sugars.

    Now the market of industrially developed countries is difficult to imagine without the products of processing stevia. This plant is especially popular in the countries of the Far East and Southeast Asia - China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia. In Japan, for example, stevioside occupies more than 40% of the commercial market for sweets. They are sweetened with fruit juices, soft drinks, ice cream, chewing gum - and all these products are not only low-calorie, but also preventive( prevent diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and oral cavity).Unlike artificial sweeteners, stevioside does not degrade when heated, so it is used to make baked goods and hot drinks. In addition, he showed himself remarkably in the production of marinades, dried seafood, fish and meat products, soy sauce, as it softens the harsh taste of table salt.

    In China, in 1990, the IX World Symposium on Diabetes and Longevity was held. He confirmed that stevia is one of the most valuable food and medicinal plants, contributes to increasing the bioenergetic capabilities of a person, allows diabetics to lead an active lifestyle to a very old age, for which she was awarded a special gold prize.

    More than 60 years of stevia as a completely harmless natural substitute for sugar is grown in many countries. Plantations of this plant can be seen in Latin America, Brazil, Japan, Moldova, Asia, Japan and China. In the wild it grows in the highlands of Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia.

    Opened the stevia of Antonio Bertoni in 1887. In 1901, the British consul in Asuñone wrote in his report: "This is a plant that the Indians have known for hundreds of years or more and whose secret, as usual, was so strictly kept by them, grows in the highlands of Amambaiand near the source of the Mandi River. Its leaves are small, and the flower is smaller, and the Indians call it Kaa-ehe, which means sweet grass, because of its sweetness, with only a few leaves enough to sweeten a large cup of tea, which also gives a pleasant aroma. "Indians have used the stevia for many years to sweeten tea. It is enough to throw a few leaves in a glass to make the tea sweet.

    The very first country to recognize the green target-room was Japan. In 1945, after the atomic bombing of the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Japanese sought a plant that could remove radionuclides and heavy metal salts from the body. Found this plant in 1946 in Bolivia. They were stevia.

    Since 1950, the Japanese have begun to seriously study the stevia and grow it in greenhouses. By 1987, Japan harvested a total of 1,700 metric tons of stevia leaves, estimated at 190 tons of stevioside extracts. By 1988, stevia extracts had captured 41% of the Japanese market of sugar substitutes.

    Stevia herb contains substances that are similar in characteristics to coffee and cinnamon aromas, as well as vitamins B, null, B2, C, B - carotene, provitamin A, vitamin P( in terms of vitamin P content it can only be compared with blueberries), rutin,vitamin PP( nicotinic acid), vitamin F( polyunsaturated oils), minerals( potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, silicon, zinc, copper, selenium, chromium).

    Used stevia as a food product - a natural sugar substitute. One gram of grass replaces about thirty grams of sugar, but, unlike the latter, stevia does not have high caloric content, does not increase blood glucose levels, does not stimulate inflammation in the body tissues, which allows recommending it to diabetics, obese people, inflammatory diseasesoral cavity, stomach and intestines.

    Many healers use stevia as a tonic, to normalize blood sugar( diabetes), with obesity, to treat inflammatory diseases of the stomach and duodenum, to reduce the harmful effects of tablets of acetylsalicylic acid( aspirin), as well as an antitumor agent and as a drug, which strengthens the blood vessels. The positive properties include its ability to lower the content of "bad" cholesterol in the blood, normalize the work of the liver and gallbladder, protect liver cells from ingested toxic substances.

    The Japanese food industry widely uses stevia in food production. The most surprising thing is that it is most often used for salting products( the fact is that the stevioside contained in the grass suppresses the burning of sodium chloride).This combination is common in a Japanese diet in foods such as pickled vegetables, dried seafood, soy sauce, etc.

    Stevia is also used in the preparation of many sweet drinks, candies, chewing gum, in baked products and cereals, yoghurt and frost

    number, cider and tea, as well as toothpastes and mouthwashes.

    Stevia and extract from it - stevioside is also used as a sugar. You can add it to any dish. It is not afraid of heat treatment, it feels good in any confectionery.

    Many scientists of the West and South America recommend instead of sugar to switch to the stevia and products from it. Especially it concerns patients with diabetes mellitus.

    In the United States, products with stevia began to be widely produced in 1995, and the substance stevioside( it also gives a sweet taste to the leaves of the plant) was declared a strategic raw material. Based on products with the stevia, the Pentagon in recent years completely rebuilt the diet of the US Army.

    We have developed a federal target program "Diabetes Mellitus" in our country. One of its tasks is to organize the production of modern domestic sugar substitutes, but not artificial, but on the basis of substances of plant origin. In the near future, it is planned to establish a wide production of medicines and dietary food products with the environment.

    The sweet taste of stevia is due to the exceptionally high content of glycosides. Stevioside is found in all the aerial parts of the plant, but especially in the leaves. As a sweetener, this substance( in pure form) is 300 times stronger than the vegetable sugar we habitually have. This is the sweetest natural substance of all known at the moment, its formula does not include nitrogen and almost does not contain glucose. Of the other glycosides, rebaudio-zidy, dulkozide and steviolbioside were found in the leaves of stevia. In addition, the complex of biologically active substances of stevia includes essential oil( contains more than 50 useful components), flavonoids, various vitamins( C, A, E and Group B), tannins( tannins), macro- and microelements( potassium, calcium,phosphorus, magnesium, silicon, zinc, copper, selenium, chromium), nutrients and other valuable components.

    The plant has a tonic, strengthening and prophylactic effect. A drink with stevia leaves quickly restores physical and nervous exhaustion, increases intellectual productivity, protects with emotional overload, slows down the aging process. Stevia strengthens the immune system, is recommended for people whose work takes place under extreme conditions, as well as pregnant and nursing mothers, young children( for normal body growth and development of the central nervous system).

