Stevia
Scientific names: Stevia rebaudiana, Eupatorium rebaudianum, Stevia eupatoria, Mustelia eupatoria, Stevia purpurea
Family: Asteraceae/Compositae
Alternate names: Azucacaa, Caa-He-É, Caa'Inhem, Ca-A-Jhei, Ca-A-Yupi, Capim Doce, Chanvre d'Eau, Eira-Caa, Erva Doce, Estevia, E 960, Green Stevia, Kaa Jhee, Paraguayan Stevioside, Plante Sucrée, Reb A, Rebaudioside A, Rébaudioside A, Rebiana, Stévia, Stevia Plant, Stevioside, Sweet Herb of Paraguay, Sweet Herb, Sweet Leaf of Paraguay, Sweetleaf, Yerba Dulce
Actions: Anti-cancer, Antidiabetes, Antifertility, Antimicrobial, Blood pressure, Diuretic
Background
Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) is a bushy shrub native to northeast Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina. It's best known as a natural sweetener.
Stevia contains chemicals that are 200-300 times sweeter than sucrose sugar.
People take stevia for obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and many other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses.
In the US, stevia leaves and extracts are available as supplements, but are not approved for use as sweeteners. Rebaudioside A (also called rebiana), one of the chemicals in stevia, is approved as a food sweetener.
Stevia contains chemicals that are 200-300 times sweeter than sucrose sugar.
People take stevia for obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and many other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses.
In the US, stevia leaves and extracts are available as supplements, but are not approved for use as sweeteners. Rebaudioside A (also called rebiana), one of the chemicals in stevia, is approved as a food sweetener.
Safety Safety definitions
When taken by mouth: Certain chemicals in stevia, including stevioside and rebaudioside A, are likely safe when used as a food sweetener. Side effects might include bloating, nausea, dizziness, and numbness.
There isn't enough reliable information to know if whole stevia or stevia extracts are safe or what the side effects might be.
Allergy to ragweed and related plants: Stevia is in the Asteraceae/Compositae plant family. This family includes ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigolds, daisies, and many other plants. In theory, people who are sensitive to ragweed and related plants may also be sensitive to stevia.
There isn't enough reliable information to know if whole stevia or stevia extracts are safe or what the side effects might be.
Special Precautions & Warnings:
Pregnancy and breast-feeding: There isn't enough reliable information to know if it is safe to take stevia when pregnant or breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid use.Allergy to ragweed and related plants: Stevia is in the Asteraceae/Compositae plant family. This family includes ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigolds, daisies, and many other plants. In theory, people who are sensitive to ragweed and related plants may also be sensitive to stevia.
Effectiveness
Effective Effectiveness definitions
There is interest in using stevia for a number of purposes, but there isn't enough reliable information to say whether it might be helpful.
Dosing & administration
Certain chemicals in stevia are commonly used as natural food sweeteners.
As medicine, there isn't enough reliable information to know what an appropriate dose of stevia might be. Keep in mind that natural products are not always necessarily safe and dosages can be important. Be sure to follow relevant directions on product labels and consult a healthcare professional before using.
As medicine, there isn't enough reliable information to know what an appropriate dose of stevia might be. Keep in mind that natural products are not always necessarily safe and dosages can be important. Be sure to follow relevant directions on product labels and consult a healthcare professional before using.
Interactions with pharmaceuticals
Lithium
Interaction Rating=Moderate Be cautious with this combination.
Stevia might have an effect like a water pill or "diuretic." Taking stevia might decrease how well the body gets rid of lithium. This could increase how much lithium is in the body and result in serious side effects. Talk with your healthcare provider before using this product if you are taking lithium. Your lithium dose might need to be changed.
Medications for diabetes (Antidiabetes drugs)
Interaction Rating=Minor Be watchful with this combination.
Stevia might lower blood sugar levels. Taking stevia along with diabetes medications might cause blood sugar to drop too low. Monitor your blood sugar closely.
Medications for high blood pressure (Antihypertensive drugs)
Interaction Rating=Minor Be watchful with this combination.
