…about Stevia

Herbs and herbal medicine have been popular now for many years. Yet there is so much misinformation about them that it makes me cringe. Before blogs were a thing, I did a newsletter which I sent to my customers to keep them informed particularly about what was new in herbal medicine.

I gleaned my information from many places, including herbal publications, but particularly from places like Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins, and Harvard Medical School. The reason I used information from those medical institutions was because I wanted to let people know that there were bonafide studies on herbs and there were real medical benefits proven through research.

Often now, when I read something startling that involves herbs and health, I wish I was still doing that newsletter so I could get the information to my customers and straighten out the misconceptions and rumors.

Last week I just came upon a frightening report that involves the “dangers” of stevia and monk fruit, two sweeteners folks often use instead of refined sugar. But as is so often the case, it turns out there is no danger in using either stevia or monk fruit as a sweetener. The problem comes with the refining of the plants into a product. The particular report I read involves an additive, erythritol.

According to a CNN report, erythritol is an artificial sweetener synthesized from corn which is used to add bulk to stevia and monk fruit and to sweeten low-carb keto products. It is linked to heart attack and stroke, a study found and apparently doubles the risk of blood clotting.

So this takes me back to my staunch, never flip-flopping, platform that while plants are safe and healthy, once they become a product, that often is no longer the case.

Stevia, for example, can be helpful with managing blood sugar levels without adding carbohydrates or calories. It may help lower blood pressure by dilating blood vessels. It has an anticancer compound. It is high in antioxidants and can lower cholesterol levels. And it has a very nice taste.

All of this, even the taste, is true only if you are using the plant, which you can easily grow at home. You can use the leaves fresh, and only one or two is necessary in a pot of tea. But you could drink a pot of nothing but stevia tea and that would be OK.

If you aren’t a gardener, or just don’t like the idea of keeping a plant alive, you can buy dried stevia leaves at a health food store or online. Is using the fresh or dried leaves as convenient as using a product made to look and act like sugar? No. But it also won’t kill you.

So consider this my rant for today. Use the plant. Whatever it is. As often as possible.

And by the way, that goes for skin care products too. Who wants a skin cream that is filled with questionable chemicals and ingredients that has only a smidgeon of the beneficial plant mixed in? Why not just use the plant itself?

I think that’s a good idea, don’t you?

Sondra

sondrancs@gmail.com