1.What Is Steviol Glycosides?

In 1931, chemists M. Bridel and R. Lavielle isolated the two steviol glycosides that make the leaves of the plant sweet: stevioside and rebaudioside (with five variations: A, C, D, E and F). Stevioside is sweet but also has a bitter aftertaste that many complain about when using it, while isolated rebaudioside is sweet without the bitterness. 

Rebaudioside A is “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and may be used as an artificial sweetener in foods and beverages.

Research shows that using the whole leaf or purified rebaudioside A boasts some great health perks, but the same may not hold true for altered blends that actually contain very little of the plant itself.

2.How Steviol Glycosides Works

Crude stevia/green leaf stevia is the least processed of the types. The leaves are dried and ground into powder form, producing a final product that is only about 10–15 times sweeter than sugar. This unprocessed version more than likely contains a combination of steviosides and rebaudiosides.

Purified stevia extracts are also available. In the U.S., this type of sweetener is composed of rebaudioside A in either a pure extract or our third type (altered blends). Per FDA standards set forth in 2008, these extracts must contain over 95% or more pure rebaudioside A glycosides and may not contain other forms of rebaudiosides or steviosides in order to be legally marketed as food. While purified stevia extracts are more processed than green leaf varieties, their health perks seem to be on par with the unprocessed counterpart.

3.Benefits and Uses

May Have Anticancer Abilities

Sweet News for Diabetics

Supports Weight Loss

Helps Improve Cholesterol Levels

Can Lower High Blood Pressure

Unlikely to Cause Side Effects

May Kill Lyme Disease