STEVIA PLANT: A SWEET BOONE

All about stevia plants:

Presently Stevia Plants are used in many different products instead of sugar as the dried leaves of stevia are 40 times sweeter than the much known sucrose. The cultivation of stevia basically started in Brazil and Paraguay.

DIFFERENT FORMS OF STEVIA PLANTS AND THEIR USES:

This herb is used in different forms for different uses.

a.       The very much common form of Stevia Plant found today in market is the dried leaf powder which is not soluble. It is widely used in sugar tablets and considered as the less sweet form of Stevia Plant.

b.      The other form which is around 200-300 times sweeter than the sucrose comes as refined Stevia Plants. This form is a white powder which is soluble in nature and is better to use instead of the artificial sweeteners.

c.       To use Stevia Plant as a sweetener you can use the tablet form of it.

d.      The form which is available with various degrees of purity is a very dark coloured liquid.

CULTIVATION-STEVIA PLANT:

The seed of the Stevia Plant should be buried inside the soil not very deep. The soil on which it is to be cultivated has to be moistened and fine. The seed will start germinating in 14-20days which should be kept away from cold conditions. This plant likes to be watered more often, can survive in sunny atmosphere and grows even in bad soil if taken care of; usually it grows up to a meter. The Stevia Plants require phosphate and in winters it can be treated as geranium.

If harvesting is done by cutting the plant from the ground level in proper manner, for a period of six years harvesting can be done five times in a year. The dry leaves of stevia are 15 to 35 grams per plant when weighed.

SAFE GAURD WITH STEVIA PLANT:

The stevioside obtained from Stevia Plants are considered toxic and bad for human health but scientists claim that they have tested it potentially and found no harm if the extract of the plant is used as sweeteners. As the controversy continues, country like Canada has still not approved the use of steviosides.

In the year 2006, the World health organization concluded that the extract stevioside is not harmful to the reproduction system of human beings and do not have carcinogenic effects. Although it is now proved about its adversities, still pregnant women and mothers who are on medication should not consume steviosides. The stevioside does not help in tooth decay as several tests are being conducted on animals.

STEVIA FOR DIABETICS:

For the diabetics who have symptoms of hypertension and hypotension and take the steviosides should regularly get their glucose level and blood pressure checked. The medication changes accordingly and helps in lowering down the sucrose level.

The Stevia Plant have after taste that is bitter and is somewhat like that of licorice. The powdered form is mixed with a liquid to have less bitter taste; this liquid comes in different flavor like vanilla, mint etc.

Plantings Your Stevia Plants

Brief introduction to the Stevia

 The main advantage of Steviaplant is that it can replace sugar (sucrose) mainly used as the table sugar, pastries, pickles, yoghurt etc. South America need not be the only successful Stevia grower; instead this plant has proved adaptable and capable of being cultivated in climate as discrete as Florida or Southern Canada.  Home grown Stevia may lack the efficiency of the refined white Stevia, the general range of whole Stevioside content is form 81 to 91 percent when compared to leaf is approximately 12 percent.

Start Your Own Stevia Plantation Patch

You need to have a fairly smooth, firm planting surface which has been cultivated before. Even if you do not have such a land you can always start from the scratch by making your land smooth by ploughing it to make it smooth. Then plant your seeds into them and leave them to germinate. Always remember not all Stevia plants are created equal in terms of the Stevioside   content, therefore it is better to see if the plants you are buying have been cultivated from cuttings whose parent has high Stevioside. As tender young Stevia plants are sensitive to low temperatures you have to wait till the frost is gone and the soil temperatures are high before you transplant them into your garden.

Plant your Stevia in rows 20 to 25 inches apart, leaving around 18 inches between plants, as the plants grow to a height of about 30 inches  and 18 to 23 inches in width

Take proper care of your Stevia

For your Stevia to grow properly you should avoid extremely cold and hot temperatures, instead grow them in a moderate climate. These plants grow best in rich, loamy soil, same as that of the plants which we grow in our garden. If your soil is sandy, add extra nutrients near their roots.

See that the roots are not affected with abundant of moisture, therefore avoid over watering them which makes the soil soggy. Most organic fertilizers work well on these plants as they release nitrogen slowly.

 Protect your Stevia from weeds and pest

Steviaplants require hand cleaning and weeding. You need to protect your plant from cutworms mainly, whereas insect pest pressure is less. It is important to protect your crop from Septoria disease as it causes tremendous damage to the plant.

Harvesting

Harvesting can be done late, as the cool temperatures and shorter days boost the sweetness of the plants as they advance into the reproductive state. But be sure that you should not expose them to frost.

When you want to harvest your Stevia, the easiest way is to cut off the branches off excluding the shears before taking off the leaves.

Unseal the Sweetness of your harvest

Once you gather all your leaves, you need to dry them. Spread them on the net. Good air circulation is required for the leaves to dry. Although sun drying is well preferred, home dehydrator can be used as well.

Now, finally crush the dry leaves, revealing Stevia sweetened powder. This can be done either by hand or a coffee grinder for better results.

Stevia Plant And its Uses

All about Stevia Plants

Stevia plant is one of the best possible natural sweeteners available in the market. This sweetener is more effective than the artificial sweeteners that are present in the market in abundant quantity. These natural sweeteners are better in quality and health aspects than other types of sweeteners. The Stevia plant is available online as well as offline for sale in different types of formations. They come in tablet form, powder form, liquid form and dried leaf form. Any form of the Stevia plant is more soluble and sweeter than the artificial sweetener or sugar. They can be two three times sweeter than the artificial sugar or can be 200-300 times sweeter depending upon the form you are talking about. The plant has widespread use in the health and medicine industry due to its inability to alter the blood glucose level. It has been recommended by a number of government authorities as a natural sweetener all over the world due to the same characteristic as mentioned earlier.

The plant and its uses

The Stevia plant is generally referred as sweet leaf, sweet leaf or sugar leaf in different countries as per different languages. The plant derives these names as it has been traditionally used as a natural sweetener by the people in many countries.  However, it is now becoming popular in a many countries due to the fact that it is a natural substitute to the artificial sweeteners. It is also employed as a dietary supplement in many countries. The Steviaplants have shown positive effect on the patients suffering from hypertension and obesity. It has been a magical item for all those diabetic patients and people who were on diet control and who were dependent on the artificial sweeteners. It has also been claimed that Stevia has the capability of increasing or enhancing the blood glucose tolerance in the body. The plant is very useful and feature rich.  It is being cultivated in a host of countries with China being the largest producer and exporter of Stevia plants. To sum up its benefits in one line, it has induced sweetness in the life of people love sweetness but is afraid of Sugar.

The market

The market is always full of Stevia plants and the associated products. It has different variety and category of the Stevia plant on offer. You can buy this awesome plant online as well. There are many websites who sell this plant. You can also order this plant in bulk. The largest exporter and hence the largest market for stevia plant is China. There are many dietary supplements and products which are manufactured with Stevia. Stevia leave is available as a food item in many countries while others treat it as dietary or health supplement. However, Stevia plants are one of the numerous herbs that are vital to the development of medicinal science. The Stevia plant a natural sweetener and has very negligible and limited adverse effects. And that is why, it is the best choice.