Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni is a small perennial shrub of the Asteraceae (Compositae) family that is native to South America, particularly Brazil and Paraguay, where it is known as "stevia" or "honey leaf" for its powerful sweetness. Several studies have suggested that in addition to their sweetness, steviosides and their related compounds, including rebaudioside A and isosteviol, may offer addit...

Sweetleaf (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni), currently investigated by many researchers, has been known and used for more than a thousand years indigenous tribes of South America, who called it "kaa-hee" ("sweet herb"). Thanks to its chemical composition and processability sweetleaf may be an alternative for synthetic sweeteners. Nutritional and health-promoting aspects of Stevia rebaudiana are prese...

In recent years, the antimicrobial activity of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni leaf extracts against a large number of microorganisms has been evaluated, but not its activity against microorganisms of importance in dental caries. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antibacterial activity of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni leaf extracts against cariogenic bacteria. Extracts were obtained from the drie...

Steviol glycosides are highly sweet diterpene glycosides found in the Paragyan shrub, Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni. Steviol glycosides, mainly stevioside and rebaudioside, principal components of Stevia rebaudiana leaf, has become well known for their sweetness and are used as non-caloric sweeteners in several countries due to their nutritional and pharmacological benefits. Hence, craving for swee...

ANTIHYPERTENSIVE (BLOOD PRESSURE LOWERING) EFFECTS OF STEVIOSIDE, FROM STEVIA REBAUDIANA BERTONI, ON RATS, DOGS AND HUMANS – A SHORT REVIEW HIMANSHU MISRA1,2*, DARSHANA MEHTA1, B. K. MEHTA1* and D. C. JAIN2 1Natural Products Research Laboratory, School of Studies in Chemistry and Biochemistry, Vikram University, Ujjain-456 010, Madhya Pradesh, India. 2Green Technology Department, Ipca Laborator...

Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni, an ancient perennial shrub of South America, produces diterpene glycosides that are low calorie sweeteners, about 300 times sweeter than saccharose. Stevia extracts, besides having therapeutic properties, contain a high level of sweetening compounds, known as steviol glycosides, which are thought to possess antioxidant, antimicrobial and antifungal activity. Steviosid...

Stevioside, a major sweet component of leaves of Stevia rebaudiana (Bertoni), is about 300 times sweeter than sucrose. Highly refined stevia leaf extracts and stevioside are officially used as low calorie sweeteners in many countries. The present study describes a method for rapid identification and estimation of stevioside in commercial samples using HPTLC and HPLC. Identification of steviosid...

Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni is a Paraguayan perennial antidiabetic herb belongs to Asteraceae family. The Leaves of stevia are about 300 times sweeter than sugar with no calories, that are the source of diterpene glycosides such as stevioside and rebaudioside A. Tissue culture is a rapid tool for propagation of stevia. In this research we studied the effect of different concentrations of mannitol...

Objective: Although stevia leaf extract is an accepted sugar substitute that can contribute to improved caloric management and weight control, it also may enhance other aspects of human health. The effectiveness and safety of stevia leaf extract in these additional roles was evaluated. Methods: A detailed literature review was conducted and summarized. Results: An extract of the leaf of the her...

Stevioside, an ent-kaurene type of diterpenoid glycoside, is a natural sweetener extracted from leaves of Stevia rebaudiana (Bertoni) Bertoni. Stevioside and a few related compounds are regarded as the most common active principles of the plant. Such phytochemicals have not only been established as non-caloric sweeteners, but reported to exhibit some other pharmacological activities also. In th...