    Stevia rebaudiana improves metabolism, promotes the rapid and complete elimination of metabolic products, waste products from our body, helps to get rid of harmful substances that enter our body with environmentally polluted food, for example, from heavy metal salts. Reduces the level of radionuclides and cholesterol in the body. It is recommended for many diseases associated with metabolic disorders, including obesity, diabetes, pancreatitis, atherosclerosis. Stevia preparations give a gradual and stable effect in weight loss programs - over a month, patients with an overweight lose 5-7 kg. The use of stevia is also effective in joint diseases( arthritis, osteoarthrosis), because in this pathology the metabolism is also disturbed and it is recommended to limit the consumption of sugar.

    Experiments of scientists of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences confirm the value of stevia as a preventive against hypertension. Its reparative properties are also noted, that is, help the body to restore cells and tissues, and antioxidant properties - it is important for the prevention of neoplasms and their treatment. Stevioside prevents the formation of ulcers on the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines. For example, if you take acetylsalicylic acid, butadione and other anti-inflammatory drugs in combination with the extract of the stevia, it allows you to completely avoid damage to the walls of the gastrointestinal tract.

    Recently appeared and publications that the use of stevioside reduces the craving for nicotine and alcohol and even for heavy narcotic substances.

    Stevioside has bactericidal and antifungal properties, inhibits the development of many pathogens, it is an excellent natural preservative. Therefore, it is recommended for diseases of the oral cavity: it protects the tooth enamel from destruction, protects teeth from caries, and gums from periodontitis is a common cause of tooth loss, including diabetes. Now abroad produce toothpastes, elixirs for rinsing and chewing gum with stevioside.

    Tannins bind proteins of mucous membranes and skin, transform them into stronger insoluble compounds. This means that bacteria falling on damaged areas are deprived of food. Therefore, the plant has a pronounced anti-inflammatory and protective effect, effective in skin irritations, cuts, burns, frostbite. If the wound is moistened with a solution of stevia, then it heals without scarring. The healing of trophic ulcers also accelerates. Infusion of leaves is used to treat purulent wounds and postoperative sutures. Stevia reduces pain and accelerates healing with burns and bites of poisonous insects.

    It helps to fight with various skin diseases, including dermatitis and eczema. The stevia leaf contains silicic acid, which improves the condition of connective tissue, skin, hair and nails. Stevia broth is successfully used, for example, to treat seborrhea.

    Antiallergic, choleretic, anti-inflammatory and diuretic( diuretic) action of stevia is also noted. It improves the functioning of the thyroid gland, liver, pancreas, kidneys, spleen. With regular use of products with stevia, blood vessels are strengthened, the rheological properties of blood improve, and its fluidity, and this is important for the prevention of blood clots and clogging of blood vessels.

    And yet, despite such a solid list of medicinal properties, the most valuable in this plant is the ability of its biologically active substances to regulate the sugar content in the blood. To assimilate stevioside, insulin is not necessary, so it can safely be included in the diet of diabetics. This property is especially valuable for patients in the initial stage of diabetes who have not yet switched to insulin - they are strictly forbidden by the usual products with sucrose and glucose. With the use of stevioside, insulin-dependent patients reduce the risk of developing hypoglycemic and hyperglycemic conditions;you can even gradually reduce the daily doses of insulin. And in healthy people with the use of Stevia extract, the sugar-reducing effect is not manifested.

    In some countries, doctors suggest reducing sugar consumption by 30%, replacing it with natural sweeteners such as stevioside. They believe that such a step should radically improve the nation - the incidence of diabetes, obesity and other metabolic diseases, cardiovascular diseases, dental and gum diseases will decrease, the people's neuropsychic state will improve and immunity will improve.

    Cosmetics - stevia

    Manufacturers of cosmetics in their products successfully combine the properties of colloidal silver and decoction of stevia. This allows to multiply the cosmetic effect: the protective( anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory effect) increases, skin cells nutrition improves, their ability to regenerate( restore), the aging processes of the skin are slowed down. Especially effective is taking care of the stevia behind the sensitive skin around the eyes.

    At home, you can use infusion of stevia leaves or, even more simply, phyto tea bags. The product is suitable for different types of skin care. Prepare a concentrated infusion of leaves or strong tea

    "Stevia", moisten this liquid linen or gauze, put on the face for 30 minutes. Then rinse your face - first lukewarm, then cool water. If you regularly use such masks, the skin softens, becomes more elastic, wrinkles are smoothed out.

    Contraindications and side effects of

    What is very important - even with prolonged use, Stevia preparations do not have any harmful effect on the body. This they differ from the synthetic substitutes for sugar: saccharin, acesulfate, aspartame and others. The latter give a number of serious side effects: with constant use, they have destructive effect on the excretory system( kidneys, bladder), significantly increase the risk of cancer. No negative side effect was observed with stevia. This is confirmed by the studies of Ukrainian doctors, which have been conducted since 1986.Of course, as with other biologically active substances, individual dosages of stevia should be known. It is established that complete safety is guaranteed with daily consumption of dry leaves of stevia in an amount of 0.5 g per 1 kg of body weight.

    In annotations to individual ready-made chemist's preparations of stevia such

    contraindications are indicated:

    individual intolerance, use by pregnant and lactating women, children under 12 years old, persons suffering from gastroenteritis. At the same time, some doctors prescribe certain stevia preparations during pregnancy and feeding according to individual indications, as well as, for example, children with allergic diathesis. In all mentioned cases, any medicinal products can be consumed only as directed by the attending physician.