After sending out last week’s email about new stevia products and it’s upcoming use as a sweetener in food products, I received some emails asking where you can buy whole stevia leaf.
If you can’t find it at your local natural food store, you can buy organic dried stevia leaf from Mountain Rose Herbs. Just type “stevia” in their onsite search engine and you will find whole leaf, powdered leaf, and many tea blends that contain the whole leaf.
There are many human health benefits of drinking tea made from stevia, including:
- has 5x the antioxidants of green tea (and no caffeine)
- enhances immunity and natural healing power
- kills food poisoning bacteria but does not harm useful intestinal bacteria
- kills viruses
- detoxifies chemicals
- prevents allergies
- anti-oxidizing effect
- detoxifies histamine
- digestive aid
- regulates blood sugar in people with diabetes
- inhibits the growth and reproduction of oral bacteria
- lowers incidence of colds and flu
- reduces the craving for sweets
Fresh stevia leaves contain Vitamin C, calcium, beta-carotene, chromium, fiber, iron, magnesium, niacin, potassium, protein and silicon.
If you want to grow your own stevia in your garden, it does best in an environment that is hot, humid, and wet. My stevia plants grow all year here in Florida. Mountain Rose Herbs also sells seeds.
Once you have your fresh or dried stevia leaves, you can use them to make hot or iced tea, and to make a stevia concentrate, which you can use as a liquid sweetener. There are several ways to make this.
To make tea: add 3 teaspoons stevia leaf (2 teabags) to one quart (4 cups) water. If using room temperature water, steep 4 hours. If using hot water, steep a few minutes, until desire taste. Or use room temperature water and place it in the sun to brew for 2 hours. Add mint, ginger, lemon, or any other herbs you like.
To make Homemade Liquid Stevia Concentrate: Place 1 cup warm water in a glass jar and add 1/4 cup stevia leaf powder. Let sit 24 to 48 hours. Repeat until the liquid reaches your desired sweetness. Strain through cheesecloth. Keep refrigerated. Put some in a small dropper bottle for ease of use.
