The medicinal plant has been used in folk medicine in South America since time immemorial. The he alth concerns expressed about stevia in the past have all been refuted. Stevia has also been approved in the EU since December 2011, after the honey herb has been used by large food companies to sweeten food and drinks in the USA and Japan for many years.
How can you process Stevia?
Stevia can be processed in different ways: fresh leaves can be used directly as a sweetener, dried leaves can be ground into powder or made as a liquid extract by steeping them in boiling water and then pouring them through a sieve.
Using freshly harvested stevia leaves
You can continually harvest the leaves of the sweet herb fresh from the perennial throughout the entire growing season. You can add these to drinks and meals to give the food a pleasant sweetness. Use sparingly, as a single leaf is often enough to sweeten a cup of tea.
The use of the dried leaves
You can process the dried stevia leaves into a fine powder and use it as a natural sweetener for food and drinks. It has a very high sweetening power and is heat-resistant. That's why, unlike other sweeteners, you can also use it for baking and cooking.
The processing of leaves into Stevia liquid extract
Liquid sweetener is a little easier to dose than the powder. You can easily make this extract yourself:
- Put half a liter of water in a saucepan and bring to the boil.
- Add two handfuls of fresh, slightly chopped leaves.
- Bring to a rolling boil and let the mixture simmer for 10.
- Let Stevia Sud cool.
- Strain through a sieve into a bottle and close tightly.
- Always store the sweetener in the refrigerator to prevent it from spoiling.
Stevia has enormous sweetening power
When using stevia, keep in mind that each plant has an individual concentration of stevioside in the leaves. Therefore, approach the correct dosage carefully.
As a rule of thumb:
- One gram of dried stevia leaves is equivalent to about one tablespoon of sugar
- One level teaspoon of Stevia powder is equivalent to about 50 grams of sugar
The healing effects of stevia
The honey herb is used successfully for complaints such as high blood pressure and heartburn. Since it has almost no calories, it is also a valuable support for he alth-related weight loss.
It works according to clinical studies
- antibacterial
- anticancer
- lowering blood pressure
- anti-inflammatory
Tips & Tricks
You can also make Stevia Sud during the winter months from dried and uncrushed Stevia leaves.
