Steevia Research Paper

Did you know there is a plant that is both a natural sweetener and healer? The Guarani people of Paraguay first found stevia many years ago and used it to sweeten their drinks at first, but later found that it also aids in digestion, heals external wounds and softens their skin. There are many uses for the stevia plant, but it is most commonly used as a no calorie, no side effect sweetener. Treatments range from non-chronic to chronic diseases due to the many properties, some of which are anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, and vasodilator. Stevia is a natural sweetener that also has side benefits used to treat and heal non-chronic to chronic diseases.
Stevia has two main compounds, stevioside and rebaudioside, which are both glycosides. These are the main sweetening agents for the stevia plant. Plants with more stevioside tend to have a bitter after taste compared to plants with more rebaudioside. In the …show more content…
Type II diabetes is an obesity related condition. When ingesting stevia leaf extract, it increases insulin secretion, lowers blood glucose levels and helps regulate glucose, which is what diabetic patients want to achieve. Diabetics have hyperglycemia, which is a lack of insulin production. So how stevia works is that it helps nourish the pancreas to produce the necessary levels of insulin. Because of the necessary insulin secreted, it then goes to transfer the glucose left in the bloodstream to be used as energy. Carbohydrates are broken down into sugar when metabolizing. Stevia is carbohydrates free so that is why it doesn’t raise blood glucose levels but instead lowers it. To use stevia in order to lower your blood glucose level and nourish your pancreas, you can either make an extract or simply make tea out of dry or fresh