Stevia might lower blood pressure. Taking stevia along with medications that lower blood pressure might cause blood pressure to go too low. Monitor your blood pressure closely.
Interactions with herbs & supplements
Herbs and supplements that might lower blood pressure: Stevia might lower blood pressure. Taking it with other supplements that have the same effect might cause blood pressure to drop too much. Examples of supplements with this effect include andrographis, casein peptides, L-arginine, niacin, and stinging nettle.
Herbs and supplements that might lower blood sugar: Stevia might lower blood sugar. Taking it with other supplements with similar effects might lower blood sugar too much. Examples of supplements with this effect include aloe, bitter melon, cassia cinnamon, chromium, and prickly pear cactus.
Herbs and supplements that might lower blood sugar: Stevia might lower blood sugar. Taking it with other supplements with similar effects might lower blood sugar too much. Examples of supplements with this effect include aloe, bitter melon, cassia cinnamon, chromium, and prickly pear cactus.
Interactions with foods
There are no known interactions with foods.
Products
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Per 29.2 g:
- Stevia rebaubiana (Stevia)
- Whey protein concentrate
- Soy protein isolate
- Theobroma cacao (Cocoa powder)
- Natural chocolate flavour
- Vanilla flavour
- Cream flavour
Practitioner product
Per 10 g:
- Stevia rebaubiana (Stevia)
- Arthrospira platensis (Spirulina) 1 g
- Chlorella pyrenoidosa powder 333 mg
- Wheatgrass powder 333 mg
- Inulin (Dietary fibre) 800 mg
- Lactobacillus acidophilus 5 billion CFU
- Bifidobacterium bifidum 3 billion CFU
- Bifidobacterium lactis 5 billion CFU
- Bifidobacterium longum 1 billion CFU
- Cynara scolymus powder 500 mg
- Hordeum vulgare 200 mg
- Malus (Apple) 200 mg
- Brassica oleracea var. acephala (leaf & sprout) powder (Kale) 100 mg
- Ananas comosus (Pineapple) 240 mg
- Spinacia oleracea (Spinach) 67 mg
- Beta glucan 50 mg
- Resveratrol 10 mg
- Ananas comosus (Pineapple oil) 65 mg
- Linum usitatissimum (seed) (Flaxseed) 400 mg
- Oryza sativa (Rice bran) 500 mg
- Pea protein isolate 1 g
- R-alpha lipoic acid 67 mg
- Thiamine hydrochloride (Vitamin B1) 400 µg
- Niacinamide (Vitamin B3) 5.3 mg
- Pyridoxine hydrochloride (Vitamin B6) 567 µg
- Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) 434 µg
- Pantothenic acid (Vitamin B5) 1.7 mg
- Cyanocobalamin (Vitamin B12) 0.8 µg
- Ergocalciferol (Vitamin D) 3.8 µg
- Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) 333 mg
- d-alpha-Tocopheryl acid succinate 100 mg
- Ubidecarenone (Coenzyme Q10) 8 mg
- Copper gluconate 225 µg
- Potassium phosphate dibasic 104 mg
- Folic acid 67 µg
- Biotin 10 µg
- Silica - colloidal anhydrous 14 mg
- Magnesium citrate 42 mg
- Zinc amino acid chelate 10 mg
- Chromium picolinate 10 µg
- Calcium citrate 132 mg
- Manganese amino acid chelate 1.4 mg
- Selenomethionine 30 µg
- Beta-carotene carotenoids (Vitamin A) 1.7 mg
- Citrus bioflavonoids extract 500 mg
- Citric acid anhydrous 150 mg
- Rosmarinus officinalis powder 68 mg
- Taraxacum officinale ext. 33 mg
- Vaccinium myrtillus powder 200 mg
- Glycyrrhiza glabra powder 67 mg
- Crataegus monogyna ext. 29 mg
- Astragalus membranaceus ext. 67 mg
- Vitis vinifera ext. 67 mg
- Camellia sinensis ext. 67 mg
- Ganoderma lucidum powder 21 mg
- Lentinula edodes powder 21 mg
