Stevia leaf

Traditional Uses & Why Herbalists Value It

South American food traditions use stevia leaves for their sweetness in drinks and preparations. In herbal tea, a little leaf balances bitter roots or pungent spices. The sweet taste comes from steviol glycosides, including stevioside and rebaudiosides.

What Modern Research Has Found

Research identifies the steviol glycosides responsible for stevia's intense sweetness and examines their metabolism. Much of the safety and metabolic evidence concerns purified glycoside sweeteners, which have a different composition from whole leaf.

Plant Part, Preparation & Natural Constituents

Stevioside and rebaudiosides are sweet constituents; processing changes the ingredient.

Stevia in Formulae

In Blood LifeBoost Tea, stevia leaf balances the taste of the blend; its role is flavor rather than a separate medicinal promise.

Products Containing This Ingredient

• Blood LifeBoost® Tea

Sources & Further Reading

• Kew Stevia rebaudiana >
• Stevia leaf sweetener review >