The medicinal plant has been used in folk medicine in South America since time immemorial. The health concerns expressed in the past about stevia could all be refuted. Stevia has also been approved in the EU since December 2011, after honey herb has been used in the USA and Japan for many years by large food companies to sweeten food and drinks.

Using freshly harvested stevia leaves

During the entire growing season, you can continuously harvest the leaves of the sweetweed fresh from the perennial. You can add these to drinks and food to give the food a pleasant sweetness. Dose sparingly, as a single leaf is often enough to sweeten a cup of tea.

The use of the dried leaves

You can process the dried stevia leaves into a fine powder and use this as a natural sweetener for food and drinks. It has a very high sweetening power and is heat-resistant. Therefore, unlike other sweeteners, you can also use it for baking and cooking.

The processing of leaves into Stevia liquid extract

Liquid sweetener is a little easier to dose than powder. You can easily produce this extract yourself:

  • Put half a liter of water in a saucepan and bring to the boil.
  • Add two handfuls of fresh, slightly chopped leaves.
  • Bring to the boil and let the mixture simmer for 10 minutes.
  • Let Stevia Sud cool down.
  • Strain through a sieve into a bottle and seal tightly.
  • Always store the sweetener in the refrigerator to prevent spoilage.

Stevia has an enormous sweetening power

When using stevia, keep in mind that each plant has an individual concentration of stevioside in the leaves. Therefore, carefully approach the correct dosage.

A rule of thumb:

  • One gram of dried stevia leaves is about one tablespoon of sugar
  • A level teaspoon of stevia powder corresponds to about 50 grams of sugar

The medicinal properties of stevia

The honey herb is successfully used for complaints such as high blood pressure and heartburn. Since it has almost no calories, it is also a valuable support for health-related weight loss.

It works according to clinical studies

  • antibacterial
  • anticancer
  • lowering blood pressure
  • anti-inflammatory

tips and tricks

You can also make Stevia Sud from dried and uncrushed Stevia leaves during the winter months.

SKb

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Vegetable garden