- Aloe barbadensis ext. 500 mg
- Zingiber officinale powder 67 mg
- Eleutherococcus senticosus ext. 1 g
- Centella asiatica ext. 67 mg
- Withania somnifera ext. 67 mg
- Silybum marianum ext. 67 mg
- Arctium lappa ext. 21 mg
- Rosa canina powder 168 mg
- Lycium barbarum 33 mg
- Beta vulgaris (root) powder (Beetroot) 167 mg
- Daucus carota powder (Carrot) 83 mg
- Carica papaya (Papain) 250 mg
- Lecithin 725 mg
- Laminaria digitara (Kelp) 8 mg
- Natural vanilla flavour
- Natural pineapple flavour
- Thaumatin
- Luo Han Guo (fruit) ext. (Monk fruit)
- Xanthan gum
- Brassica oleracea var. italica powder 150 mg
- Malpighia glabra ext. 267 mg
- Theobroma cacao powder 100 mg
1 kg
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Per 25 g:
- Stevia rebaubiana (Stevia)
- Pea protein isolate
- Natural chocolate flavour
- Thaumatin
- Luo Han Guo (fruit) ext. (Monk fruit)
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Practitioner product
Per 20 g (Vanilla):
- Stevia rebaubiana (Stevia)
- Oryza sativa (Brown rice protein fermented)
- L-lysine
- Natural vanilla flavour
- Cellulase
- Proteolytic enzymes
Practitioner product
Per 10 g:
Practitioner product
Per 7 g:
- Stevia rebaubiana (Stevia)
- Arthrospira platensis (Spirulina) 643 mg
- Brassica oleracea var. italica powder 100 mg
- Silybum marianum ext. 500 mg
- Schisandra chinensis ext. 200 mg
- Cynara scolymus ext. 800 mg
- Hordeum vulgare 883 mg
- Chlorella pyrenoidosa powder 100 mg
- Rosmarinus officinalis ext. 50 mg
- Coriandrum sativum powder 50 mg
- Galium aparine ext. 160 mg
- L-glutamine 800 mg
- Trimethylglycine (TMG) 300 mg
- Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) 100 mg
- Calcium D-glucarate 100 mg
- Taurine 60 mg
- L-cysteine 50 mg
- Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) 80 mg
- Magnesium citrate 8 mg
- Zinc citrate 5 mg
- R-alpha lipoic acid 25 mg
- Apple pectin 320 mg
- Natural lemon lime flavour
- Xylitol
- Glycine
- Citric acid anhydrous
Practitioner product
Per bar:
- Stevia rebaubiana (Stevia)
- Soy protein isolate
- Whey protein concentrate
- Calcium caseinate
- Maltitol
- Theobroma cacao (Cocoa solids)
- Milk solids powder
- Soy lecithin
- Polyglycerol polyricinoleate (E-476)
- Natural vanilla flavour
- Polydextrose
- Glycerol
- Sorbitol
- Sunflower oil
- Natural flavours
- Thiamine hydrochloride (Vitamin B1)
- Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)
- Pyridoxine hydrochloride (Vitamin B6)
- Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C)
- Cholecalciferol
- d-alpha-Tocopheryl acid succinate
- Nicotinamide (Vitamin B3)
- Calcium pantothenate (Vitamin B5)
- Calcium hydrogen phosphate
- Ferrous fumarate
- Zinc bisglycinate (Zinc amino acid chelate)
- Chromium nicotinate
- Copper gluconate
- Manganese amino acid chelate
- Potassium iodide
- Biotin
- Theobroma cacao (Cocoa powder)
- Tocopherols concentrate - mixed (Vitamin E)
- Acacia sp. (fibre)
Practitioner product
Per 32 g:
- Stevia rebaubiana (Stevia)
- Soy protein isolate
- Theobroma cacao (Cocoa powder)
- Resistant maltodextrin
- Nature identical flavours
- Xanthan gum
Practitioner product
Per 27.7 g:
Practitioner product
Per 5 g:
- Stevia rebaubiana (Stevia)
- Turnera diffusa (leaf)
- Panax ginseng
- Eleutherococcus senticosus
- Glycyrrhiza glabra (root)
- Beta vulgaris (root) powder (Beetroot)
- Mucuna pruriens
- Lycium barbarum (fruit)
- Coconut water powder
- Tribulus terrestris
