Stevia Plants - Natural Medicine to cure in a Healthy Way

 Recent research showed that "Stevia has been safely used in research in doses of up to 1500 mg per day for 2 years." Due to the fact that stevia can be up to 300 times sweeter than sugar, most people would not even be able to consume 1500 mg in a whole week. There are a number of benefits provided by steviaplant and few main among them are listed below:

1.     Tooth Decay can be prevented – If someone started using this sugarless sweetener to replace refined sugars in their diet, they may see a decrease of tooth decay. One can only imagine how many teeth can be saved by replacing all of that sugar with healthier options, such as stevia. It also helps in making the teeth strong.

2.     Regulation of Blood Pressure - There is research that stevia could lower high blood pressure by using between 750-1500 mg of stevia each day. If more people choose to lower their risk by eliminating soda and using stevia throughout the day, they may have a better chance to lower their blood pressure in the future and with minimum risks.

3.     Decrease the blood sugar level – Blood sugar level can be decreased by using stevia plant. 1000 mg of stevia could reduce blood sugars by 18%. So it can prove to be a boon in the field of diabetes.

Apart from these benefits stevia plants can be used for other purposes also. There are many foods used on a daily basis that can be sweetened with stevia instead of the other harmful and refined sweeteners. For example, homemade spaghetti sauce can be easily sweetened with stevia. Or squeeze lemon juice into water and add a dash of stevia for some refreshing low calorie lemonade.

Precautions that should be taken while using stevia –

1 .  Mild Muscle Pain - Some people have reported mild pain in certain muscles while taking stevia. So it is recommended to consult any expert before using stevia plant.

2.     Bloating and Nausea - Bloating, nausea, and mild gas are the common side effects of stevia, but they are least concerning effects.

3.     Infertility - There have been studies that show stevia having a contraceptive effect on the body, and there have also been studies that show it does not. This one is still up for debate. So prevent excessive use of stevia plant.

4.     Numbness - Some reports of short-term numbness in feet, fingers, hands and other extremities.

5.     Cancer - Another controversial side effect of stevia because the study that claimed stevia as a cancer causing mutagenic compound was highly criticized for being poorly conducted. There have been other studies that show stevia as not having any carcinogenic cancer causing effect on the body.

6.     Blood Sugar level - Studies have shown that stevia can actually lower blood sugar, which means it should be used with caution by people with diabetes. They should consult their doctor about the usage of stevia.

7.     Lowers Blood Pressure -Studies also show that stevia may play a role in lowering blood pressure. People who have low blood pressure already should avoid using the sweetener as a sugar substitute.