What is "stevia"

n. 1 Any of the sweet herbs of genus ''Stevia'', native to tropical and subtropical regions of South America and western North America. 2 A sweetener, many times sweeter than an equal amount of sugar, extracted from (taxlink Stevia rebaudiana species noshow=1), that can be substituted for sugar for some purposes.

1. n. any plant of the genus Stevia or the closely related genus Piqueria having glutinous foliage and white or purplish flowers; Central and South America

2. any plant of the genus Piqueria or the closely related genus Stevia

Stevia (, or ) is a sweetener and sugar substitute extracted from the leaves of the plant species Stevia rebaudiana.

The active compounds of stevia are steviol glycosides (mainly stevioside and rebaudioside), which have up to 150 times the sweetness of sugar, are heat-stable, pH-stable, and not fermentable. These steviosides have a negligible effect on blood glucose, which makes stevia attractive to people on carbohydrate-controlled diets. Stevia's taste has a slower onset and longer duration than that of sugar, and some of its extracts may have a bitter or licorice-like aftertaste at high concentrations.

The legal status of stevia extracts as food additives and supplements varies from country to country. In the United States, stevia was banned in 1991 after early studies found that it might be carcinogenic; after additional studies, the FDA approved some specific glycoside extracts for use as food additives in 2008. The European Union approved stevia additives in 2011, and in Japan, stevia has been widely used as a sweetener for decades.

Stevia is a sweetener and sugar substitute made from the leaves of the plant species Stevia rebaudiana.

Stevia may also refer to:

• Stevia rebaudiana, the plant species used for making stevia sweeteners
• Stevia (genus), the genus of about 240 species of herbs and shrubs that includes Stevia rebaudiana

Stevia (, or ) is a genus of about 240 species of herbs and shrubs in the sunflower family ( Asteraceae), native to subtropical and tropical regions from western North America to South America.

The species Stevia rebaudiana is widely grown for the sweet compounds ( steviol glycosides) extracted from its leaves, widely used as a sugar substitute under the generic name stevia and several trade names.