- Smilax officinalis
- Hebanthe eriantha
- Panax notoginseng
- Natural apple flavour
- Myrica rubra (berry) powder (Yumberry)
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1 kg Chocolate
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Per 10 g:
- Stevia rebaubiana (Stevia)
- Wheatgrass powder
- Brassica oleracea var. italica (Broccoli)
- Hordeum vulgare (leaf) powder
- Plantago ovata (husk) (Psyllium)
- Citrus limon (Lemon)
- Withania somnifera
- Fucus vesiculosus
- Zingiber officinale
- Actaea racemosa
- Rosmarinus officinalis
- Ulmus rubra
- Silybum marianum
- Glycyrrhiza glabra
- Vitex agnus-castus (fruit)
- Eleutherococcus senticosus
- Taraxacum officinale
- Lactobacillus acidophilus
- Bifidobacterium bifidum
- Lactobacillus casei
- Lactobacillus helveticus
- Lactobacillus bulgaricus
- Lactobacillus leichmannii
- Lactobacillus caucasicus
- Lactococcus lactis
- Lactobacillus fermentum
- Lactobacillus brevis
- Lactobacillus plantarum
- Lactobacillus delbrueckii
- Saccharomyces cerevisiae (boulardii) (SB)
- Cinnamon zeylanicum (bark)
- Punica granatum
- Rubus idaeus
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Per 1.19 g (Grape):
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Per 30 g (Chocolate):
- Stevia rebaubiana (Stevia)
- Egg albumen powder
- Natural flavours
- Theobroma cacao
900 g Chocolate
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Per 5 g:
- Stevia rebaubiana (Stevia)
- Green banana starch
- Larix spp. powder
- Myristica fragrans (Nutmeg)
- Malus domestica (peel) ext. (Apple)
- Brassica oleracea var. acephala (leaf & sprout) powder (Kale)
- Euterpe oleracea (berry) ext. (Acai)
- Oryza sativa (Rice)
- Cinnamomum verum (bark) powder
- Schisandra chinensis (berry) powder
- Rosmarinus officinalis (leaf) powder
- Zingiber officinale (root) powder
- Vaccinium macrocarpon powder
- Brassica oleracea var. italica (sprout) powder
- Punica granatum (peel) powder
- Glucosamine hydrochloride
- Hibiscus sabdariffa (flower) powder
- Prunus serotina (fruit) ext. (Black cherry)
- Punica granatum (fruit pericarp) powder
- Raphanus sativus (fruit) powder
- Theobroma cacao (seed) powder
- Hordeum vulgare (sprout) powder
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Per 3 g:
- Stevia rebaubiana (Stevia)
- Zinc citrate dihydrate 93.45 mg equiv. zinc 30 mg
- Calcium ascorbate dihydrate (Vitamin C) 1 g equiv. ascorbic acid 826.2 mg
- Magnesium amino acid chelate 25.05 mg equiv. magnesium 5 mg
- Pyridoxine hydrochloride (Vitamin B6) 6 mg equiv. pyridoxine 5 mg
- Beta-carotene carotenoids (Vitamin A) 170 µg
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This monograph was last reviewed on 07/12/2023 11:00:00 and last updated on 13/05/2022 06:43:02. Monographs are reviewed and/or updated multiple times per month and at least once per year.
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Natural Medicines rates safety based on scientific evidence according to the following scale: Likely Safe, Possibly Safe, Possibly Unsafe, Likely Unsafe, Unsafe, and Insufficient Evidence to Rate. For more information about Natural Medicines’ Safety Rating System, click here.
The Natural Medicines Effectiveness Ratings are assigned for specific indications. A product might be rated "Possibly Effective" for one condition, but be rated "Likely Ineffective" for another condition, depending on the evidence. For more info click here.
